You. I know you.

 
There’s an incessant whisper that never, ever leaves you at peace … feeding you lies about your value, your talents, and whether you’ll ever make it … there.

You’re the one who idolizes the Successful Ones, praying for your piece of starlight to arrive.

You’re the one who’s frightened … frustrated … increasingly convinced that your ideas just aren’t “original” enough.

You’re the one who is so. very. tired. of trying so. damn. hard.
 

If I were you …

 
… I’d drop offline and seek out new sources of nourishment. Live performances. High art. Heroic poetry. Improv comedy.

… I’d jot down a series of stories I’ve been aching to tell. True stories that happened to me. Nobody else.

… I’d walk through graveyards at twilight and record thoughts into my cellphone — for future use.

… I’d break patterns & surprise myself.

… I’d explore what it means to grow wild.

… I’d write these words on my bathroom mirror: no one on earth can do what I do, in precisely the way that I do it.

… I’d give myself the space & grace & silence to have just one truly original idea.

… And then I’d release that idea into the world — without a moment’s hesitation.
 

That’s what I’d do.
If I were you.

“Stop worrying if your vision is new.
Let others make that decision (they usually do).
You keep moving on.”
–Stephen Sondheim