themarginalian.org · 19 hours ago

How to Conquer Self-Doubt and Overcome Creative Block: Artist SoLewitt’s Magnificent Letter of Advice – the Marginalian

When sculptor Eva Hesse found herself paralyzed by self-doubt and creative block in 1965, her friend Sol LeWitt wrote her a letter that became one of the most powerful artistic manifestos ever committed to paper. In a torrent of exasperated tenderness, LeWitt urged her to "stop thinking, worrying, looking over your shoulder" and simply DO - to make "BAD work" if necessary, to embrace "real nonsense," to empty her mind of everything except the work itself. The advice landed: Hesse created "Hang-Up," one of her most celebrated sculptures, which she called "the most ridiculous structure that I ever made and that is why it is really good." What makes this exchange sacred is not just that it unlocked one artist's genius, but that it reveals how we save each other - how sometimes the greatest gift we can offer a struggling soul is permission to stop performing worthiness and just create.