The Best Piece of Advice

The best piece of advice I read last year came from Ira Glass, the host of This American Life:

As an artist, it's easy to feel disappointed when one's work is underappereciated or if it does not stack up to the work that one admires. It can also sabotage the love for the art that initially draws one to create in the first place. That happened to me in 2010, when I moved to California and instead of working on my music career, I decided to work for a political campaign. I was disappointed that my work wasn't meeting the high standards of the music that I love so I turned away from it.

Luckily, I was pulled back to creating music. I came across this quote soon after. It helped crystallize a lot of the frustration I'd felt with my own original music for a long time. Now, whenever I'm reflecting on my situation, I often start with this quote to make sure that my internal compass is pointed in the right direction, and more often than not, I'm heartened to realize that it is. 

Great art can be found with anyone who takes pride in their work so I find this quote applicable to most people. Any great quotes that you know of that help frame your work as an artist?