1, #63 - How to Create a Masterpiece
On Quantity — Estimated Read Time: 55 seconds.
I read an essay last year that I still think about all the time. It’s about how to create a masterpiece.
The author proposes 3 tactics:
Be a genius — Great plan, definitely do this, if possible.
Increase your variance — Try different things.
Increase your frequency — More shots on goal.
Ultimately, he says all of these come back to quantity: Increasing your overall output allows you to (1) get better, (2) try more things, and (3) have more chances.
“Unless you’re lucky, the only way to create a masterpiece is by churning stuff out.”
This is pretty uncomfortable for me and flies in the face of my general preference for quality, prioritization, and essentialism. What happened to less is more?
Here’s my take: It’s a balance thing. Yes, there’s too much content out there. But for most of us, the reason we’re not creating & sharing something isn’t because of an altruistic desire to protect an oversaturated media landscape.
We’re just afraid it will be bad.
But the good news is… if it’s bad, no one will care, because no one will notice.
Yes, there is short-term pain in sharing something that’s less than perfect. But the long-term pain of never sharing anything is much worse.
Don’t let your ego rob you of your chance to make a masterpiece.
Insight by:
From: ‘How to Create a Masterpiece.’ It’s deeply entertaining and there are charts! (That may be a pro for some and a con for others, but check it out!)
The charts are good!
The Beatles are a great example of this. If you watch the Get Back documentary, there’s a surprising amount of bad music before the album comes out - huge quantity and variance though.
I think you hit the point in the second half. In the beginning, it’s not about the quantity but about starting. And that's the point where most of the people fail.
I find it hard for myself too in some areas.