Your Mistakes Are A Scar on Your Soul

June 15, 2011 15 Comments


Sometimes I’m terrified of making mistakes, worried that a poor decision could leave a scar on my soul. How about you?

The fear of making a mistake is an absolute killer when it comes to your creativity. Which is crazy because just about every piece of genius ever created resulted from a mistake of one kind or other.

Unless we error we can’t learn.

Mistakes are like tattoo’s, or scars on our souls, things of beauty, things that mark out and describe our own personal journey.

Make MORE mistakes in life and in creativity; I’m not telling you to be stupid, I’m just saying that you shouldn’t be afraid anymore.

creative mistakes

creative mistakes

2012 Copyright Seven Sentences – Creative Mistakes

About GeoffTalbot: Geoff Talbot is the founder of this Creative Blog. He loves writing words that encourage creative people.

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  • http://twitter.com/angiebattle Angie Battle

    Taking risks = heartbeat of creativity. Beautifully written, Geoff.

    • http://sevensentences.com Geoff Talbot

      thanks friend

  • http://karendalycook.com KAREN COOK

    We grow when we risk. Often it is our failure and fear that stands in the way of creative freedom. I carry scars on my soul proudly – as they remind me that I am battle worthy and prepared to fight for my dream. Good provocative thoughts Geoff…keep em coming! 

    • http://sevensentences.com Geoff Talbot

      I carry scars on my soul proudly… great comment Karen

  • Bee Mundy-Castle

    My husband’s wise old Professor at Cambridge in the forties,John Wisdom , used to say “Out of error cometh truth”.

  • http://sevensentences.com Geoff Talbot

    love it… wise old professor

  • http://twitter.com/addymarin Adriana Marin

    LEARNING from our mistakes makes the difference from being stupid to being creative. Thanks for sharing, Geoff!

  • http://www.storywrought.wordpress.com Lizzie

    Fantastic!  Fear is often so irrational.  I couldn’t tell you why I don’t take more risks with my art.  Thanks for pointing out the stupidity of avoiding mistakes…I needed it today. 

  • T.J. Sullivan

    What’s this soul you speak of?  ; )

    • http://sevensentences.com Geoff Talbot

      it’s all of you… the whole of you…

  • Rexcrisanto

    Though we call them mistakes, more than often they serve a purpose yet to be discovered.  When we make “mistakes,” maybe we need to say to ourselves, “I’ll make a better mistake tomorrow.”  

  • http://www.thedreamtowrite.blogspot.com Julianne Harvey

    Couldn’t agree more, Geoff!  Good and inspiring thoughts.  I would add that perfectionism killed my creativity for way too many years, before I woke up and realized that first drafts are meant to be awful, and that if I don’t allow myself to fail initially, I’ll never succeed.  It was one of the best creative epiphanies I’ve ever had and it unlocked the prison I was keeping myself in.

    • http://thisdreamersjourney-lynne.blogspot.com/ Lynne Holder

      “I woke up and realized that first drafts are meant to be awful…”

      Thank you, Julianne. That’s exactly what I needed to hear!

  • http://thisdreamersjourney-lynne.blogspot.com/ Lynne Holder

    If mistakes are like tattoos, I have some major ink, but wow, what I have learned and experienced.

    Wonderful thoughts, Geoff. 

  • http://32in32.com/ Pauline Hawkins

    So true! If I waited for the perfect words to come, I’d never write anything. Instead I write all of it, even the stuff I know I’ll delete or edit later. By letting the mistakes breathe, I discover what I really want to say.