Some say "good, better, best" is an absurdity and best done away with. I agree, sort of.
Steven Savage's latest post is about "rethinking work", and it reminded me of an anecdote courtesy of Milton Glaser...
I have been reading the writings of Gerhard Richter, a painter whose view of his work is a good deal more interesting to me than much of the work itself. He was, like John Cage, not interested in creating things that were an expression of his personality; he wanted some larger aspect of things to manifest itself through him. In fact, Cage is explicitly credited as an influence, and in one of the photos in the book, Cage is seen smiling in front of one of Richter's paintings.
Why you can't perfect something that was never created to begin with.
In stories, things fall apart; that's why they're interesting.
"When any image is possible, no image is all that impressive anymore."
Even our entertainments are works of art whether or not we like it, and have the chance to be taken very, very seriously by somebody out there.
On the creative trap of First, Second, No Good.
Last ride on the suffering train, I swear!
Don't just do something, sit there!
Why adult fiction doesn't speak to adults anymore.
The how-to of writing is something to be outgrown, not followed to the end.
Plan ahead, lest you find yourself behind plan.
On (not) taking refuge in one's art.
The more kinds of art you try, the better your art becomes.
One of free music's cornerstones, an album of heedless challenges and curious pleasures.
Why checklist-driven, beat-structure construction works in the short run but is ruinous in the long run.
"I demand two things from a composer: invention, and that he astonish me." What did Stockhausen mean by this?
On loving the art in yourself, not yourself in the art -- and not letting your art do your living for you.
This one-of-a-kind jazz composition, originally in incredibly limited release, is now back on CD.
SF&F are always best when they're the voice of an individual observer's insight, not simply a reflection of market demands.
John Cage's first book (and perhaps the only one of his you need) continues to stimulate, infuriate, and amuse over fifty years later.
The classics aren't things to put on pillars. But neither is popular culture.
Zen explained by a former punk rocker. No, really. And explained very well, too.
It was only through George Russell’s obituary that I ever learned about him in the first place. He was not as household a name as Duke or Miles or ‘Trane, but he mattered in a way that is only now...