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March 22, 2012

Comments

Rolando Teco
1.

Great points all around, Johnny. So glad you got back on the horse. And no doubt, the Coyotes will be thankful too. Failure is such a loaded word. It implies (to me anyway) no hope for success. Sounds like you stumbled a bit, and now after some time to heal are picking yourself back up and getting back to business. Bravo.

Mark Krause
2.

What you describe, John, is anything but failure to me. Quite the opposite. It's The Process working beautifully.

So what if one project stalls? It simply becomes the buoy marking the way to the next. Granted it can FEEL like failure when you're in it, but now having a larger context, it's apparent it is just one part of a much larger whole. (I'm always trying to remember this, so when I'm in the middle of my next "failure", I can imagine ahead to what that "failure" is actually fertilizing.)

Richard Diebenkorn used to talk about his Ocean Park paintings this way: "I can make a phony Ocean Park and then do away with it. If that's what it takes to get started, why not?"

I love the self awareness of his "failure" and his self acceptance of the process, whatever it may be.

To me, John, you've succeeded beautifully.


Duane Kelly
3.

Good post John. Thanks. A mantra I’ve heard in the high-tech industry in Seattle and San Francisco is “Fail faster.” I always have liked that because it combines absolution with the presumption that the road to success is littered with failure. What’s important is to learn your lessons and get on with the next project. While there’s only so fast that scripts can be written (at least by me) that mantra has relevance to artists too.

Rolando Teco
4.

"Fail faster." Interesting. I think I like that. Has a nice ring to it. Maybe I'd add "and dream slower." (or "more slowly," for the grammar instructors among us.)

Yvonne
5.

Boy can I relate Roland and your timing is perfect. I recently (this week) got a rejection from the LA Comedy Screenplay Contest for a script that has received 'accolades' through other contests and requested by none other then "DreamWorks" (through a connection at my 'day' job)...I was so angry again as I know this script is great and has the potential to be a Huge Success, but all these 'teases' are heartbreaking and feel like failure to me.

I'm a great off off Broadway play success and I am so enjoying doing my talk-variety public access show (on YouTube - The Unknown Zone Talk Show), but I feel exhausted and sick and tired of re-writing this script and really don't feel like putting in any more time (over 15 years since I the first draft)...

So I'm letting go of it and surrendering it to the Universe at least for now perhaps longer.

Thanks for the great post Roland !

Cheers!

John Yearley
6.

No one is a bigger fan of Rolo than me, but it was actually my post. :-)

JY

Yvonne
7.

Oops...sorry John...a bit self-obsessed at the moment...obviously...GREAT POST JOHN !

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