02/23/2026
“Rediscover the joy of beginning and your doubt will vanish.”
One of my favorite books about creativity is called “Zen Guitar”. The entire book is a goldmine of creative wisdom but this quote is on my mind today.
I learned to play guitar when I was a kid and it felt like magic when I discovered power chords. All of a sudden, my favorite music on earth was at my finger tips (quite literally). I had the ability to create sh*tty punk rock, ska, metal etc and it only took a few days to bridge the gap between complete ignorance and pseudo mastery.
I started skateboarding around the same time because being a punk rock kid is kind of a packaged deal with these things. The possibilities felt endless when I learned to drop in on a mini ramp. “I must be a natural! Maybe I should become a professional skater instead of a touring musician? Screw it I can probably do both..”
The graphic design gods played the same cruel joke on me when I started to dabble with digital art in my 20s. I slapped together some funny t-shirt designs in Illustrator and immediately started getting sales. “Welp, time to quit my job I guess.”
Needless to say, the beginners luck runs out and is replaced with a question: “How much do you really want this?”
I care a lot about being good at my craft but these seasons of creative block can be so damn frustrating. How do you tap into that sense of awe and wonder that was there at the start? How do you let go of the blocked feeling that makes you want to throw it all away? How do you rediscover the joy of beginning?
