It took, for me, a long time to develop this idea of what to do on the radio. But from the beginning of my time in radio, I had pretty non-traditional tasks.
Ira GlassRead
At some point, all comics have to go out and be retail salesmen doing door-to-door. And this idea of somebody who totally knows their craft having to get up for free in front of a crowd to work out some stuff they're thinking in their head, still, after as much success as you can get, is really interesting.
Interpretation
What this quote means
Comics, like all artists, must continually hone their craft and share their work, even after finding success.
This quote reflects the journey of comics and artists who, despite achieving a level of success, must still put themselves out there to experiment and connect with audiences. It highlights the ongoing process of growth and the necessity of practice in the pursuit of artistic mastery, emphasizing that even the most skilled individuals have to face vulnerability and challenges.
Themes
ComicsCraftPerformanceVulnerabilitySuccessArtistry
In practice
Example use cases
During a motivational speech about perseverance in the arts, this quote can illustrate the continuous effort artists must put in.
More from Ira Glass
All quotes →I think good radio often uses the techniques of fiction: characters, scenes, a big urgent emotional question. And as in the best fiction, tone counts for a lot.
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It is only by going through a volume of work that you will close that gap, and your work will be as good as your ambitions.
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It's hard to make something that's interesting. It's really, really hard. It's like a law of nature, a law of aerodynamics, that anything that's written or anything that's created wants to be mediocre. The natural state of all writing is mediocrity... So what it takes to make anything more than mediocre is such an act of will.
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I wish that someone had said to me that it's normal to feel lost for a little while.
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When I was a bad writer, I would consciously imitate other NPR writers who I thought were wonderful. I suppose that everyone's artistic practice is different. But I collaborate and sometimes don't agree at all with my collaborators' opinions. It forces you to understand why you don't agree with something: what's the fight you're picking.
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