Habits of Mind - Persistence Meets Creativity

Creative Thinking

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What's Behind That Beautiful Door?

May 18, 2025

PERSISTING

“Persistence is the twin sister of excellence. One is a matter of quality; the other, a matter of time.”

— Marabel Morgan

Efficacious people stick to a task until it is completed. They don’t give up easily They are able to analyze a problem to develop a system, structure, or strategy to attack it. They employ a range and have a repertoire of alternative strategies for problem solving. They collect evidence to indicate their problem-solving strategy is working, and if one strategy doesn’t work, they know how to back up and try another. They recognize when a theory or idea must be rejected and another employed. They have systematic methods of analyzing a problem that include knowing how to begin, what steps must be performed, and what data need to be generated or collected. Because they are able to sustain a problem-solving process over time, they are comfortable with ambiguous situations.

----Arthur L Costa

I love the Habits of Mind, designed by Arthur Costa, and I not only see how they can enhance your life, but how they apply to your art, whatever your art form is. The first one I will write about is Persistence.

You have heard successful artists say that you must paint or sing or dance every day and once you have done something a thousand times you will be much more likely to be successful at your chosen art. That is Persistence! I was showing my daughter my gelli plate, and how to use it, and she started going through some of the dusty portfolios in my studio. She commented how interesting is was to see how I had grown in my art. It caused me to think that it is really the case that you must be persistent in your pursuit of your passion.