Two Wonderful Quotes about Art and Creativity

Two fabulous quotes, from two different places, about art and creativity. See for yourself, there's much more in this book and blog. I recommend both.

"Moving to Higher Ground - How Jazz Can Change Your Life" (emphasis mine)
a Book by Wynton Marsalis

"I've never understood why many consider creativity to be the mysterious province of some small, specialized group of people... Everywhere we look, we see the result of human creativity. I live in New York now, and it's mind-boggling just to think that every brick on every street, all of the glass, stell, and concrete, all of the art, signage, electrical wiring, plumbing, painting, and so on that makes Manhattan the most amazing metropolis in the world is someone's creation. The creativity of our fellow citizens is all around us - in their dress, language, lifestyle, in so many combinations of things. You don't have to earn your creativity - you're born with it. All you have to do is tend to it and unleash it. Every uman being on earth is given the gift to create, and that creativity manifests itself in trillions of ways. There are no laws or rules. Creativity is unruly. like a dream - you can't control what comes to you. You only control what portion you choose to tell."


Presentation Zen, a blog by Garr Reynolds (emphasis mine)

"You do not need to become a professional musician, but in music and art you learn discipline and commitment and the value of hard, hard work. You learn what the pursuit of excellence is all about, that hard work has a reward, that you have to fail before you can succeed. You learn about self-expression and communication. You learn self-respect and the respect of others. These are not unimportant things, they are vital things. Yes, of course you need math and science and literature — these are essential. But you need music and art to take you to a higher ground, to make you human. Why it is a case of either-or — "academics" or "the arts" — is one of the great mistakes of our time. People like Jose Antonio Abreu and Bill Strickland and Ken Robinson, etc. remind us that this is a false choice."