Thread by @visakanv

a recurring theme in several conversations I've had recently is about how people seem to simultaneously overrate and underrate founders, artists, creatives, etc

and I found myself thinking, people overestimate the social posture(s), and underestimate the raw volume of work

https://twitter.com/visakanv/status/1238015790198050816

in my experience + conversations with other writers: you have to write about a million words to get to a point where other people consistently find your writing compelling. maybe you can get by with less if you're judicious in your study. still. it's a lot of writing. 10+ years

some kanye fans think taylor sucks
some taylor fans think kanye sucks

both kanye and taylor are objectively (or "intersubjectively", whatever) top-tier world-class talents, and they've both spend far more time working on their crafts than 95% of people can even begin to fathom

and here's the thing

people who've never put in 10 years into a craft, and haven't bothered trying to conceive of what that might be like, can't understand why successful people are successful

and they start looking for explanations, looking for flaws in the social aspects

thing is, practically everybody is socially imperfect. we are human

and when people become successful, they get put under more scrutiny. pressure. it's an extreme sport, like lifting a lot of weight. it's easier for a mistake or slipup to cause injury or insult

I'm *not* saying everyone's social imperfections are equivalent. there's a whole spectrum. some people are
annoying in little ways under specific contexts. some people are lovely angels. some people are vindictive, cruel, hateful. a lifetime's worth of variation to understand

I'm also not saying that ~everyone~ who is successful in some traditional sense necessarily worked for that success, earned their way, etc. there are ways to lie, cheat, scam, exploit, etc your way up. history is full of examples of complicated figures who did both good and bad

but the thing that clarifies something for me is, I think I understand a certain class of criticism better now, which is ~almost~ the equivalent of wanting to see the virus's manager. it's less obviously ridiculous, but it's similar. it's choosing to dimiss or ignore the work

you can do the work too! the pathways to greatness are accessible to you as well. Akira Kurosawa said "all it takes to be a screenwriter is a pencil and some paper". today almost everyone has a smartphone, almost anybody can make films. certainly anybody on twitter

which brings me back to

don't waste your precious time and energy criticizing people

demonstrate what excellence looks like

focus your time and energy on what you want to see more of

https://twitter.com/visakanv/status/1419080050259886080