STREET DOGS

Idon’t believe anyone ever suspects how completely unsure I am of my work and myself and what tortures of self-doubting the doubt of others has always given me. — Tennessee Williams

“People talk about the dangers of rose-coloured glasses, but let me tell you, the lenses of selfdoubt are far worse. They are nasty. Thick and filthy … they’re covered in swamp scum and mould — there’s like a family of snails living on them. And they’re nearly impossible to see past….

“If I’ve learned one thing, it’s that self-doubt is one of the most destructive forces. It makes you defensive instead of open, reactive instead of active. Selfdoubt is consuming and cruel….

“Think to the moments in your life when you forgot to doubt yourself. When you were so inspired that you were just living and creating, and working.

“Pay attention to those moments, they’re trying to reach you through those lenses of doubt and trying to show you your potential.

“When you are free from selfdoubt, you fail better, because you don’t have your defences up, you can accept the criticism. You don’t become so preoccupied with that failure that you forget how to learn from it, you forget how to grow.

“When you believe in yourself, you succeed better.

“Hours spent questioning, doubting, fearing, can be given over to working, exploring, living. You will still fail a lot. In fact, people to your face will say, ‘that is not good enough’.

“But just don’t make it about yourself. If you can learn to not take it personally, you will be able to listen to the constructive criticism and find it inspiring.” — Jennifer Lee

“If you hear a voice within you say you cannot paint, then by all means paint and that voice will be silenced.” — Vincent Van Gogh