Crafting advice from Thelonius Monk

Ok, not really–he’s actually giving advice to saxophonist Steve Lacy, but I thought there were some wonderful insights about the creative process and collaboration that applied to crafting and all art, not just music … I love his line “Don’t play everything (or every time); let some thing just go by. Some music just imagined.” He’s even got business advice: “Don’t sound anybody for a gig, just be on the scene.” (I don’t know if I agree with him entirely there, but he’s right about getting yourself out there and making as many contacts as possible.) Perhaps best of all: “Whatever you think can’t be done, someone will come along and do it. A genius is the one most like himself“. (Or herself, of course.) For more of his notes, mosey on over to Swiss Miss, where I saw it in the first place.