Quiet confidence

I found this quote in a painting blog and I think it's a quote from the actress Amy Poehler. I then wrote it in my own journal because I liked the quiet confidence it has.

In case you can't read my writing, she says, "Care about the work you do, but not about the result. Care about how good you are, but not how good people think you are."

Basically she's saying, work at your art and care about improving, but don't rely on external validation for your sense of self-esteem.

Here's a photo I took of some toothbrushes. The response from certain people is, "Now WHO would photograph toothbrushes?" But I really like this photo! And I know WHY, which is important. I like the bold colors, the bizarre subject matter, the unusual composition, the repeating pattern, and the absurd wiggly movement of the brushes, almost a dental conga line!

So my point is to always be improving your work. You want to be the best you can be. And if you think your work is good, is the best you can do, then don't worry about what anybody else thinks.

©Carol Leigh
All text, photographs, and other media are ©Copyright Carol Leigh (or others when indicated) and are not in the public domain and may not be used on websites, blogs, or in other media without advance permission from Carol Leigh. Thank you!