The first pancake sucks

Hey 590+ friends, it’s Hannah here from Quoted Visually!

The social media landscape has changed quite dramatically since we last connected. I’ll be experimenting on Threads, join me here.

Aside from this, thank you for your crazy support, let’s dive right into issue 5 👇

When we start a new skill, it is easy to fall into the trap of expecting results right away.

Or worse, thinking that if we don’t see results, then we must be no good. And we should quit while we are ahead.

But instead, we can take our inability as a sign to keep pushing and keep going.

It just means we haven’t grasped it yet.

More practice is needed.

And that is okay, there is time to practice.

There is beauty in the mess

When we are stumbling and finding our way, it feels frustrating and uncomfortable, especially if we are not used to being a ‘novice’. Maybe we are best in the world at something else?

Failing hurts our ego a little bit 😳 But if we can swallow our pride and get past this, we can start to see the beauty in the mess.

Just like a child learning to walk, things are wobbly but playful at first.

We can embrace the trial and error because it comes with purpose.

Our messy initial outcomes are not aimless.

We can see it as a path forwards, as a means to progress, rather than feeling embarrassed.

We start leaning into the process and let ourselves enjoy it.

And give ourselves permission to play and actually have fun.

Oh and maybe even laugh at ourselves, making light of the situations we find ourselves in. If the pancake falls on the floor, it will give us a funny story to tell.

Just “don't try and serve up the 3rd pancake first” - Simon Sinek.

We are not judged by our first go

Embrace the messy beginnings when no one is watching 👀 

When we don’t have far to fall, or high expectations from those around us.

Throwback to one of my very first illustrations that was created over a year ago and shared by Steven Bartlett!

💡Inspiration

A gentle reminder from Alain De Botton: “failure enables creativity”.

De Botton has been a huge source of inspiration for me back from my days studying Fine Art. I particularly enjoy his book Art as Therapy.

Lastly, if you fancy a pancake now, I apologise, this whole topic was inspired by Simon Sinek. You can view the clip here:

🗞️ Update

I can’t believe I am typing this. I was lucky to see both Steven Bartlett and Simon Sinek in action live this week!

* Squeal *

This made my heart very happy…

I’ve listened to their podcasts religiously and both have inspired many illustrations and brought me on a journey of personal growth.

You best believe I brought a notepad with me, although I was a little shy at first to get it out. Next time, I’ll shamelessly start scribbling notes sooner 🤣

To double down this example: I felt like I was the ‘only one’ taking notes.

Then after a while, I realised that being the ‘only one’ doing ‘X’ in a given situation is what makes us who we are. It’s what sets us apart from the norm.

Let’s celebrate our differences rather than try to blend in with the crowd.

I also got back to developing my course to empower others, like yourself, to start visualising ideas and leveraging the power of visual communication!

🔔 If I was teaching you, what questions would you have?

That’s a wrap. Thanks for being here!

Feel free to reply to this email if you have any questions, requests or feedback. I will respond at my earliest opportunity (bear with me, bit behind on replies).

Big love,

Hannah aka Quoted Visually x

Instagram | Twitter | LinkedIn | My website