The Best, Most Frustrating Quote About Creativity: Closing the Gap Between Taste and Skill

The Best, Most Frustrating Quote About Creativity: Closing the Gap Between Taste and Skill

Creativity is a journey that many of us embark on with high hopes and ambitions. We dive into creative work because we have good taste and a vision of what we want to create. However, there is often a frustrating gap between our taste and the actual quality of our work. Ira Glass, the creator and host of This American Life, perfectly encapsulates this feeling in his inspiring quote about creativity.

Glass explains that when we first start creating, our work falls short of our expectations. It's not as good as we want it to be. But here's the thing - our taste remains impeccable. It is our taste that makes us realize that our work is not up to par. This realization can be disheartening and discouraging, causing many people to give up on their creative pursuits.

However, Glass reassures us that this phase is completely normal and that the key to closing the gap between our taste and our skill is to keep creating. He advises us to put ourselves on a deadline and commit to finishing one project every week. It is through this volume of work that we can improve our skills and eventually produce work that matches our ambitions.

Creativity is not an innate talent that some are born with and others are not. It is a practice that requires repetition and reinvention over time. Glass's quote reminds us that the job is not to simply "be creative," but rather to create. In order to make what truly matters, we need to close the gap between our intuition and our abilities.

In 2017, at SXSW, Glass expanded on his famous quote by urging us not to wait, but to make the thing, make a version, and then make it better. This succinct advice emphasizes the importance of taking action and continuously improving our work.

Taking Glass's insights into account, it becomes clear that anyone can create meaningful things. We all have the capacity to make what matters. The key lies in closing the gap between our taste, our intuition, and our skills. By committing to a volume of work and constantly striving to improve, we can bridge that gap and create work that aligns with our ambitions.

Now, let's shift gears and explore the concept of maintaining close friendships. Robin Dunbar, a renowned anthropologist, has spent his career studying the complexities of friendship. One of his key findings is Dunbar's number, which refers to the number of meaningful and stable relationships one can maintain at any given time.

According to Dunbar, the range of variation for Dunbar's number is between 100 and 250. This includes not only friends but also extended family members. This suggests that there is a limit to the number of close relationships we can effectively maintain.

Dunbar also discovered that social networks shrink as we age, particularly after 65. This phenomenon can be attributed to the investment of time required to develop a close friendship. It takes approximately 200 hours of investment over a few months to move a stranger into the realm of a good friend.

Furthermore, Dunbar identified seven factors that people use to evaluate whether someone has the potential to become a friend. These factors, combined with the time investment, contribute to the formation of close friendships.

Interestingly, Dunbar's research revealed that not all relationships within our social network receive equal attention. The network is structured in a clumpy manner, with each layer being three times the size of the layer preceding it. This means that we have closer relationships with a smaller number of people, while the outer layers of our network have more acquaintances.

Understanding the limitations and dynamics of close friendships can help us prioritize and invest our time wisely. It highlights the importance of nurturing and maintaining those relationships that truly matter to us. While we may have a large number of acquaintances and casual friendships, our energy should be focused on cultivating deep connections with a select few.

In conclusion, both the pursuit of creativity and the maintenance of close friendships require intention and effort. Ira Glass's quote about creativity reminds us that the gap between our taste and our skill can only be closed through consistent work and improvement. Meanwhile, Dunbar's research on friendship teaches us the value of investing time and energy into meaningful relationships.

To put these insights into action, here are three actionable pieces of advice:

1. Embrace the journey of creativity: Recognize that your early work may not meet your expectations, but don't let that discourage you. Commit to a volume of work and continuously strive to improve your skills.

2. Prioritize meaningful relationships: Understand that you can only maintain a limited number of close friendships. Invest your time and energy in nurturing and maintaining those relationships that truly matter to you.

3. Take action and make things better: Don't wait for the perfect moment or the perfect idea. Just make the thing and then make it better. Continuous improvement is key to both creative endeavors and the development of close friendships.

By applying these insights and taking action, we can bridge the gap between our taste and our abilities in creative pursuits and cultivate meaningful relationships that enrich our lives. Remember, anyone can create and maintain what truly matters.