Art & Fear

Art is like beginning a sentence before you know its ending.The risks are obvious: you may never get to the end of the sentence at all—or having gotten there, you may not have said anything. This is probably not a good idea in public speaking, but it’s an excellent idea in making art. p. 20

People who need certainty in their lives are less likely to make art that is risky, subversive, complicated, iffy, suggestive or spontaneous. What’s really needed is nothing more than a broad sense of what you are looking for, some strategy for how to find it, and an overriding willingness to embrace mistakes and surprises along the way. Simply put, making art is chancy—it doesn’t mix well with predictability. Uncertainty is the essential, inevitable and all-pervasive companion to your desire to make art. And tolerance for uncertainty is the prerequisite to succeeding. p. 21