A Matter of Good Taste

This is a great clip from Ira Glass (I first saw it on a 'Craft' newsletter, but I guess it is all over the place, Brent had already seen it, and Cory actually said he may have stole this thought from another writer, although I couldn't figure out who). His thought is on how we become artists, and that one of the reasons we do is because we believe ourselves to have good taste. Explaining that when we start making work we are the first people to stop ourselves when we think the work is not up to our 'good taste' standards. He goes on to say the only way we will successfully achieve these standards is if we practice making work, lots and lots and LOTS, even if it is bad work.



I am thinking, 'Don't I know this already', but yes, I must relearn. As Doris Humphrey said, 'They can't all be masterpieces' (I think she said that). I am trying to practice this in all parts of my life in conversation, in cooking, in love and TOTALLY in writing on this blog. I don't write anything half of the time because I think the post has to be as good as the things I really like to read (and so I stop). But the truth is, it is good practice (and hopefully I don't bore you all in the meantime).

Good taste should be an aid not a hindrance, not the lock on the door, but the key that opens it.

So when I start putting boxes on people's heads in my new piece, a questionable choice I admit (Cory is already wary), I have to evaluate the decision, but not throw it out entirely because it's not the 'perfect' decision', especially when no other decisions are coming. Try it. Figure it out. And in the end I may realize it was a bad decision, but I won't know until I try. Maybe it will give me insight into something else.