Do Something That Scares You: Voice Memos

Photo from here.

There are so many things I never did or have not yet done because I'm afraid.  By afraid, I don't mean seriously in fear of death/harm/destruction (i.e. I have never swam in a shark cage and don't intend to) . . . I mean fearful of what other people might thing, of not doing something perfectly, of being ridiculed, or feeling self-conscious or unsure if I would succeed.  That sort of fear.

Often, later, I realize how silly those fears that stopped me were or realized that any negative experiences would probably have outweighed the enjoyment I might of gotten out of doing something I was interested in.  Other times, I've realized I don't care about the negative consequences or no longer value the opinion of those people I thought would judge me.  Many times, I've realized that a lot of the things I feared happening were extremely unlikely and how foolish it was for me to let those imaginings get in my way.

I like to remind myself of things I now do comfortably that at some point in my life I thought I would never be able to do.  It helps me remember that I am a capable person, that it's ok not to do something perfectly on the first try, and that I have proved many times that I can overcome fears--- especially all

I want to Learn . . .

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There is so much I want to learn.  How is it I so rarely make time for things I am deeply interested in? Sometimes I forget what those things are and just end up doing something boring that other people do.  Sometimes it is helpful to write things down so you don't forget them

Some Things I Want to Learn/Learn About:

1. how to play drums
2. painting watercolors
3. to speak French (again)
4. sewing
5. car maintenance
6. how to dance
7. web design
8. photography
9. how to write a song
10. history of fashion photography/fashion
11. history of Russia
12. poetry
13. study art history/art
14. basic computer science (?)
15. Photoshop & InDesign
16. sketching/drawing
17. all about fabrics
18. weaving
19. Tarot reading
20. study Native American religion
21. PR/Marketing lingo
22. Basics of entrepreneurship
23. how to press flower so they don't look ugly

 I'm sure there are more.

Inspiration Lately: Mindy Kaling

Thanks to Jezebel, I caught this snippet from an upcoming magazine interview with Mindy Kaling.

I was really caught by her last sentence:

"But while I’m talking about why I’m so different, white male show runners get to talk about their art."

I often think we get so caught up in the saga of how artists and people we admire overcame the obstacles in their way, we forget to actually listen to what they are saying.  We are so interested in the drama of a underdog female comedienne or strong woman-of-color, we spend all our energy creating these comforting origin stories for our favorite celebrities and don't actually appreciate their greatest gift: their art.

I also often read interview with people (female artists especially) that I admire, and am disappointed because they don't ever get a chance to really discuss their art, their process, or how they feel their art has been received/interpreted.  I really want to know about the thought-process and techniques other female artists are using!

And for men, this definitely doesn't happen as much in interview, but I guess I hadn't realized that fully until Mindy pointed it out.  I'd love to stop talking about the artist and think about their brilliant ideas and art too, especially if they are groundbreaking women and people we admire and emulate.

This also sorta reminded me of one my favorite quotes from Zooey Deschanel:

"We can’t be feminine and be feminists and be successful? I want to be a f--king feminist and wear a f--king Peter Pan collar. So f--king what?"

I know Zooey Deschanel is a bit of a contentious issue for some people, but I actually think about this quote a lot.  Sometimes you have to stop overthinking it and just be you.  It is possible to fit into multiple categories.  Other people may label you and argue about what label you qualify for, but if you think you are doing your best and doing what is right and good . . .  that's good enough, and you have to feel confident and comfortable in that.