Exploring Your Creative Genius: Episode 63
In this week’s episode, you heard from a number of creative and artistic folks, from Ralph Waldo Emerson to Pablo Picasso. In keeping with the promise this show has made to you, you heard a number of perspectives about the creative process that, should they be appealing to you, you can make your own.
The quote from Henri Matisse along with one from Albert Einstein reminds us of the importance of Common Wealth, that we are so very reliant on others. Our nation’s health depends on our Common Wealth, our accumulated knowledge and resources that we all contribute to and all withdraw from at the right time.
“The arts have a development that comes not only from the individual…but from the civilization which precedes us.” Henri Matisse.
And Einstein said “A hundred times everyday I remind myself that my inner and my outer depend on the labors of other men, living and dead, and that I must exert myself in order to give the same measure as I have received and am still receiving…”
What if we brought a Common Wealth perspective to our Public Schools? What if we saw clear-eyed that each of us and all of us benefit from a vibrant Public School system. Might that tee us up to take a more creative investment mentality regarding this resource?
On another topic we heard two perspectives from Picasso on originality. He said “Success is dangerous. One begins to copy oneself and to copy oneself more dangerous than copying others. It leads to sterility.”
And one of my favorite quotes from him is “Bad artists borrow, great artists steal.” When I first heard that as a young man I appreciated the ‘in your face’ attitude this conveys.
Now I understand the wisdom found here for a creative person. If you borrow something you don’t own it, so you will be careful in your use of it. But when you steal something, it’s yours. You can do with it what you choose — deconstructing it, integrating it.
So steal all you want from this show and these columns; they are yours.
“Exploring Your Creative Genius” takes an expansive view on what it means to be creative and entrepreneurial in an ongoing conversation led by Carl Nordgren — entrepreneur, novelist, and lifelong student with decades of experience growing his own creative capacity and assisting others to do the same in exciting new ways!
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