Out of my entire annual output of songs, perhaps two, or at the most three, came as a result of inspiration. We can never rely on inspiration. When we most want it, it does not come.
Interpretation
Inspiration is rare and unreliable in the creative process.
In this quote, George Gershwin reflects on the nature of creativity and the common misconception that artistic inspiration is always readily available. He emphasizes that, despite the romantic notion of waiting for inspiration to strike, most of his work is produced through effort and dedication, underscoring the importance of consistent hard work in the arts.
In practice
This quote could be used in a workshop on creative writing to encourage participants to focus on discipline over inspiration.
The composer does not sit around and wait for an inspiration to walk up and introduce itself...Making music is actually little else than a matter of invention aided and abetted by emotion. In composing we combine what we know of music with what we feel.
I want to say at once that I frankly believe that Irving Berlin is the greatest songwriter that has ever lived.... His songs are exquisite cameos of perfection, and each one of them is as beautiful as its neighbor. Irving Berlin remains, I think, America's Schubert.
Originality is the only thing that counts. But the originator uses material and ideas that occur round him and pass through him. And out of his experience comes the original creation.
Summertime And the living is easy Fish are jumpin' And the cotton is high Oh, your daddy's rich And your mama's good lookin' So hush little baby now don't you cry One of these mornin's You're gonna rise up singin' Then you'll spread your wings And take to the sky But til that mornin' Ain't nothin' can harm you With your daddy And your mammy standin' by.
For suddenly, I saw you there And through foggy London town The sun was shining everywhere.
Music sets up certain vibration which unquestionably results in a physical reaction. Eventually the proper vibration for every person will be found and utilized.
A concert is not a live rendition of our album. It's a theatrical event.
The sheer ease with which we can produce a superficial image often leads to creative disaster.
I believe that basically you write for two people; yourself to try to make it absolutely perfect; or if not that then wonderful. Then you write for who you love whether she can read or write or not and whether she is alive or dead.
All art should have a certain mystery and should make demands on the spectator. Giving a sculpture or a drawing too explicit a title takes away part of that mystery so that the spectator moves on to the next object, making no effort to ponder the meaning of what he has just seen. Everyone thinks that he or she looks but they don't really, you know.
In the end, fiction is the craft of telling truth through lies.
Listen to them, the children of the night. What music they make!
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