“If you’re not prepared to be wrong, you’ll never produce anything original.”

– Ken Robinson, The Element

Robinson reinforces Seth Godin’s assertion that real art requires risk.

If you know you can do it, you’re not making art. You’re engaged in production; the “D” in R&D. Real art is more like a research project: you really don’t know if the project is going to come up with a useful or beautiful answer.

You have to be willing to invest the time and energy to find out, regardless of the outcome.

If you already know the outcome, the endeavour might still be worthwhile, but don’t call it art.