Be Not Afraid Of Failure!

First I would like to mention that you should SMILE when you read this quote above because Edwin H. Land was responsible for giving us the famed Polaroid camera. And guess what? He didn't produce that phenomenon on the first try. Thus the quote.

I will be writing regular posts about those annoying, sometimes almost paralyzing, fears we must all face as artists. Fear of failure is a primary one, although most of us would be hard-pressed to even describe what that would really look like in our own lives.

Is failure defined as "not getting selected at an audition"?

(Been there, done that and then . . . Weeks later it turned out for the best in life-changing ways that I couldn't have imagined! More on that story later.)

Is failure defined as "no one liked our recent work"?

(Been there, done that too. And those experiences also worked out in wonderfully life-changing ways! I'll share those too.)

How long, exactly, does "failure" last?

(Could that depend on how long you think about it? Or maybe how long you think other people are thinking about it?)

And why do we fear failure so much when all we have to do is move past it and work towards a future success?

(Is it because we are disappointed in ourselves or that we think others are disappointed in us? Or both? Or is it how we define failure in the first place?)

The answers to these questions are different for all of us. But one thing is for certain, we are commanded to "Fear not" or "Be not afraid" at least 365 times in the Bible. If we read one of those verses each day, we would probably find that there is not a single situation (including life and death ones) that we should be fearing.

So why do we let the small things in life have such a strong negative effect on our self-esteem and hopes?

While I don't have all the answers (I'll refer you back to the Scriptures for those) I do have some life stories that I can share that might give a little insight into the revelations and experiences that supposed "failure" can produce.

Check back for future posts on what I've learned along the way about "failing" in auditions, "failing" in getting jobs, "failing" in choreography, and "failing" onstage.

Fear not . . . It's all good. I promise.