In reply to Notes | Matthew McDowell-Sweet — Matthew McDowell-Sweet
People who make things, especially make things from an aesthetic epicenter within themselves, often talk about the source of their creative engine as something within them that is not entirely legible to them.
This seems somewhat related to an ongoing discussion with Venkat about "genius". He doesn't like the term, but I think it points exactly to the illegibility of creative ability and motivation. AMMDI: Hey man take a compliment! I guess I'm ideologically not all…
I’ve heard this described as “creative tension” but “the flame” is much more evocative.
I think people who live this way actually have two responsibilities: (1) to take what the flame within us inspires us to put into the world, and realize it faithfully, and (2) to keep the flame alive, so that even if our realizations are poorly made or the world doesn’t treasure it as we do, the flame can live to fight another day.