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Create, and be true to yourself, and depend only on your own good taste.
Duke Ellington
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Interpretation

What this quote means

Be authentic and trust your own creative instincts.

Duke Ellington emphasizes the importance of self-expression and authenticity in the creative process. He suggests that artists should remain true to their own visions and rely on their personal tastes rather than conforming to external expectations or trends.

Themes

CreativityAuthenticitySelf-ExpressionGood TasteIndividuality

In practice

Example use cases

In an art class, to inspire students to find their own style.

More from Duke Ellington

I merely took the energy it takes to pout and wrote some blues.
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Tomorrow is in the wings waiting for you to sound her entrance fanfare.
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There is no art without intention.
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There is nothing to keeping a band together. You simply have to have a gimmick, and the gimmick I use is to pay them money!
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Gray skies are just clouds passing over.
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Playing 'bop' is like playing Scrabble with all the vowels missing.
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