We’ve all heard a million and one stories about happy endings. But the real success stories lie in the not-always-so-joyful beginnings along the way.
I never know what to post to Instagram. I realize this is a very modern problem. And, for many of you, it's not really a problem at all. Those younger folks who are “digital natives” post to social media with the ease of brushing your teeth. Some of us who came of age before social media see daily posts as more of a chore than a form of social engagement. I am often incredibly jealous of my own parents, who were able to live their entire lives and have full careers without ever having to have a social media account of any kind. Oh, what that must feel like—to have never had to feel the pressure to post constantly just to stay relevant.
The author pauses momentarily to dream.
But, believe it or not, today’s essay is not about my gripes with modern society. Rather, I only mention my Instagram account because that’s where our story begins. I was scrolling along on IG the other day, and I came across a short clip of tennis legend Roger Federer speaking at a college graduation. If you’re online at all, you’ve probably seen it. He’s speaking to the graduating class of Dartmouth, and he mentions how, despite winning 80% of the matches he played as a professional, he actually only won 54% of the points. I reposted the clip to my Instagram stories—not only to hit my social media posting quota for the day, but because his words were ones that everyone should hear.
The point he’s making is simple: no one goes through life undefeated. And even those who are heralded as great successes in life are going to lose just as much as they win. What separates a champion from the rest isn’t invincibility. It’s their ability to keep getting back up when they get knocked down—the ability to continue their pursuit in the face of seemingly impossible odds.
I was never a great tennis player. No matter how hard my father tried to train me, my proclivity to keep skying the ball well over the retaining wall of the local tennis court meant that the only way Wimbledon would be in my future would be as a spectator. Yet, even though my path would be on a different playing field, the words Federer shared in that speech are no less relevant.
To pursue a career as an artist means more than just sitting back and collecting an unending parade of awards and accolades. Hopefully, you’ll be fortunate enough to receive your fair share of adulation during your lifetime. But even if you do, it’s likely that the quantity of your triumphs will be far dwarfed by the magnitude of your failures. This is not a personal shortcoming. This is just life.
But here’s the thing: failure does not have to be fatal. Coming up short is simply part of the process of getting better. I’ve taught a filmmaking course at a local college a few times, and every time I’ll have a student come up to me in a cold sweat because they are worried about an upcoming project. Almost invariably, it's one of the more talented students in the class. And the reason they are so worked up isn’t because they lack ability. It’s because they are so terrified of failing that they have paralyzed themselves from getting started. They want to have all of the answers before they even begin to mitigate any chance of failure.
But here’s the thing: art is not a mathematical equation. In mathematics, you know for sure that every time you add two plus two you are going to get four. But in art, there are no such guarantees. You can follow the exact same formula for two projects in succession. One project will come out as the greatest thing you’ve ever created. The other will be an unmitigated disaster and have you questioning your abilities. There’s a certain strange alchemy that comes with being a “successful” artist—a mixture of natural talent, hard work, timing, technical training, life experience, and sometimes flat-out dumb luck that all comes together to determine our outcomes. Trying to predict the “success” of your art before you’ve even created it is as useful as, in the words of my favorite announcer Ray Hudson, “trying to nail Jello to the ceiling.”
Now, I’m sure not everyone reading this essay is a sports fan. But I’m pretty confident you’ll still see the point. If you are trying to pursue a career as an artist, or simply striving to be the best artist possible devoid of financial qualification, the first thing you need to do is come to grips with the fact that not everything you do is going to work. Not every photo you take will be fit for the Louvre. Not every film you make is going to take Sundance by storm.
If you’re lucky enough to continue your journey over a long period of time, you will constantly be faced with forks in the road. You’ll make a bevy of decisions, both macro and micro, that can determine the course of your career and, possibly, even your life. There will be so many options available that the choice may become overwhelming. The stakes may seem too high to get it wrong, so you end up spinning in circles, unable to make a decision. But again, just like Federer said, even the best are going to get it wrong a large percentage of the time. Being afraid to push yourself because you are unsure of the end result only guarantees stagnation, not success.
At the time I’m writing this, we are coming to the end of the school year for many students. You are sitting through a marathon of graduation speeches, hearing a multitude of advice columns on how to approach the world. But whether you’re a new graduate or an experienced veteran, a few truths hold self-evident: there is no success in life without failure. But our failures do not have to be the end. Failure is fuel. It is what provides us with the knowledge and motivation to succeed in the next round. And if that round should come along and we find ourselves “failing” once again, that is but more fuel for an even greater challenge ahead.
Never be afraid to fail. Never be afraid to bet on yourself. Losing and winning go hand in hand. And true triumph only comes when you face down your fears, work through the failures, and dedicate yourself to success.
