I’ll be honest: I’ve been putting a lot of pressure on myself over this post. It has to be great, I tell myself. I have to write something that people will like, because they liked my last post, and now I don’t want to disappoint anyone.

That’s why this post has been two weeks in the making. Instead of just showing up and tossing words at the page, I had to make it difficult and tell myself that I had to be good at something. Other reasons for tardiness include a spontaneous 1500 mile road trip to Valdez and back, work and trying to find a ride to work, and that day I spent in Carcross and Whitehorse with the most amazing friends anyone could ask for.

What I really need to do is apply the same mindset that I have towards failure to my successes. If I fail, I say fuck that, and move on. If I succeed, I need to learn to say fuck that, and move on.

Whether my last bit of work was a failure or success has absolutely nothing to do with my next bit of work.

The only thing I need to do is keep putting my ass in the chair and writing. Waiting to be inspired doesn’t work. Forcing myself to do good work doesn’t work. Thinking I have to prove something to someone – anyone – doesn’t work.

One of the main ideas behind the Salmon Apple Pie website is not to censor myself by worrying what other people think of me. Part of that is being willing to create bad work and accepting that a lack of perfection is its own form of perfection. And most of all, not letting success or failure go to my head.

Just keep creating.

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