The Artist's Recipe For Success

Guest post written by Tien Frogget

Take 1/2 cup of pure, unrefined inspiration and mix it with 2 cups of passion in a saucepan over medium heat. 

Stir occasionally. Add 1/2 cup discipline and let simmer.

After it begins to thicken, pour through a fine strainer to remove as much negativity, doubt, and self-criticism as you can. Do this a few times if necessary.

Return to heat and continue to stir occasionally.

In a large mixing bowl, combine equal parts books, classes, and life experience. 

Knead together gently until a soft dough forms.

Be careful not to over-knead it however, you still want your dough to be nice and flexible!

Put your dough on a clean surface and roll it out into a circle. Take care to keep from rolling it out too thin; you want an even foundation.

Once your sauce has become thick and aromatic, add 1 cup of innovation and 3 cups of mistakes.

Remove from heat and pour evenly over your dough. 

Congratulations! You now have your talent. 

A lot of people try to skip some of these steps (especially the mistakes!) and then give up. If you’ve made it this far, you’re doing great.

Next, you’re going to want to sprinkle your talent with plenty of patience, and a lot more passion. Don’t worry about measuring; just go ahead and eyeball it. Then put it in the oven, and bake it for as long as it takes.

Every talent takes a different amount of time to cook, and you can’t rush it. Check the oven occasionally, and if you notice any bubbles of negativity or self-criticism popping up, be sure to scrape them off. Sprinkle with more patience if need be.

If you give up and walk away too soon, or if doubt bubbles take over your talent, it can completely collapse and never see its full potential. The key is endless loving care and the willingness to stick with it for as long as it takes.

You will know when your talent has finally baked into a success when people begin crowding around the oven, asking you if they can have some to take home with them.