Day 4: A Simple Trick for Better Ideas
The truly prolific artists I know always have that question answered, because they have figured out a daily practice—a repeatable way of working that insulates them from success, failure, and the chaos of the outside world. They have all identified what they want to spend their time on, and they work at it every day, no matter what. Whether their
... See moreAustin Kleon • Keep Going
If each piece is approached as our life’s defining work, we revise and overwrite endlessly, aiming for the unrealistic ideal of perfection.
Rick Rubin • The Creative Act: A Way of Being
The final bottleneck to great work is not knowledge or information. It’s not even intelligence. It’s that elusive, intangible, sublime quality—call it taste, imagination, creativity, courage, judgment, intuition, agency.
We’ve all heard the Thomas Edison quote where he said genius is 1% inspiration, 99% perspiration. Back then, execution was
... See moreIn their nature, many artists lean toward one of two categories: Experimenters or Finishers. Experimenters are partial to dreaming and play, finding it more difficult to complete and release their work.
Rick Rubin • The Creative Act: A Way of Being
The creative cliff illusion shows that persevering today is critical, because your best ideas may come late in the day. The random impact rule suggests the same thing across careers: that persevering across weeks, months, and years matters because your greatest hits may arrive when you least expect them.