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What Tony Bennett Taught Me About Making Excellent Art · The Daily Writer

• 0:18
  SPEAKER_00: Welcome everybody to the Born to Create Podcast.
• 0:21
  SPEAKER_00: My name is Kent Sanders, and I'm your host.
• 0:23
  SPEAKER_00: I'm an author, musician, and teacher.
• 0:26
  SPEAKER_00: But most importantly, I'm a husband and a dad.
• 0:28
  SPEAKER_00: Here on the show, we talk about practices, habits, and strategies that help us live out our creative calling.
• 0:35
  SPEAKER_00: This is episode six, and the topic of today's show is what Tony Bennett taught me about making excellent art.
• 0:42
  SPEAKER_00: You can find the post that accompanies this episode, as well as all the links, at KentSanders.net slash Tony Bennett.
• 0:51
  SPEAKER_00: And that's Tony dash Bennett 2Ns2Ts.
• 0:56
  SPEAKER_00: Every artist wants to make excellent art.
• 0:58
  SPEAKER_00: Nobody ever sets out on the creative journey and says, I only want to be known for making mediocre art.
• 1:04
  SPEAKER_00: We all want to create art that makes a difference.
• 1:08
  SPEAKER_00: But in the stress and the hectic pace of life, sometimes it's tempting to just cut corners to get something out there.
• 1:14
  SPEAKER_00: It doesn't matter whether you're a writer, musician, designer, speaker, or some other kind of artist.
• 1:21
  SPEAKER_00: We all feel the pull of the quick win and sometimes just want to quickly get the job done.
• 1:27
  SPEAKER_00: I've recently been reading a really great book called Life is a Gift, The Zen of Bennett by Tony Bennett himself.
• 1:34
  SPEAKER_00: This is one of the best books that I've read in a few years, and it seemed to miraculously come into my life at just the right time, as great books often do.
• 1:43
  SPEAKER_00: Even though I'm only partway through it, it's really renewed my commitment to creating excellent art.
• 1:49
  SPEAKER_00: Now I don't know Tony Bennett personally, but he's been teaching me through his writing and his music for a long time.
• 1:54
  SPEAKER_00: Here are a few great quotes from the book Life is a Gift, and I'll start with my favorite one.
• 1:59
  SPEAKER_00: He says From a young age I was taught never to compromise.
• 2:04
  SPEAKER_00: My parents and teachers showed me that you should make every move with care and put the accent on quality.
• 2:10
  SPEAKER_00: If you apply this philosophy, you will never go wrong.
• 2:14
  SPEAKER_00: And I have found that, in particular for a performer, the public will pick up on that attitude and will reward you by giving back what you give to them.
• 2:23
  SPEAKER_00: I never sing a cheap song.
• 2:25
  SPEAKER_00: I never look down at the audience and think that they are ignorant or think that I'm more intelligent than they are.
• 2:31
  SPEAKER_00: To think otherwise is totally incorrect and runs contrary to everything I was raised to believe.
• 2:37
  SPEAKER_00: In another quote, Tony talks about creating art that endures.
• 2:41
  SPEAKER_00: He says there should be a law against planned obsolescence, and everyone should follow this lead.
• 2:48
  SPEAKER_00: In other words, an artist or company or an individual should not put out a work of art or a song or any product that knows he won't endure.
• 2:57
  SPEAKER_00: And in a third quote that I want to share, Tony reflects on his conflicts with two of his bosses at Columbia Records.
• 3:04
  SPEAKER_00: They pushed him to make music that was more commercial.
• 3:07
  SPEAKER_00: He says By booking the advice of Mitch Miller and Clive Davis and sticking with the good songs, I've been able to have top selling records with every generation from the fifties until now.
• 3:18
  SPEAKER_00: I've been privileged not only to contribute many hit songs to the American Songbook, but to have a catalog that I can be proud of.
• 3:26
  SPEAKER_00: There isn't one record from nineteen fifty until now that is dated.
• 3:30
  SPEAKER_00: They're all done with the best composers, great musicians, and top engineers, and there isn't one I'm embarrassed by.
• 3:37
  SPEAKER_00: Well these insights are just from the first few pages of the book, Life is a gift, the Zen of Bennett.
• 3:42
  SPEAKER_00: The book is brimming with gems and inspiration from this legendary singer.
• 3:46
  SPEAKER_00: There's a lot to chew on in just these few quotes.
• 3:49
  SPEAKER_00: But here's a few takeaways for every artist.
• 3:51
  SPEAKER_00: Number one, your audience will reward you for quality.
• 3:55
  SPEAKER_00: It may not happen overnight, but over time and with the body of work, you'll be known for creating quality work.
• 4:01
  SPEAKER_00: Number two, it's not about one work of art, it's about your entire body of work.
• 4:06
  SPEAKER_00: I think it's really easy to get stressed over the poor performance of one blog post, one song, or something else that's a smaller unit of work.
• 4:14
  SPEAKER_00: But if you commit to doing your best every single time, over time you'll build a legacy of excellence.
• 4:24
  SPEAKER_00: So many artists are condescending to their fans as if they owe the artist something.
• 4:29
  SPEAKER_00: But it's really the other way around.
• 4:31
  SPEAKER_00: We owe our audiences something.
• 4:33
  SPEAKER_00: We should be grateful for any attention that they give to us.
• 4:36
  SPEAKER_00: We're there to serve, whether that's by educating them, entertaining them, or inspiring them.
• 4:42
  SPEAKER_00: four, does your art pass the quote unquote grandchildren test?
• 4:47
  SPEAKER_00: Tony's longevity as an artist made me think of my future grandchildren.
• 4:51
  SPEAKER_00: What will they think about my writing and my art?
• 4:54
  SPEAKER_00: Will they be embarrassed by my body of work or proud of it?
• 4:58
  SPEAKER_00: This kind of puts a new perspective on everything that I do.
• 5:01
  SPEAKER_00: As I mentioned, this is one of my favorite books from the last few years.
• 5:05
  SPEAKER_00: I'm certain it'll help you renew your own commitment to excellence and quality just as it has mine.
• 5:11
  SPEAKER_00: If you have a Netflix subscription, be sure to watch the companion documentary called The Zen of Bennett.
• 5:16
  SPEAKER_00: It's really, really fantastic.
• 5:18
  SPEAKER_00: I love seeing Tony Bennett record with John Mayer, Lady Gaga, Willie Nelson, Amy Weinhouse, Michael Bublet, and so many others.
• 5:27
  SPEAKER_00: Anybody who loves music and the creative process will really enjoy this documentary.
• 5:32
  SPEAKER_00: So how does Tony Bennett inspire you?
• 5:35
  SPEAKER_00: I'd love to hear your thoughts.
• 5:37
  SPEAKER_00: You can join the conversation and find the post and the links that accompany this episode at KentSanders.net slash Tony Bennett.
• 5:45
  SPEAKER_00: And that's Tony Dash Bennett.
• 5:48
  SPEAKER_00: When you visit my site, you'll find all kinds of great resources to inspire your creativity.
• 5:53
  SPEAKER_00: I'd also love to share a gift with you when you subscribe to my newsletter.
• 5:57
  SPEAKER_00: You can check it out as well as learn more about my books, writing, and services at KentSanders.net.
• 6:03
  SPEAKER_00: I'd love to connect and you can send me a tweet at Kent Sanders, and you can find me on Facebook and Instagram at simply Kent Sanders.
• 6:11
  SPEAKER_00: I hope that you also join our born to create Facebook group by visiting KentSanders.net slash Facebook group.
• 6:19
  SPEAKER_00: Until next time, remember that you were born to create and designed to make a difference.
• 6:24
  SPEAKER_00: What will you do with the time you have left?