Not Minutes or Moments
I’ll admit it: likes and shares are a lot of fun. And it’s cool to see your writing and your voice grow even a little bit.
But…are those small writing wins creating something interesting?
Are you building your content city, filled with interesting places and sights to see?
Sometimes, yes. A lot of times, no.
Some things are intentionally meant to be a flash-in-the-pan; others are a slow simmer that takes a long while to create and marinate.
But the body of work? It’s more than a moment. It’s more than a few months.
I like what the designer Paul Jarvis said many years ago (I can’t find it now!)
“Art is measured in lifetimes, not months” — Paul Jarvis
Art is a lifetime.
It’s a fact I often forget.
Most of the artists we admire didn’t write just one book or paint one awesome picture or record one sweet song or have just one incredible meme.
The ones we truly admire are the people who did it repeatedly.
The most memorable artists made connections over and over again, and changed the game in some way while doing it. Their art is a collection of great moments over a sustained stretch.
Too many people are trying to scratch something out fast, just because. But if “success” doesn’t come fast enough, they’re done.
If you really liked it or enjoyed it and wanted to make a career out of it, it takes more than a few hours and a handy “life hack” to go with the passion.
In the race to the top, we often go for the moment rather than trying to create a legacy.
Good work takes time, possibly even a lifetime.