Primal Fear: Ed Norton's Guide to Handling Stage Fright
2014 01 06
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"Norton explains how ignoring or denying fear is dangerous. A smarter approach, he says, might be to expect it, acknowledge that it's universal, and forge ahead nonetheless. Ultimately you become better prepared for experiencing fear, and less likely to let it distract you from your purpose."
I've had a similar talk with myself over the last few months, only in regards to my artwork, particularly after a conversation I had with another creative person. I was discussing the work of a local artist whose work I think is crap, but they're a good salesperson, so this person succeeds. The person I was talking with wouldn't utter the words that this local artist's work is crap because she didn't want people to say it of hers.
I suppose that's fair enough, but the first thought that popped into my head was, "But they will hate your work. They'll hate mine, too." And it was at that moment that I realised that it was okay for people to hate my work - that although it might cause a moment of pang depending on how the dislike is expressed, the generalised existence of the hatred isn't something I feared, not something that was going to hold sway over me.
Avoidance doesn't keep a thing from happening. You might as well embrace it and face it head on.