We are increasingly likely to find ourselves in places with background music. No composers have thought to write for these modern spaces, which represent 30% of our musical experience.
Brian EnoRead
I'm fascinated by musicians who don't completely understand their territory; that's when you do your best work.
Interpretation
What this quote means
The quote highlights the idea that creativity flourishes when one steps outside their comfort zone and embraces uncertainty.
Brian Eno's quote reflects the notion that musicians and artists often achieve their most innovative and impactful work when they are not fully confined by the boundaries of their expertise. It suggests that venturing into unknown territories, with a sense of wonder and exploration, can lead to unexpected and profound artistic expression. This sense of curiosity and the willingness to experiment can yield authentic and original creations that resonate deeply with audiences.
Themes
CreativityArtExplorationInnovationMusic
In practice
Example use cases
During a talk on artistic inspiration, you could use this quote to encourage aspiring musicians.
More from Brian Eno
All quotes βI think that technology is always invented for historical reasons, to solve a historical problem. But they very soon reveal themselves to be capable of doing things that aren't historical that nobody had ever thought of doing before.
Brian EnoRead
When I first started making ambient music, I was setting up systems using synthesizers that generated pulses more or less randomly. The end result is a kind of music that continuously changes. Of course, until computers came along, all I could actually present of that work was a piece of its output.
Brian EnoRead
People do dismiss ambient music, don't they? They call it 'easy listening,' as if to suggest that it should be hard to listen to.
Brian EnoRead
In the future, you won't buy artists' works; you'll buy software that makes original pieces of 'their' works, or that recreates their way of looking at things. You could buy a Shostakovich box, or you could buy a Brahms box. You might want some Shostakovich slow-movement-like music to be generated. So then you use that box.
Brian EnoRead
Ambient music must be as ignorable as it is interesting.
Brian EnoRead
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What concerns me when I work, is not whether the picture is a landscape, or whether it's pastoral, or whether somebody will see a sunset in it. What concerns me is - did I make a beautiful picture?
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