'I will devote my life to beating my head against that wall.”

Photo by sprklg via CC

Mason Currey appreciates a definition of an artist's work that John Cage shared during a 1958 lecture. Cage recounted his time studying with Arnold Schoenberg, who told him: “To write music, you must have a feeling for harmony.” Cage admitted he had none. Schoenberg warned he’d face an insurmountable obstacle. Cage responded, “Then I will devote my life to beating my head against that wall.”

That, Currey says, is the essence of being an artist—working at the edge of your abilities, never fully mastering your craft, but persisting anyway. Some days bring joy, others frustration, but the work continues. As Cage put it, “Maybe not the best, but everything works out to something.”

ARTICLE:What Artists Really Do

'I will devote my life to beating my head against that wall.”

We don’t spend much time imagining all the possibilities the future holds.

The challenge before us is learning to see ourselves, our communities, and the living world not as separate parts, but as participants in a larger web of relationships.

If we only see ourselves as we are now, we miss our ability to imagine, grow, and choose new paths.

What people think they can do together can shape outcomes as much as any policy or formal plan.