Skywing,
There's a quote in one of the Assassin series books by Robin Hobb that's very apt.
There is no losing. You keep fighting until you win.
In a way what you're giving up on is not an idea. You're giving in to your fear of what it might mean if you don't succeed with the idea.
And it's ironic - because the only way you could fail is if you give up.
*
My recommendation would be to make a list of 100 ideas you've had, then give it a week to add on as many ideas as you like.
Then identify the 10-20 ideas that fall in the intersection of your natural abilities and passions. Then pick 2 and start working on both of those with a stated amount per day and with no leeway for changes until end of 2011.
So you commit to 3 hours a day on these 2 ideas - every single day. No matter what happens.
*
Also your devotion should be to the product you're making and to the execution of the idea. Once you've decided on the 2 ideas, then it's not your job to visualize failure. It's to execute and to visualize only success.
*
At some level you're scared of failure and you just have to grow some balls and take a 100% shot. If you have a son down the line, or already have one. What would you want him to think of his father as -
Someone who worried about what users might say about his work and quite without releasing anything.
OR
Someone who made something magnificent - who fucking cares whether anyone else sees the magnificence or not. It's you making it for yourself, as an artist. If you're happy with what you make then nothing else matters.
There is no losing. You keep fighting until you win.
In a way what you're giving up on is not an idea. You're giving in to your fear of what it might mean if you don't succeed with the idea.
And it's ironic - because the only way you could fail is if you give up.
*
My recommendation would be to make a list of 100 ideas you've had, then give it a week to add on as many ideas as you like.
Then identify the 10-20 ideas that fall in the intersection of your natural abilities and passions. Then pick 2 and start working on both of those with a stated amount per day and with no leeway for changes until end of 2011.
So you commit to 3 hours a day on these 2 ideas - every single day. No matter what happens.
*
Also your devotion should be to the product you're making and to the execution of the idea. Once you've decided on the 2 ideas, then it's not your job to visualize failure. It's to execute and to visualize only success.
*
At some level you're scared of failure and you just have to grow some balls and take a 100% shot. If you have a son down the line, or already have one. What would you want him to think of his father as -
Someone who worried about what users might say about his work and quite without releasing anything.
OR
Someone who made something magnificent - who fucking cares whether anyone else sees the magnificence or not. It's you making it for yourself, as an artist. If you're happy with what you make then nothing else matters.