rules of creativity /04

RULE 04: TASTE IS KING.

Right now, taste is more valuable than talent. We are what we eat, right? We have a tendency to dive deep into an art or field and devour everything we can. This increases our awareness of what is good and what isn’t - our taste level. However, when we start creating, our work is not nearly as good as we expect.

This is the gap, as Ira Glass puts it. The gap between taste and talent. We have enough sense of taste to see that we don’t have enough talent. This is a super important realization. Many give up at this point. If you love the art enough to endure failing to create good art, you will develop the talent necessary to create great art.

So now what? Well, for starters, be honest in assessing your level of taste. Where is your creative intuition? What hits you in the gut and really makes you feel something? What do you consume regularly? What are you an expert in? What do people ask your advice about?

Next, exercise your taste. Curate your palate. Make stuff that excites you. At first, you may hate it. Keep creating. Don’t fall into the gap. You’ll know when you’ve reached the other side.