The Luxury of Failure
Reframing failure, Native American gaming, and the beauty in accessibility
IN THE MARGINS
The Luxury of Failure
When I started by business, I was trying so fucking hard to avoid making mistakes.
For someone whose business is based on the concept of integration without elimination, it was quite ironic that I was so either-or with my approach to anti-failure. From my coach Brooke, I learned I had a fixed mindset. I thought I’m either smart or dumb; I’m either good at this thing or I’m not; I’ll either succeed or fail. I didn’t leave any grey room for stumbling, correcting, and trying again. I didn’t leave any room for success that wasn’t flawless. If you crawled through mud to make it to the other side, you’re dirty and sweaty but it’s still a damn win. I wasn’t giving that messy win the credit it deserved.
To me, one mistake = total failure.
One mistake = I’ll never be good at this thing and I’ll never succeed at it. It was all or nothing: get it right the first time out the gate or forget about ever pursuing it again. Which, looking back, is absurd because I am who I am because I was persistent. Because I stepped in shit, cleaned off my shoe, and kept going - with a watchful eye for another pile 💩
The other part of it was a bit of survivor’s mindset, if that’s such a thing.
My business wasn’t just “oh, this would be cute to try while my partner’s stable second income helps support the household”. My business was “how do I provide for both myself and others who are financially depending on me?”. In the past, I didn’t have the luxury to fail because of necessity/survival. People were depending on me or I had to achieve something because of how hard they worked to help me. I had to get it “right”. I carried that fear of failure with me when I started my business. That fear is still there.
Speaking of the luxury of failure...as a creative, and a person that generally doesn’t chase money, being satisfied in other ways matters to me.
Like, really fucking matters. If my choice was between a well-paying, but soul-sucking, corporate job versus less money but artistic and intellectual freedom, it’s a no brainer. As long as my basic needs are covered, I can help those I love, and can squeeze in some travel and concerts, I’m good. So at my core, failing to find this fulfilment isn’t a luxury I can afford. I can’t afford to not be me. My mental and emotional health depends on it, as overdramatic as that sounds.
Anyways… I’ve gotten a bit better at catching the symptoms of a fixed mindset but they still pop up sometimes. I expect them to because having a growth mindset isn’t “achieve it one time and you’re done” thing. Just like “do it anyway”, it’ll be a continuous practice.
ACCESSIBILITY
Accesssible Can Be Beautiful
Accessibility and aesthetically beautiful aren't mutually exclusive. These cast iron wheelchair ramps show exactly that. Although making accessibility look good isn't always the primary objective, it is certainly possible when approached from an environmental or experiential design perspective.
Kudos to the Old College of the University of Edinburgh and to @josephgrigely for sharing more about what the ramps and buildings are made of.
🎤 SHARE examples you know of where function meets form in accessible design
DIVERSITY & INCLUSION
More Than Posting A Black Square
Err’body is hopping on the performative Black History Month bandwagon. Check yourself and bring that same February energy throughout the rest of the year.
Continue your anti-racism work
ART & DESIGN
5 Videos Games With Native American Influences
I first came across Vision Maker Media when they hosted an Indigenous online Film Festival. I’ve been learning from them ever since. And recently they shared Five Videos Games With Native American Influences. As a casual gamer myself, I often look for things like diversity of the creators or in-game historical accuracy (if that’s crucial to the plot/environment) so it was cool they even linked to the Indigenous Game Devs network.
❓ QUESTION: What were some of your fave games growing up or ones you're playing now?
Photo from Indigenous Game Devs network
Marquise is one of the dopest people that I follow on Twitter and I honestly only sign into that little bird app sometimes just to peep his tweets. He’s an activist, public speaker, podcaster, educator, creative strategist, and content creator.
His motto: Create. Educate. Liberate.
Signing off from the Starship SBLTN,
Laneen
Pronouns: they/them/theirs, she/her/hers
🎧 Listening - Pablo Alborán - Vértigo (album)
👀 Watching - NASA's Black trailblazers video
🖊️ Word of the Day - STEM: science, technology, engineering and mathematics
✔️ Random Fact - The contributions of Black people helped NASA reach new heights