Caterina.net: Uncertain ends, confident means

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{ Thursday, October 8, 2009 }

Uncertain ends, confident means

My friend Emily pointed out a great quote in this week's New Yorker, in an article about the painter Luc Tuymans, who describes how he creates his work: "It's like I don't know what I'm doing but I know how to do it." Peter Schjeldahl, the article's author, notes that "uncertain ends, confident means is about as good a general definition of creativity as I know."

And a Lao-Tzu quote I found today: "A good traveler has no fixed plans and is not intent on arriving" which espouses a similar approach.

LINK | 4:41 PM | TB

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This reminds me of a Kurt Vonnegut quote:

"When I teach...I'm not looking for people who want to be writers. I'm looking for people who are passionate, who care terribly about something. There are people with a hell of a lot on their minds...and if you have a hell of a lot on your mind, the language will arrive, the right words will arrive, the paragraphing will be right..."

(from "Like Shaking Hands with God: A Conversation About Writing")

David S | October 9, 2009 3:27 PM

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Thanks Caterina:

and also from Lao-Tzu:

The farther you go the less you know. Thus one of deep virtue knows without going, sees without looking, and accomplishes without doing.

David Sanger | October 11, 2009 3:29 PM

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