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Stephanie Weaver's avatar

God what beautiful writing. Thank you for the effort it took to gift this to us. I went on a screenwriting binge right before getting sick and I still think some of them were really good.

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Esmé Weijun Wang's avatar

Thank you and YES for that screenwriting binge!!!

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Rhea's avatar

This comes at a very important time in my creative life. I’ve been avoiding my Museum of Almost that I’ve landed in the curse of Never Starting, which I do to prevent the personal disappointment of unfinished work, but comes with sadness at all my blank journals. This was just the motivation I needed to get theses things out of my brain and onto the page, to appreciate the fragments, the process, and let things settle and grow. 💖

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Danni Levy's avatar

I have many unfinished projects. Maybe bc I (as all creatives) have too many ideas to fit a life). I used to live them as failure, a sign of failed motivation, commitment, character. But I am more mindful now and I know that it is no longer this. I observe without evaluation or judgment. I experience my unfinished stuff as me choosing what is a priority right now, what I need. Because life happens and we cannot be everything or everywhere and sometimes our mind just doesn't work. I know that I am not a failure. I am choosing what feels right. Maybe one day I will return to it. Maybe never. It is okay. This feels like love and freedom. xo

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Writer Pilgrim by So Elite's avatar

Almost wouldn’t exist without the incomplete drafts. The mystery and gift is when you’re able to not let these unfinished pieces drag you backwards. They’ll be done when their time comes. If it comes.

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Esmé Weijun Wang's avatar

The time sometimes comes and it feels so wild and unexpected

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Dr. Paul Chadwick's avatar

I love this post - thankyou. Its a good job my Museum of Almost exists in the Fourth Dimension - there's too many projects in too many rooms for it to exist on a corporeal plane!

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Jeremy Redleaf's avatar

Great minds! I started a project with the same idea many years ago, but it became another almost :-)

https://qz.com/work/1504029/the-museum-of-almosts-celebrates-failureThe Museum of Almosts celebrates the beauty in failure

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Thomas Wharton's avatar

Wonderful idea!

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Tiffany Chu's avatar

Esmé, I'm grateful for this essay during a time when I've been struggling with my own museum of unfinished things, fighting against the curse of comparison. Your voice is always a gentle reminder that I'm not alone. Thank you.

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