Two out of every 10 books I own is a comic or a picture book. The other 10 are what I call instructional books. Books about how  to write, or how to draw, how to sell, how to manage time and so on. Two of my favourites are; “How to pray” and “How to read a book”.

I read these books to be better at things. But at some point each new book on the subject brings diminishing returns. The last book I read, “Art Inc.” Offered a very clear overview and just enough of the nuts and bolts to help artist thrive in their career. But as complete as the book was, there was little I could learn that I do not already know.

The right instructions can go a long way in multiplying the results of practice. But nothing can take the place of practice. And by practice here I mean both training as well as the constant execution of a craft.

So instead of reading another book about how to thrive as an artist, I will choose to make art. And instead of reading an article about writing a blog post. I’ll write a blog post.