#50% rule

[rigelmejo]

50% rule - half study, half have fun

I saw this article about the 50% rule linked on a language learning form. It is an article about art: how when you draw, try to draw 50% of the time just for fun. For yourself, for the sake of drawing and getting it to become something you enjoy and that can be imperfect. If you study, like in drawing that would be following lessons or utilizing references and trying to emulate something or practicing techniques, then try to only spend 50% of your time doing those study activities you aim to do "well" and improve with.

The idea of spending 50% just drawing for the fun of it, for the sake of creating something, not caring if it's that nebulous definition of "not good enough," it's really worth doing. For one, it's stress relieving and makes drawing something more enjoyable, and as humans it genuinely makes us feel good to CREATE things just for the sake of expressing ourselves. To get to create things, make whatever we picture and even if it doesn't come out the way we'd hoped at least it exists now? It's a release. It's letting your ideas and things you want, get a chance to really exist, when perfectionism otherwise might mean you avoid ever even trying. At least, to start to exist: because you might always try an idea again later, make it differently next time, make it again in a couple years when you're more capable. But the point is: try making it now too. Whatever you want, try, and enjoy the process.

(And as someone who's been drawing since I could hold drawing utensils as a toddler, to be honest with you a LOT of improvement in drawing skills naturally happen as you attempt to draw things you "can't" draw. Because at first, you can't draw anything. You have to draw a face, imperfectly, to figure out HOW to draw a face a little bit different the next time - and the next time - and the next time - and you start being excited how the outcome is closer to what you imagined each time. I didn't actually "practice" drawing until I was 9 and started looking at cartoons, trying to draw based on how a cartoon looks, and trying to get closer to that. Everything before that was just imagining stuff, trying, and it gradually getting closer to what I imagined. And even after learning how to look at references and try to emulate them, and learning techniques like shading, in the end a lot of drawing improvements still came from me going "I'd like to draw someone dancing/flying/holding someone/from an angle above their head" even though I 'didn't know how to' and had never tried before, so I tried, somewhat successful and somewhat not what I imagined, and then the NEXT time I tried? It got closer to my imagination, and closer, and eventually it was no longer hard to draw someone flying or holding someone. What I'm saying is: creating something just for the sake of it, even if you don't know how to make what you imagine yet, is worth it for many reasons).

The language learning forum linked this article, because the idea was "in language study, at least sometimes, just use the language" whether that's talking to a friend, reading novels, watching shows you like, podcasts, audiobooks, writing a journal and not correcting your errors. Spend at least some time using the language, while giving yourself the space to NOT stress yourself out about mistakes or gaps in understanding. That time can help you get used to using the language, just to use it, and just making a habit of using the language as a normal regular thing you do. I thought that was a great suggestion. Especially because I tend toward perfectionist, so reminders to "give myself space to BE imperfect" is always worth hearing.

The advice can also apply to writing too. (I don't if I've told you all I write, but I could post my writing in-progress rants on here if anyone's into that. Mostly I post the writing-progress-updates on @mejomonster under #mejo writing). Just the idea that: yes, 50% of the time you might be checking your grammar, or reading an author you like and noting their writing style and trying to brainstorm how to do some similar things, writing a story outline, writing a chapter and really draining yourself by second-guessing what style you're doing and what kind of narration you're aiming for and what you want the audience to know and thinking about the process a lot.

But the other 50%, or at least some of the time, try to just... write. Fanfiction of course can be a good outlet for this, because it's not for profit and not as high pressure due to that, and you can just think "well I'm writing for myself, if I want to write something wild and out of character that makes no sense and is unfinished and only 300 words then I can!" Also journals, and giving yourself permission to write poetry or songs that don't think about rules. But also just: you have a ton of stories in your mind, your imagination. It's okay to try and create them, even if you think you don't have the skills yet to make them that nebulous goal of "good enough." You can always try making that story again later, years down the road. But part of the skills of how to make it, you'll get BY trying to make it. And even if you don't ever try to make it again, it will be satisfying in it's own way to be able to say "this only existed inside me, and now here it is in words people can read, that I can reread if I ever forget this story idea I thought was interesting/fun/meaningful/cool/important etc., it exists beyond me now and it was fun just letting myself make it." I didn't know I could EVER write a long story until I wrote a long fanfiction, and then it taught me I could - and what parts I liked and didn't, and what parts of my writing I loved when I just let loose and let words come out like I was in a flow state. I have these scraps right now where I write one story idea I have like it's letters and journal entries, which is not my usual style at all, and it's fun to see what comes out when I try it.

[hornyverymuch]

"we don't need to watch Amok Time, we have pon farr at home"

pon farr at home:

[atomic-chronoscaph]

The Things on Easter Island - art by Jack Kirby and Christopher Rule (1959)

[umbraastaff]

playing D&D with people who use the rules more strictly is so fun genuinely. now i can engage in tactics and character building. whehehe

[zaacoy]

oh, to hold your whole world in your arms

[paunchsalazar]

Dean should have been the new new Bobby… I’ll kill myself

[buried-l0cket]

*shoots your doomed yaoi with a doomed yuri beam*

Sailor Trigun at ALA!!!

[sleepnowmychild]

Zagreus 🤝 Apollo

Having a heap of associations and domains

[tf2heritageposts]

RULES OF PLAYING HEAVY:

1. you will always have medics climbing on you

2. you will always have medics trying to pocket you and popping uber on you because this is their first time playing medic

3. you probably shouldn’t be getting uber

[magenta-somethings]

philosophically i like to play hard and loose with canon. but also i physically can’t start writing timkon fic until i’ve read all 100 issues of superboy (1994) and all 185 issues of robin (1993) and all 56 issues of young justice (1998) and all 26 issues of red robin (2009) and

[caterpillarinacave]

idk personally I think at the end of NATM1 Ahkmenrah should have gotten to have Cecil dragged back to his exhibit and have his hands cut off, as would have been an the appropriate punishment for a grave robber in ancient egypt, but that’s just me

[ash-rigby]

I use the phrase "If the spirit moves you'' a lot for an atheist. Gotta admit the Christians ate with that one.

[ohshy]

Royal army art bc the nation (population: 3) is starving

[icefang111]

as I read an inordinate amount of Re:Zero fanfic I am hit with the funny as fuck realization that, by and large, this is the one fandom where the majority of fics don't offer something different from the main story

We really said yes I know we've had suffering and drama, but what about second suffering and drama?

[okaybut-merelyplayers]

Wow I just saw a fic that referenced Romeo and Juliet and for a SOLID MINUTE I thought it was a reference to ROTPL. I deadass forgot Shakespeare existed because of those dang thesbians