Bret Victor's in-process emails reveal the despair and euphoria behind his legendary talks
round · x · 2026-11-16
Bret Victor (worrydream) published his in-process emails from creating his legendary talks, showing the real emotional arc behind great work:
- In Sept 2011 he called himself a creative failure, saying he "just want to bury myself in the backyard"
- Two days later: stuck writing a single paragraph — "WHY CAN I NOT WRITE PARAGRAPH"
- A month later, euphoric: "My talk is going to be the greatest talk that's ever been talked"
That talk became Inventing on Principle. The sharer notes how rare it is to peek behind the curtain at what doing great work actually feels like.
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