Hey SCG,
today I would like to share with you few thoughts, which were zig zagging in my mind today evening, when I was reflecting on a wonderful day filled with shipping at the bank of the river. I sat there for over an hour, just sitting, doing nothing, just sitting and breathing. What I have noticed is that people who were sitting around me did not last sitting idle for long. Few minutes and they were gone, back to their busy lives. Then it hit me. “Talk Is Short. Art Is Long.” Let me elaborate.
Talk Is Short
Everyone can say within a blink of an eye -> I can sit. I can blog. I can do presentation in powerpoint. I can swim. I can…I can…-> Talk is short and easy.
But is it really what it takes? Just to claim it in words. Or are the real artists taking very very long time to master their art before to speak about it? (some of them never do, they let their work to talk for them)
Art Is Long
So, next time when you will state that sitting is easy, sit without a movement for an hour.
When you will boldly say, that it is not a big deal to write a blog posts sit on your butt and write posts for couple of months.
When you will be yapping about what a piece of pie is to compose a powerpoint presentation, please paint few slide-decks on your own and design them professionally.
When you will say that you are a swimmer, put your swimsuit on and jump into the lake to have 5 km swim.
Shut Up and Start Shipping. Now!
Leave out the talking part, which migth impress someone in a short-run and focus on shipping your art. It is certainly a very long process. Get ready for long giving period, before you will reach taking part. But, believe me this is the best bet you can do. World needs doers and artists badly. Go! We are waiting for you.
Remember -> talk is short, art is long. So, see you in few years.
To conlude this shipment with, let me quote SCG-er Seth Godin from his today’s post ->
Real achievement comes from racing ahead when no one else sees a path.
***
SCG,
can you differentiate artist from talker? What strategies do you use to identify art? Did you expreience on your own how hard is to ship something, even tough you have thought it must be easy? What was it? How did you change after finding out, that ‘easy’ things are tough or vice versa -> that difficult things you were afraid of are not that bad at all?
Over to your heads, artists!
Keep on racing.
i.
Inspiring Shipments (#IS) by Ivana Sendecka 
Nice short motivating post. Reading “talk is short, art is long. So, see you in few years” reminds me one of yesterday’s calls: art is like a baby. To be able to deliver shipment of great art, you have to go for a maternity leave. You take couple of years off, receive almost no money, you have headaches, you do not sleep, you are happy playing with it, you smile when you hear first words, see first steps… If you expect your baby to love you and bring you joy later, do not leave it to the wild, in its very first years. It is not easy.
Oh, and “Talking”? It is just wanting, not caring.
Aw, thank you for your first comment on #IS Stiivi -> welcome to SCG aka Super Cool Gang!;-)
What a wonderful comparison of maternity leave with building one’s art/business/credibility. Well said!
I am happy to see you shipping and walking your talk! 😉
Short, Simple, Beautiful – THX Iva-san!
“talk is short” reminds me the saying “paper endures all” – ART is simply not for everyone 😉
Thank you Dodo san! -> yes, art is not for everyone. #IS is not for everyone. SCG is not for everyone. NGLS is not for everyone, but that is how it is -> artists are special breed;-)
I am proud you are one of them!
i.