Failure

Earlier this summer, when I thought I might have hit rock bottom, I watched J.K. Rowling’s commencement speech at Harvard.  Her topic?  Failure and imagination.  More exactly, “The fringe benefits of failure.”

With great humor, honesty, and integrity Rowling recalled her close encounter with failure.  And then she said something that has become my motto over the last couple of months:  ”And so rock bottom became the foundation upon which I rebuilt my life.”

I still struggle with the full meaning of her words, but I have come up with several reasons why failure is so significant for creativity in my life:  It is because once I have failed, I have to be creative.  Not just creative–but creative enough.  Creative enough to succeed.  Creative enough to experiment.  Creative enough to pursue creativity in the face of overwhelming odds that your brain creates when you meet Failure.  Creative enough to believe in myself–and find ways to believe in myself when all evidence points to the contrary.  Creative enough to imagine a better tomorrow when I cannot see the end result of my pursuits.

Failure gives me the courage to believe in better.  It’s a lunatic’s wish, when I’m in the middle of it, but it’s a wish nonetheless.

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