When a giant figure like Steve Jobs dies, everyone feels a need to comment. Of course, writing or commenting often helps us process our grief and shock in sad moments like these. But, sifting through the volume of comments and articles can be overwhelming.
I don’t have anything new to say about Steve Jobs’ death of legacy, however I think I found just the right article for artists, composers and any entrepreneur. It is by David Cutler, author of The Savvy Musician. You can read his article here: What Artists Can Learn from Steve Jobs, but I wanted to just highlight a few of the lessons David so aptly summarizes:
#2: To create the future, you can’t do it through focus groups – When most businesses envision new products, they interview consumers to see what these folks want. But not Steve Jobs. He relied on his own inner compass. The masses were unlikely to imagine the phone or music playing device of the future. But he could.
Most artists also have a focus group, whether they realize it or not. It’s made up of teachers, colleagues, family members, and friends, who all have their own ideas about how life should look, what career you should have, and which art you should create. But what if they’re wrong? Innovators find their own way. Following conventional wisdom is rarely the best solution.
This next one is true of life in general:
#4. You can’t connect the dots forward – only backward – Also from the Stanford speech. His point here is that things don’t always make sense in the moment (a terrible car accident, getting fired, etc.). In the future, you’ll be able to see how these important events helped shape you, but not always in the moment.
There are 10 total quotes from Steve Jobs which David then relates to musicians. It’s well worth reading and pondering.
