I’ve spent most of my life being an aspiring artist. The word “aspiring” always seemed like a way to cushion expectations, both for myself and other people. An “aspiring artist” doesn’t have to be very good or sell very much. Aspiring artists aren’t remotely saying they think they could make a living creating.

In the last few years, though, the “aspiring” cushion stopped feeling like a way to give myself grace and started feeling more like an excuse for not making a genuine effort to own my own skills and talents.