In his book The Icarus Deception, Seth Godin says that art– to really qualify as art– has to be transformative, generous, and involve risk.
He goes on to say that an artist is “someone who does something human, something that touches another.”
I really like that definition. It’s an important reminder: we’re all artists whenever we try to make a difference, act generously, and are willing to take a risk.
The above ideas are expressed in a short passage in the book. I decided to turn it into an infographic of sorts, using emoji.
I thought Mr. Godin deserved his own emoji, so I doctored one up and added a pair of clip-art glasses.
Re the title, The Icarus Deception: in Greek mythology, Icarus flies too close to the sun with wings made of feathers and wax. The sun melts the wax, and he falls into the sea and drowns.
The “lesson” we learn from this is usually: Pride goeth before a fall, and/or don’t get above yourself, play it safe, too much ambition leads to ruin, etc.