January 28Relative Harmony
Musicians say there are three primal notes, without which music cannot be; and there are three primal colors, without a due proportion of which painting wants harmony. Pictures by the old masters show a knowledge of this; or rather an intuition, that transcends knowledge.
Lydia Maria Child—“What Is Beauty?” (1843)
Today's reading screams two things—entrepreneurs don't really make anything new—there is nothing new—only new ways to interpret, blend, juxtapose. And that we all have the same set of tools from which to craft our big idea.
So, in the words of Austin Kleon, author of Steal Like an Artist, here's your job:
Draw the art you want to see, start the business you want to run, play the music you want to hear, write the books you want to read, build the products you want to use—do the work you want to see done.
Discover the three primal notes that vibrate for you and practice blending them in new ways until you've got a hit.
That's the only commitment you have to make. So make it already.
Challenge Question
- What could you blend to make something new?
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