100 attempts is easier than 1 attempt
Here's a semi-famous story about a pottery class:
A ceramics teacher announced on opening day that he was dividing the class into two groups. All those on the left side of the studio, he said, would be graded solely on the quantity of work they produced, all those on the right solely on its quality. His procedure was simple: on the final day of class he would bring in his bathroom scales and weigh the work of the “quantity” group: fifty pound of pots rated an “A”, forty pounds a “B”, and so on. Those being graded on “quality”, however, needed to produce only one pot — albeit a perfect one — to get an “A”. Well, came grading time and a curious fact emerged: the works of highest quality were all produced by the group being graded for quantity. It seems that while the “quantity” group was busily churning out piles of work – and learning from their mistakes — the “quality” group had sat theorizing about perfection, and in the end had little more to show for their efforts than grandiose theories and a pile of dead clay.
from Art & Fear
A great story, but the less obvious takeaway is that focusing on quantity is more fun. The 'quantity' side of the class probably felt less pressure, collaborated more, and enjoyed their skill progression more than the 'quality' side did.
When something is fun, it's easier, because the more you do it, the more energy you have to keep going.
In other words: quantity not only beats quality, it's also literally less effort.
So if you're starting out, focus on failing 100 times first. It's easier, more fun, and you'll probably start succeeding before you know it.
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