Creative act Quote by Clay Shirky

““The stupidest possible creative act is still a creative act.””

Clay Shirky

About This Quote

Source Book: Here Comes Everybody, 2008

Even a flawed creative effort contributes to cultural dialogue.

In simple terms: All creative acts matter, even bad ones.

Key Takeaway

Create, regardless of perfection.

Themes

creativity expression culture

Mood

reflective encouraging

Type

philosophical inspirational

When to use this quote

writing
design
music
social media content

Key Concepts

innovation artistic risk

Questions to Reflect On

What value does a “bad” creation hold?
How can you improve while staying creative?

A Different Perspective

Poor quality can dilute overall message.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★ 2.9 out of 5 (3 ratings)

More by Clay Shirky

“[N]ew technology enables new kinds of group-forming.”

Clay Shirky

Image

To have a discussion about the plusses and minuses of various forms of group action, though, is going to require discussing the current tools…

Clay Shirky

Image

“Mass amateurization of publishing makes mass amateurization of filtering a forced move.”

Clay Shirky

Image

“Information sharing produces shared awareness among the participants, and collaborative production relies on shared creation, but collective action creates shared responsibility, by tying the…

Clay Shirky

Image

More interesting than thinking about what's possible in 10 years is thinking what's possible now but that no one has built.

Clay Shirky

Image

“Digital networks are increasing the fluidity of all media. The old choice between one-way public media (like books and movies) and two-way private media…

Clay Shirky

Image

Even with the sacred printing press, we got erotic novels 150 years before we got scientific journals.

Clay Shirky

Image

Tools get socially interesting after they're no longer technologically interesting.

Clay Shirky

Image

Carpooling is important for urban density, air pollution and other reasons, but carpooling is not the kind of thing that actually changes the energy…

Clay Shirky

Image

If what you're doing is valuable for people, they will find a way to pay you to keep doing it.

Clay Shirky

Image

Multi-taskers often think they are like gym rats, bulking up their ability to juggle tasks, when in fact they are like alcoholics, degrading their…

Clay Shirky

Image

Civic participants don't aim to make life better merely for members of the group. They want to improve even the lives of people who…

Clay Shirky

Image

Explore all 132 Clay Shirky quotes

More Creative act quotes

“As you will see, we do not believe that artists have an obligation to strike up attitudes to the war. Indeed, they are wise…

Ian McEwan

Image

Half of the pleasure of painting and feeling the joy of the creative act is sharing it with others and the feeling of connection.…

Sara Genn

Image

Every culture, if its natural development is not too much affected by political restrictions, experiences a perpetual renewal of the formative urge, and out…

Rudolf Rocker

Image

In my own case, I'm an artist, and I'm really interested in expanding the vocabulary of human action, and basically empowering people through interactivity.…

Golan Levin

Image

“My robust lexicon notwithstanding, I struggle to find the right words to describe just how much I despise, hate, abhor, revile, detest and categorically…

Rachel Held Evans

Image

The creative act is not performed by the artist alone; the spectator brings the work in contact with the external world by deciphering and…

Marcel Duchamp

Image

“You did not do my homework assignment for me,” he said, grabbing the collage again and looking it over. “I had insomnia,” I said.…

Ree Drummond

Image

“But in a few years more perhaps there may be; for, deep within us as the ghost instinct lurks, I seem to see it…

Edith Wharton

Image

Creativity is not a solitary movement. That is its power. Whatever is touched by it, whoever hears it, sees it, senses it, knows it,…

Clarissa Pinkola Estes

Image

Perhaps the meaning of all human activity lies in the artistic consciousness, in the pointless and selfless creative act? Perhaps our capacity to create…

Andrei Tarkovsky