This article originally appeared on Helium Knowledge. I was surprised to see out of 14 articles, it was rated 14. I feel it deserves so much more than that. So I'm republishing it here where it will be seen by people that appreciate it.

The art you leave behind is your legacy. It can speak for you long after your bones have turned to dust. So many people are so sure they do not have any artistic ability that they never even try to learn to draw or paint or write or make music. So they turn to kits and in essence they end up passing on the legacy of the person who designed the kit, but their own legacy is lost in the process.

If you really want to grow as an artist, you will just have to be willing to be bad at it before you can be good at it. You may have to write 10 awful books before you write a good one. You may have to write 100 books before you write a great one. Your first 50 paintings won't be masterpieces. To expect an instant masterpiece is a good way to shoot yourself in the foot artistically. Allow yourself to be a beginner.

Try not to worry about who will publish you or what gallery will show your work. Don't get ahead of yourself. Start out slow, with purpose, and learn patience and diligence. That is the road to success. Invent your own songs. Design your own clothes. Make a real effort. No matter what the outcome is, you'll learn a lot in the process. Every time something comes out wrong, you will know better how to make it right the next time. Perhaps we are too hung up on being an instant success. So before you get too addicted to templates or patterns, or romantic novel formulas, start making inroads on your own inventions, styles, and experiments. Learn the basics but don't get stuck there. Use books for inspiration but don't slavishly copy anything.

We don't need a Picasso or Elvis clone; we need you and your unique artistic vision. Watch children paint. They are into the process, not the outcome. They are living in the moment, experiencing the Zen of creating. Once you blaze your own trail, you'll find people copying you, not the other way around. By the time they copy this year's fashions, you'll be designing the fashions for two years from now.

Ray Bradbury told me that if you write enough, you are bound to write something worth keeping sooner or later. Many people don't put enough time into their dreams to ever reap the benefits. If you are a writer, write every day. If you are a cartoonist, keep that sketchbook handy. Be ready when life hands you opportunities. Now is the time to do it. You never know which day is your last chance to leave that lasting message.