gems-of-chaos:

Last night, I was listening to the Sonic Forces theme on repeat and drawing fanart. I was about an hour or more in when had to take a break to make dinner and eat and do other stuff. When I came back, the computer had shut down and was updating.

I had not saved my progress at all.

I lost the drawing.

This kind of bad luck happens all the time to my boyfriend, who does sprite animations. He’s lost animations before and had very specific and damaging glitches that set hours of work behind schedule. Having this happen can result in some very negative thinking. I have another friend who’s the same way, only worse, often times hating herself for small mistakes. It just causes a spiral into unnecessary self-deprecation and negativity that can easily be overlooked.

I attend a therapy group for teen resilience. (Resiliency is when you can bounce back from negative situations.) Recently, the therapist commended me for being so resilient, despite being an anxious 17-year-old.

This situation was proof of that.

When I lost the drawing, sure, I was frustrated and upset. But I reminded myself that it was okay. Most of what I was doing was easy to redo. Some of what I was doing was experimental and not turning out the best. I knew I could always redo it and probably do better next time. And I can learn from the mistakes of the last one (I.E. SAVE!). As a result, I was able to move on and keep from getting too angry or negative.

Just now, I got nearly caught up with where I was yesterday when the computer shut down. I have better ideas in mind for what I want to do. I’m planning better. I’m fixing my mistakes.

Most of all, I was resilient. I learned from my mistakes. I didn’t let it drag me down.

As an artist, losing artwork can be devastating. But I knew that what I was doing could easily be redone and be made even better. I’m not going to forget the process or techniques of what I was doing. And I’m in a much better place than yesterday.

There’s truth in the phrase “look on the bright side.” It’s never quite as bad as it seems.