Pessimism is Not "More Realistic" Than Optimism


Because I know making a business with your art can be a challenge, I just want to remind you that pessimism is not "more realistic" than optimism.  

(Side note: most people who claim to be "realists" are really just pessimists).

Faith and Worry are basically the same thing.

Both require believing in things you can't see.  Both invite you to predict the future.  The difference is what you believe in, and what you choose to do about it.

Optimists believe that things will certainly get better if you don't give up.

Pessimists lean into the idea that it isn't worth it to try too much because you'll only be disappointed.

Both optimists and pessimists predict their own future.  I've tried them both, and I don't really recommend either of them.

The problem with being an optimist is failure can overwhelm the self-confidence that gives optimism its power.  To be honest, I have failed too many times and lost too much to be a true optimist.  But I'm not picking on optimism... Pessimism sucks even worse.

The problem with being a pessimist is that you miss out on trying all the cool things.  I think you have to take risks if you want to live a good life.  I try not to be reckless, but you can't be an entrepreneur or an artist without embracing a certain amount of risk.

No matter how much you lower the bar, pessimism pretty much guarantees that that your life will be worse than you expect.  Pessimism is almost always a self-fulfilling prophecy, because just the act of thinking pessimistic thoughts makes any situation feel worse than it is.

Pessimism makes a lot of people hate a perfectly mediocre job while keeping them too fearful to take a chance at doing their own thing.

On my best days, I'm not an optimist or a pessimist.

I'm a scientist.

I come up with ideas.  I test them.

I measure the results, learn from the data, and make adjustments.

I try again and again until it works (or until I'm confident enough that it won't work).
What's a question you need answered about your art business? Ask in the comments, send an email, or schedule a chat, and we'll help you get to the bottom of it!

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