Different lessons from Mozart

 

Geoff Engelstein brought up Amadeus while writing about “the question almost all of us have to wrestle with - what do you do when you realize that you’re very good but not great?”

I… don’t find that question very relatable? (Let’s meet back here later to discuss what it's like to realize that you're very good.)

Amadeus lives in my head for a different reason: it shows that most of us have to make an effort.

In the movie, Salieri is stunned that Mozart’s music needed no editing, revision, or correction. Who actually works like that? A freakishly talented, once-in-a-lifetime genius, that’s who.

The rest of us need to struggle through multiple drafts and revisions while strengthening what works and discarding what doesn’t.

It’s the Ira Glass quote about closing the gap between the works you’d want to create and the works you create when you’re just starting out. You need a lot of practice to develop your skills, and that means being kind to yourself when your early practice falls short. 

Look away from the remarkable brilliance of the person working without rough drafts to recognize that everybody else is experiencing similar struggles to improve. That's why the genius is notable! What made you think you'd be an exception? 

And on the topic of getting a lot of practice, Blaugust is coming up. I wasn’t successful at writing a post every day during the month of August in 2023, but I have published a post every month for the past year, and that’s better than nothing.