post — wasteof

toaks — 12/12/2025, 9:06:29 AM

I don't really struggle with standard ideas of self-worth, like I don't worry about my face or worry that I don't deserve friends, or think my social media posts are preachy or pretentious.

But I do struggle with with the self worth of creative projects; I can't help but second guess myself when I try to make any art or overthink my ideas when I have an idea for a story.

It really sucks because I know there is a balance of proper self-reflection to judge the objective merits of a project but I either overcommit to something that isn't there yet, and get burned when I finally realize that, or fail to get anything off the ground because I view it as meaningless before it begins.

The real art is the self expression! You can't have a perfect piece, or a piece which isn't derivative of something else! You can't write a perfect story until you have a few bad ones under your belt! Stay resilient!

♥ 15 ↩ 0 💬 5 comments

esben:

Don’t sweat it, most people aren’t overly proud of the stuff they made as a teenager, learning is the most important thing

12/12/2025, 10:45:00 AM

toaks:

Which is all true but why does my age or experience serve as a way to judge the value of what I make?

12/12/2025, 5:04:21 PM

supercash:

It’s not that you should go easy on yourself because you’re a teenager, it’s that you should go easy on yourself.

Children are encouraged to try new things, and they don’t care much whether they’re doing an adequate job. As we grow older, we feel societal pressure to “do well,” so we play it safe and stick to what we know. This is why many people stay in unhappy positions for 40 years.

Thinking positive, if you can tell that your project lacks merit, you at least have taste, which is half the battle. And when I’m unsatisfied with the merit of a project, I think big picture: I’m not building just this project, but a skillset that will build all the bigger and better projects to come.

The willingness to fail is the only reason anyone learns anything. Let yourself make bad projects.

12/14/2025, 2:22:04 AM