Letting go of cleverness makes room for true art
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Danielle LaPorte | Sep 07, 2009
The best writing advice I ever received was this: “Sometimes you have to let go of the jewels.”
You have to cut out the best part.
You have to detach from your brilliance.
You have to trust that the whole piece is better the individual shiny parts that make you seem clever or wise.
So that sexy slogan … That rapier wit one-liner … That fancy feature or added customer service … if those gems are throwing the whole package or project or intention off kilter, then they probably need to be slashed.
Final works of art find harmony. In even vulgar, dramatic, and absurd works of art there can be a high degree of cohesion and that’s what accounts for its impact. That’s where skill comes in. You can be as wildly inspired and as daring as you want, but if you don’t know the rule of thirds, or a bit of colour theory, or how to help the members of your jazz trio be heard in fusion, then you run the risk of tampering with the objective, which is to create art that conveys.
It’s easy to get attached to our inspired moments and what they produce. Those aha’s are a rush. And the rush is good, it’s essential in fact. Let it move you forward instead of rooting you to one place, or one ray of light. Let your clever bits and genius fuel your courage rather than your ego. Diamonds shine only after they’ve been cut.
Filed Under: Miscellaneous
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Good advice.
Most excellent advice. I am a writer who worked in marketing communications for 14 years — writing, editing hype and thinking spin, spin, spin. I did love the job but now I seem to be able to write only good emails! You have inspired me to realize that hype requires one to be clever; art doesn’t. Thanks very much for the tip.