the delphi manifesto

Figure this out first. If you don't know who you are, what your strengths and weaknesses are and, more importantly, how you arrived at this image of yourself, you'll find it difficult to make things that delight you, and that should be your first and foremost priority. Be your most critical customer.

Broadly speaking, the universe does. Narrowly speaking, other people do, by omission. If you see something that could just be a little better, that would not take much effort to fix it, do it. Don't wait for permission to make something better.

Ask yourself this at any stage of the process. It's fine to answer this question with "yes", but it shouldn't be your first answer. Question things if they should be questioned. Question things especially if they shouldn't be.

Taste did. Care did. Love did. Music did. What the hell do I know, but something did, something died, and you miss it. You're the one who's gonna bring it back, god damn it. Even if it's just in a tiny way.

I did. If that's what it takes, then I did. I asked. If you can't do it for anyone else, and you can't be bothered to do it for yourself, do it for me. Don't let anyone, least of all the lack of anyone, discourage you from creating.

The only way to actually learn is to do. While there may be a try, and there certainly is a fail as well, those are both valuable. If you make something only to figure out that you went at it completely backwards, then that's fine. Take all the time you need. You're growing either way. There's no rush.

You don't need an exit strategy. It's okay to make something and abandon it. It's okay to see something through to the end. It's okay to crash and burn. It's okay to actually leave a draft in the notepad. The projects that are worth it will rise to the top of your mind.

Then make yourself one. It's perfectly fine to want to be recognised for one's achievements. Applause is however not the artist's bread, it is the artist's valium. It is also, like all drugs, habit-forming.

Failure is always an option. This is natural and a part of being alive. It's up to you if you want to completely throw away a failed project, or take some conceptual material from it and put it in something else.

Money can be the reason a thing gets made, but it can rarely be the reason it is good. If the only thing that you are willing to contribute to a creation is functionally the invoice at the end, everyone will be able to tell.

Immensely. This should not discourage you. It is, in fact, part of the game.

This answer is trivial and left as an exercise to the reader.