From the archive

You didn't change your mind. You got scared

An interview isn't a resignation. Asking about a price isn't signing a contract. Showing someone a first attempt isn't a promise to become brilliant at it. You can gather information by participating instead of endlessly imagining how participation might go. Sometimes the answer will be no. Good. A specific no, based on something you actually encountered, is more useful than another beautifully argued refusal to find out. And sometimes you'll discover that the thing you've been treating as a verdict on your worth is an awkward half-hour on a Tuesday. You can survive an awkward half-hour without turning it into a referendum on whether you should ever try anything again.