Sublime

Artists make change happen. Artists are humans who do generous work that might not work. Artists aren’t limited to paint or museums. You’re an artist as soon as you announce you are. As a leader, a coach, a contributor, a designer, a musician, an impresario … it’s art if you let it be. If you care enough.

The more you are interested in others the more interesting they’ll find you. To be interesting, be interested.

Then something strange happened. I started to get better at my craft. All because of a few mere words (and the action that flowed from believing them). Through this process, I learned a crucial lesson: Before others will believe…

Some highlights have been hidden or truncated due to export limits.

Whether you think you’re brilliant or you think you’re a loser, just make whatever you need to make and toss it out there.

Not long ago I read an interview with a teacher who had come up with an interesting way of approaching revision. She’d labeled student work either publishable or revisable. In other words, it was either something good, or something moving in that direction. So much of editing feels like harsh judgment. This was promise.

Oh, and here’s another thing: You are not required to save the world with your creativity. Your art not only doesn’t have to be original, in other words; it also doesn’t have to be important. For example: Whenever anybody tells me they want to write a book in order to help other people, I always think, Oh, please don’t. Please don’t try to help me.

Obvious to you. Amazing to others. Any creator of anything knows this feeling: You experience someone else’s innovative work. It’s beautiful, brilliant, breath-taking. You’re stunned. Their ideas are unexpected and surprising, but perfect. You think, “I never would have thought of that. How do they even come up with that? It’s genius!” Afterwards,