December 10, 2024

The act of succeeding, can itself cause procrastination.

You think your next one has to be just as big or bigger

than your last. So this causes a kind of prison or box

one places themselves in, Whether you're in business or

creating something. One becomes trapped by the

expectations and standards that are simply imagined.

Pandering to your fans or audience becomes a need, when

that is not how you got to succeed in the first place.

The iconic producer Rick Rubin gives us all a command,

he says, "i give you permission to make something terrible.

I give you permission to create something your audience

might hate. I give you permission to let go of what worked

in the past. I give you permission to disappoint

other people's expectations." Rubin once had an artist that

did not make any new material in ten years because of

created pressures. Self-made prison and this was the

advice rubin gave them. But, Rubin admits that he has no

power or rank on the artists. Even the artists themselves

know this. Still, as a producer, Rubin needs to remind

the artists he works with, that it will be ok. Trying is

far better than not. Putting out something shitty is ok.

However, hearing that Rubin gives that permission, frees

the artist up from the mental prison. Maybe that is why

we procrastinate today; we're stuck in prisons of our

own making. Well, its ok to fuck up. its fine to make a

mistake. Disappoint others. Suck for a while. It is better to

try and not succeed right away than not try at all.