Think hard, ship easy.

“A man standing on a stone ledge and looking off into the mountain lake” by Joshua Earle on Unsplash

When you Google “US Constitution”, the short version says this:

“The Constitution of the United States of America is the supreme law of the United States. Empowered with the sovereign authority of the people by the frame.”

Important words, enshrined on paper by the best thinkers of the time. Its a living document that to this day shapes the lives of millions of Americans, and arguably, many others around the world. It was created with a purpose in mind at a time when the fledgling US nation needed a set of principles and guidelines to tackle the political and cultural upheavals that were happening. Its written in ink, to be timeless.

When we create something that has meaning for us, it can feel like we are creating a new Constitution. It has to be grand, it has to have deep meaning, it has to stand the test of time, it has to be perfect. It has to be right first time, irreversibly committed to history in dark ink.

As artists, what we often forget is that every time we put pen to paper, execute the first step of an idea or begin an important conversation, we have the option of writing in light pencil. It doesn’t mean that our thoughts and actions lack importance, it just means that “what’s next” might not be as serious as we think. If we are aware of the fact that our fears will make us believe that this action/conversation/thought will be set in stone and dictate our lives forever, it can make us pause, cause us to not ship. Maybe it’s perfect, and maybe it’s not. There may be repercussions, but equally there may not be.

Our fears will expand to fill all available space on the page, crowding out the work we are meant to bring into the world. Its worth remembering that we get to say how heavily those fears imprint on our minds. Think hard, ship easy.