Art is an attitude

Here is a quotation from Seth Godin’s The Icarus Deception that I have been meditating on for a while now.

I have noticed that an interesting thing happens when you substitute the word ‘art’ for ‘creativity’, or ‘poet’, or ‘researcher’, or ‘teacher’. All of the things I am interested in, luckily.

‘Art is not a gene or a specific talent. Art is an attitude, culturally driven and available to anyone who chooses to adopt it. Art isn’t something sold in a gallery or performed on a stage. Art is the unique work of a human being, work that touches another…Seizing new ground, making connections between people or ideas, working without a map  ̶  these are works of art, and if you do them, you are an artist, regardless of whether you wear a smock, use a computer, or work with others all day long. Speaking up when there’s no obvious right answer, making yourself vulnerable when it’s possible to put up shields, and caring about both the process and the outcome  ̶  these are works of art that our society embraces and the economy demands.’

-Seth Godin: The Icarus Deception (6-7)

You should also watch these excellent videos by Seth Godin below:

Seth Godin: Keep Making a Ruckus from 99U on Vimeo.

Seth Godin: Quieting the Lizard Brain from 99U on Vimeo.