The Art of Failing

Today in my Design Process class (first day of last semester, whoop whoop!) my teacher was talking about one of his heroes, Pablo Picasso, and his childlike ability to experiment and do things outside of the "norm."

That really got me thinking and I think I've come up with an appropriate definition of "grown-up"

grown-up [grohn-uhp] noun

One who shuns failure.

Ok... So what?

Consider a child playing with building blocks. They build and build, concentrating on getting the right sizes and colors for their creation, then what do they do once their tower is complete? They knock it down and watch the blocks crash and tumble. Why? So they can build a new one.

Do you see what I'm getting at? Children have mastered, what I like to call, The Art of Failing. They don't see a broken tower as a set-back, but an opportunity to build something new, something better.

For what it's worth, I've failed PLENTY of times in my life and I'd be lying if I said I wasn't reluctant to gather up the scattered blocks and start all over again. But I'd also be lying if I didn't mention the depth of appreciation I've realized while building each new tower. I'm no master architect or what have you, but I believe each broken tower has gotten me to where I am today. And you know what? I'm SO excited about the blocks that I have in my hands and the thought of placing them where they're meant to be makes me giddy. Giddy I tell you!

So, keep failing, folks.

And keep building beautiful things :)