So, do you recall the thing called “Resistance” which I mentioned recently, from Steven Pressfield’s book? No? That’s okay, you don’t have to go back and read about it. In essence, Resistance is a force which affects everyone, causing them to procrastinate and ultimately leads to people never achieving their goals.
Resistance targets artists in particular. Or at least, they tend to feel it more heavily.
Today’s focus leans towards a short excerpt from the book (The War of Art), detailing how Resistance relates to self-doubt. Pressfield says, self-doubt makes you ask questions such as “Am I really a writer?” or “Am I really an artist?” whereas the “counterfeit innovator” is exceptionally confident in his/her abilities.
This chapter in particular stood out to me, because I can readily admit that, yes, I am a writer. What I do is writing, this makes me a writer–a simple, logical formula. But does this acceptance mean, then, that I’m an amateur, or a ‘counterfeit’? I considered this for a while, upon thinking of another piece of prose–I think from a book by Noah Lukeman–which says something along these lines:
“Just like playing one note makes a person a musician, or one stroke on a canvas makes an artist, one sentence makes you into a writer.”
I probably butchered that paraphrase, but you get the idea.
Though some professionals might argue that playing one note, or writing one sentence hardly makes a person a writer or a musician–and it doesn’t make them an adept writer or musician–the person has still done something, which I think is all that matters to call ourselves artists.
This is a major area where beginning or even professional writers stumble. I think what’s imperative to remember–similar to depression and other mental illnesses–is that most (if not every) artists feel this way. But feeling it doesn’t make it true. If you’re asking yourself if you really are something, then you likely are. Finally, just because you can agree that you are that something, or in my case, a writer, also doesn’t mean you’re a false-whatever. It merely means you can view your case sensibly, and keep the self-doubt from interfering.
Word Technician 