Children must receive music instruction as naturally as food, with as much pleasure as they derive from a ball game, and this must happen from the beginning of their lives.
Leonard BernsteinRead
We have to allow ourselves the freedom to make mistakes, including cultural mistakes, in our first drafts. I believe it's okay to get cultural details wrong in your first draft. It's okay if stereotypes emerge. It just means that your experience is limited, that you're human.
Interpretation
What this quote means
Mistakes are a natural part of the creative process and should be accepted as learning opportunities.
In this quote, Gene Luen Yang emphasizes that in the journey of creativity, particularly when drafting stories or works that involve cultural representation, it is important to embrace the possibility of making mistakes. He argues that getting certain cultural details wrong, especially in early drafts, is a reflection of our human limitations and experiences, and rather than viewing those missteps negatively, writers should see them as opportunities for growth and understanding.
Themes
MistakesCreativityCultureDraftsLearning
In practice
Example use cases
During a writing workshop, a facilitator can use this quote to encourage participants to embrace their early drafts.
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