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One of my pet peeves is the deliberate bragging about one’s own flaws or shortcomings. You know, the ‘I am terrible at math’ type comments. They can imprison you in an identity you don’t want or need.
As a drawing instructor I often had new students sheepishly come into the first day of class with head bowed and voice low. The student would say ‘I am not sure you can help me, I can’t even draw a good stick figure’.
My response was: ‘OF COURSE YOU SUCK AT DRAWING, YOU HAVEN’T LEARNED HOW YET!’ You wouldn’t go into a piano lesson with that attitude, would you? You don’t assume you should know how to play a piano. It’s a big honkin’ mess of wires, wood and metal and well, DUH, why would you think you should know how to master that thing without some training. How is drawing any different? You have an instrument you have to master in drawing as well.’
At that point I would stop and raise my closed fist. I would slowly poke my finger into the bottom of the fist and out of the top would come a very small pencil for all to see.
‘THAT is your instrument to master if you are learning to draw.’ I would say to them. Then I would proceed to teach them about that pencil.
What are you consciously or unconsciously cultivating to keep yourself ignorant? No offense, but whatever it is, it’s stupid.
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Drawing by Marty Coleman of The Napkin Dad Daily
Quote by William Gaddis, 1922-1988, American novelist