Kevin Kelly Quote on Creating and How To Take Creations from Being “Good” to “Great”

“To make something good, just do it. To make something great, just re-do it, re-do it, re-do it. The secret to making fine things is in remaking them.”

Kevin Kelly, Blog

Beyond the Quote (210/365)

The rough draft is never as good as the final copy. The first rendition is never as smooth as the final production. The initial prototype never functions as well as the end-stage product. In each of these cases, what’s the difference between the former and the latter? The re-doing. Re-doing doesn’t have to mean starting from scratch with each of your creations either—although it could be that. Rather, it’s more of an emphasis on constant and never-ending refinement.

It’s about taking that rough draft and refining the word choice, sentence structure, organization, and captivity. It’s about taking that first rendition and refining the lyrics, tonality, timing, and audio quality. It’s about taking the initial prototype and refining it’s efficiency, design, appeal, and functionality. It’s through that process of constant and relentless improvement that anything initially produced goes from good to great.

Now, assuming that you’ve taken the creative leap of production throughout your life and have started, created, attempted, and/or developed things before, the good news is that you now have a formula for making those initial creations better: keep re-doing. Rather than look at your creative endeavors as something that is made and completed—look at them as things that may take on a life of their own. Look at them like a growing child.

Before a child can take on a life of its own, it needs the constant support and guidance from its parents. Then, when the child reaches a certain level of maturity, it can break away from its parents and live on its own. The same is true for your creative endeavors. Before your creative endeavors can take on a life of their own, they need the constant refinement and guidance from their creators. Then, with enough time, energy, deliberate effort, and maybe a little luck, the creative endeavors can move out from their creator’s basements, too (and take on a life of their own).

What’s worth mentioning here, too, is the difference between creative endeavors and arbitrary endeavors. Creative endeavors are an extension of our humanity. They are creations that come deep from within and are a reflection of who we are in an innate, non-human form. They are the paintings, songs, performances, designs, inventions, innovations, etc., that inspire us and give us life every day.

Arbitrary endeavors, on the other hand, are tasks and jobs that get done for the sake of their completion. They are the types of jobs that require mindless repetition, fool-proof task descriptions, and little to no freedom for deviation or personal touch. This is the type of work that, while may be valuable none-the-less, is lifeless. These endeavors might include factory line work, franchise burger flipping, or arbitrary data collection.

The dream that so many of us have is to bring to the world a creation (or creations) that take on a life of their own that can carry on without us. That’s what building a legacy is all about. Building something that might continue to inspire or help people even after we have finished producing it. Something like those songs you still listen to from over a decade ago. Or those books you still read from an author who has already passed. Or the businesses you still visit from the creator who has moved on to something else. But, how to get there? First, start. Then, refine. Finally, repeat. For how long? Until.

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