When I was an arranging major in college, my prof (Paris Rutherford) gave me some great advice that spans all art. He suspected that I was attempting to write an opus, a masterpiece, a piece to be remembered and admired (and he was right). But my work was clunky, and more weird than anything. ”Stephen”, he began, “you don’t get good by writing a good chart (a jazz piece). You get good by writing charts.” Plural.
His point: you get good by repetition, not by a single best effort. You get good by crossing the finish line (and crossing it again and again and again), not by trying to run a marathon.
Wanna start a blog? Great. Aim for short, frequent posts. Don’t try to write well, just try to write often.
Wanna be a good cook? Don’t try making gumbo. Start with PB&J, then grilled cheese, then a hundred other things, then gumbo.
Wanna become a developer? Start with “Hello World” and ship it. Show your friends. Like this: (“Hey, look at my awesome iPhone app!”)
