“The most difficult thing is the decision to act. The rest is merely tenacity.” — Amelia Earhart
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Posts Tagged ‘persistence’
Be Tenacious
Posted in Writing, tagged #365Ways, #365Ways2026, creativity, doing stuff, inspiration, persistence, Thoughts, Writers, writing on April 14, 2026| Leave a Comment »
Why Stop?
Posted in Writing, tagged #365Ways, #365Ways2026, creativity, persistence, Thoughts, Writers, writing on April 13, 2026| Leave a Comment »
A little advice from Guardian columnist Eleanor Gordon-Smith, to an artist feeling the pressures of AI and social media.
With the advance of AI, I feel my work as an artist is no longer respected. Should I just give up?
“Should I keep making art?” Even though it might not make money? Even though the algorithm might not value it? Even though all around me the slop marches on, I feel a growing carelessness in the culture, an indifference to craft – should I keep making art? To that, you might well answer: why would I stop?”
What she said.
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Today Is…
Posted in Food and..., tagged #365Ways, #365Ways2026, baking, more than I can chew, persistence on April 12, 2026| Leave a Comment »
Today is lemon madeleines, almond apricot madeleines, and giant brown butter chocolate chip cookies.
Ambitious? Yes. Have I accumulated one oven burn and an unexpected trip to the store so far? Yep! But I’m making progress, and that’s my goal.
Hope your day is also sweet!
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The Path to Greatness
Posted in Writing, tagged #365Ways, #365Ways2026, AI, creativity, InquiringMindsWantToKnow, libraries, persistence, technology, thinking, Thoughts, Writers, writing on March 18, 2026| Leave a Comment »
There are a number of reasons why AI can be problematic, but lawsuits over stolen copyrights and the like don’t touch on one of the more interesting and important reasons why AI should be used judiciously in creative work.
It can undermine your skills. And who among us wants to fall victim to that most dreadful of problems, creative atrophy?
This essay by Storm Humbert goes deeper into the perils of cognitive offloading, skill atrophy, and more.
Not a Scab, But a Wound – Apex Book Company
Don’t be drawn in by the allure of never having to go through the “being-bad-at-it” phase of learning a craft. We must allow ourselves to be bad—to downright suck—for a little while. Outsourcing our infinite potential to limited tools is how we become limited ourselves. Instead, pick up a pencil. Sit at a keyboard. Contend with the blank page and the empty canvas—the unsullied slab of granite. It’s the only path to greatness.
Like any tool, AI can be good at some things and not great at others. Knowing the why and when and how is critical to making good use of such tools, and those decisions require thought and good judgement. And what’s the best tool for building people who are good at thinking?
Why, a library card! AI Literacy Starts With Reading Books, Not Prompts
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For Those With Excellent Taste
Posted in Writing, tagged #365Ways, #365Ways2026, creativity, persistence, Thoughts, Writers, writing on February 5, 2026| 1 Comment »
“There is a time for any fledgling artist where one’s taste exceeds one’s abilities. The only way to get through this period is to make things anyway.” ― Gabrielle Zevin
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Taking a Broader View
Posted in Writing, tagged #365Ways, #365Ways2026, creativity, persistence, Thoughts, Writers, writing on February 3, 2026| 2 Comments »
We admire people at their peak, we don’t get to see the distance they’ve traveled. — Adam Grant
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Persistence Pays Off
Posted in Other, tagged #365Ways, #365Ways2025, creativity, inspiration, persistence on December 3, 2025| Leave a Comment »
I taught an octopus piano (It took 6 months)
This video is refusing to embed for some reason, but if you are impressed by clever and creative displays of persistence (by humans and others!), it’s worth checking out. Start at the 3:00 minute mark if you want to go straight to the training process, or at 15:00 if you want to skip to the piano performance.
Note: this video contains a lot of swearing. Which, as someone who has trained their cat to sit and jump (but definitely not play an instrument), I completely understand!
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All the Pain and Joy
Posted in Writing, tagged #365Ways, #365Ways2025, AI, art, artists, creativity, persistence, Thoughts on November 30, 2025| 1 Comment »
The flood of AI art has led to a lot of commentary, some thoughtful, some otherwise, by pundits, tech gurus, and artists themselves.
Here’s cartoonist Matthew Inman sharing his perspective on why he finds AI art problematic.
A cartoonist’s review of AI art – The Oatmeal
…I need you to know from one artist to another, that every mark you make on a page even a squiggly, imperfect one is still beautiful.
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Still Going! Hope You Are Too
Posted in Writing, tagged #365Ways, #365Ways2025, #QuittingIsForQuitters, creativity, persistence, Thoughts, Writers, writing on October 17, 2025| 2 Comments »
The only guaranteed way to succeed is simple: don’t quit.
— Arnold Schwarzenegger
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The Cake Is a Lie
Posted in Food and..., tagged #365Ways, #365Ways2025, learning stuff, persistence on September 21, 2025| Leave a Comment »
Well, yesterday’s cake didn’t go exactly as planned.
Apologies to the people who have been writing and asking for photos. The cranberry lime cake is currently half made. Layers have been baked and torted, because four layers are fancier than two. Lime curd has been made (oh so tangy!) and chilled. But the Italian buttercream curdled and, despite the recipe writer’s optimistic words, did not come back together.
Apparently, my ingredient temperatures may have been a little off and I corrected in the wrong direction? (Or I mistakenly offended an Italian kitchen fairy?) Either way, the result is the same.
Downside: the cake is not yet complete.
Upside: I have something new to learn in the world of baking, and that’s always fun. Also, I have a good recipe for buttercreamcheese frosting that I know works.
Win win!
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