My Cousin Vinny and The ART of Spinning Wheels

There's a scene from the 1992 movie "My Cousin Vinny" (younger generations - you can google it) where the main characters get their car stuck in the red clay-mud of Alabama. Being from New York and out of their element (to say the least), they seem to be the only ones who aren't aware of this hazard but have to find things out the hard way. But It does becomes useful information for them later in the movie.

"...anyone who’s been stuck in the mud in Alabama knows, you step on the gas, one tire spins, the other tire does nothing." - Mona Lisa Vito, My Cousin Vinny

Ever feel like your Art is stuck in the mud? And no matter how hard you struggle to release it, your wheels just spin? It's tough when you feel like your the Art you're creating lacks traction.

Here are three observations from my own time spent while spinning wheels:

First, allow yourself the grace to be who you are, where you are. Don't be ashamed or embarrassed because you've compared yourself to where other's are. Or because you feel like you've lost time and now it's too late to close the gap of where you "should be."

Second, remember that today you are better than you were yesterday, and if you keep at it, tomorrow you will be better than today. It's a JOURNEY. It's always a moving target, so try to enjoy the journey and process, not just looking to attain a goal.

Third, set yourself up for success. Make small goals, then keep adding to them. You gotta crawl before you run. We know this in other areas of our lives, yet somehow in our art, we convince ourselves it's frivolous to exert that much energy challenging ourselves. Energy is going to go somewhere. You mind as well channel into something that will help you in your art.

No one is going to care about your Art if you don't. Prioritize for it. Work hard. Keep going. Surround yourself with encouragers. Up your intake so you have something to output.

What's one thing you can do TODAY to get yourself out of the mud? No excuses. Go do it! Then tomorrow, do it again, and add to it. Get a taste for momentum!