It isn't till now, in the American Century, as we have recklessly dubbed it, that tribal pressures toward conformity have been brought to bear so ruthlessly upon men and women seeking to work creatively.
Interpretation
This quote highlights the societal pressure to conform that can stifle individual creativity.
Nelson Algren's quote reflects on the challenges faced by creative individuals in a society that often values conformity over originality. He suggests that in the so-called 'American Century,' the pressures to conform have intensified, making it increasingly difficult for artists and thinkers to express their true selves and innovate. This commentary serves as a reminder of the importance of maintaining individuality and creativity in the face of societal expectations.
In practice
This quote can be shared during an art exhibition opening to emphasize the importance of creative freedom.
The Impossible Generalized Man today is the critic who believes in loving those unworthy of love as well as those worthy -yet believes this only insofar as no personal risk is entailed. Meaning he loves no one, worthy or no. This is what makes him impossible.
I've always felt strongly that a writer shouldn't be engaged with other writers, or with people who make books, or even with people who read them. I think the farther away you get from the literary traffic, the closer you are to sources. I mean, a writer doesn't really live; he observes.
Yet once you've come to be part of this particular patch, you'll never love another. Like loving a woman with a broken nose, you may well find lovelier lovelies. But never a lovely so real.
... Chicago divided your heart. Leaving you loving the joint for keeps. Yet knowing it never can love you.
For the masses who do the city's labor also keep the city's heart.
...he said, with sort of a little derisive smile, "How can you walk down the street with all this stuff going on inside you?" I said, "I don't know how you can walk down the street with nothing going on inside you.
Coming up with ideas is the easiest thing on earth. Putting them down is the hardest.
The creative process requires more than reason. Most original thinking isn't even verbal. It requires 'a groping experimentation with ideas, governed by intuitive hunches and inspired by the unconscious.' The majority of business men are incapable of original thinking because they are unable to escape from the tyranny of reason. Their imaginations are blocked.
When the external factors over which one has no control in a way start to become negative, it starts to affect our creative juices.
Sometimes ideas are coming so fast that I have to stop doing one song to get another. But I don't forget the first one. If it works, it will always be there. It's like the truth: it will find you and lift you up. And if it ain't right, it will dissolve like sand on the beach.
(Talking about his first computer) Like all kids we not only fooled around with our toys, we changed them. If you've ever watched a child with a cardboard carton and a box of crayons create a spaceship with cool control panels, or listened to their improvised rules, such as "Red cars can jump all others," then you know that this impulse to make a toy do more is at the heart of innovative childhood play. It is also the essence of creativity.
The simple process of focusing on things that are normally taken for granted is a powerful source of creativity.
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