I’m back! Where have I been for a week? Well, I was busy with Echo. And speaking of Echo, at the conference I taught a breakout on blogging. During a section on intentionality and purpose in blogging, I made a statement that I want to share with you.
Great ideas happen by accident. Great art does not. Great art is created on purpose.
Have I researched the creative process behind every great piece of art ever made in order to verify the truthiness of that statement? No, I haven’t. It’s just my firm belief.
Every great piece of art I can think of — from the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel to Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind — was probably fueled by a flash of inspiration, a great idea that struck like a flash of lightning. But here’s what I’m learning about ideas and inspiration: they are, by definition, immaterial. Hard work is the only means by which a great idea becomes great art. This means that the spent in front of the canvas or at the computer are requisite if we aspire to create that which is beautiful and transformative.
I don’t know about you, but I need to hear that. I need to hear it every day — it helps calibrate my aspirations and renew my resolve. Hopefully, it does the same for you.