8. If something is authentic enough, it will feel original.
I am no fan of the aspiration to do original work. First of all, that creates an enormous amount of anxiety, and secondly, it is an impossible aspiration, because there’s no such thing as original work. If you show me a piece of artwork that everybody heralds as being totally original, I will bring in ten academics and critics who will look at that work and tell you from where that person drew their inspiration, who they had been reading, what painter they had seen … I’m much more interested in the chain of influence than I am in the narcissism of originality. The only way that you can create authentic work is to, with great humility and great faith and great curiosity, follow your own inquisitiveness, wherever it takes you, and trust that whatever comes out of you will feel original. That while other people may have done the same thing, you didn’t do it yet, and as soon as you do it and put your mark on it, it will, by its own right, start to feel original, as long as it has that authentic heart.
I use the excuse of not being original to avoid projects all the time. I will need to keep this in mind.
I love this! I have to remember how to explain it. These words sound smarter than what I’ve been running around saying, which is something like “there are no new ideas and execution is everything.”
8.5. If something is original enough, it will feel authentic.
I am no fan of the aspiration to do authentic work. First of all, that creates an enormous amount of anxiety, and secondly, it is an impossible aspiration, because there’s no such thing as authentic work. If you show me a piece of artwork that everybody heralds as being totally authentic, I will bring in ten academics and critics who will look at that work and tell you from where that person drew their motivation, what boot they were licking, what painter they were aping … I’m much more interested in the chain of influence than I am in the narcissism of authenticity. The only way that you can create original work is to, with great humility and great faith and great curiosity, follow your own inquisitiveness, wherever it takes you, and trust that whatever comes out of you will feel authentic. That while other people may have grasped at the same thing, you didn’t do it yet, and as soon as you do it and put your mark on it, it will, by its own right, start to feel authentic, as long as it has that original heart.
