“Your role in [ creating art] , if not easy, is at least clear: learn the things you need to learn in order to do the work you need to do. To learn and grow, artists  need to be able to take comfort in their own small steps, especially at the beginning.  Almost all progress comes in small steps, not wildly improbable leaps.  If you need to paint a hundred paintings before you’re satisfied with one, then your job is to paint the hundredth painting. Truth is, caring about the work you do is the single best indicator  that others will also care about it.”

Ted Orland – The View from the Studio Door