“When you do something, you should do it with your whole body and mind; you should be concentrated on what you do. You should do it completely, like a good bonfire. You should not be a smoky fire. You should burn yourself completely. If you do not burn yourself completely, a trace of yourself will be left in what you do.” — Shunryu Suzuki Took me years to understand this quote deeply and apply it to my work. I kept making stuff I hated and thought I wasn’t cut out for this or that. But the peace you get from this pride in your work — it doesn’t come from an egoic place at all. It comes from exhausting all the possibilities that came up during the creation process, exploring them all, thinking them through, applying the skills you have so you’re pushing up against their edges, to make the best thing you can make *at that time* with the resources you have and the skills you possess. To give your all and know that no corners were cut, and to put utmost care and attention into the details. The times I’ve hated my work the most, it wasn’t because the work was actually bad. It was because I know I could have done better. I could tell I was living halfheartedly, and thus creating half-heartedly. It was a cowardly thing to do, and I can say that even with self-compassion, because the hardest person to lie to is always yourself. I might be able to fool others, they may say my work is good, they may offer me money for it. But I can never fool myself, because I know even when others don’t, when I am working at my own edge and when I am not. And working at my edge is the only way I can grow — as a person, and as a creative.