The joy of being dumb
In my post yesterday, I included a link to an essay, Willingness to look stupid is a genuine moat in creative work. Since I read it yesterday, I keep coming back to that idea. I think fear of looking stupid is one of the biggest blocks I face on a regular basis. Part of the reason I started this blog was to force myself to just write something. I try to not over-analyze or over-edit. I try to just write what comes to mind and hit post.
When I was early in my career, I felt like it was no problem if I asked the dumb questions. I was new. I hadn't ever been exposed to whatever it is I was asking about. Often, by asking the dumb questions, I would figure out something that had eluded my seniors. Asking the dumb questions about a problem would cause the real solution to naturally fall out with surprising regularity.
As I got further along in my career, though, I started to feel like asking those kinds of questions indicated that I had not really paid attention all those years. Thus, I overthink. I edit myself. The lesson I'm trying to carry away from it is that asking those dumb questions is how I reach the smart question. If I avoid the dumb questions, I never get to the question I really need to ask. Censoring myself may make sure I don't look dumb sometimes, but it also keeps me from looking smart in the long term.