Hello, Card Sharps!
Want to do something nobody else has ever done in the history of the universe?
what’s in my soul?
each poem is a cryptic clue
for later readers
Originality is Easy
Do you want to do something nobody else has ever done? Do you want to be the very first person in the history of the universe to do something? Do you want to be original?
Then shuffle a deck of cards.
Originality is easy.
I’m serious—both about shuffling the deck of cards and originality being easy.
There are approximately 8x1067 ways to arrange 52 playing cards. That’s an eight followed by 67 zeroes. It’s a number so large that every time you shuffle a deck of cards, whether you spread them out and mix them up, ruffle seven times them like a seasoned con man, or barely shuffle them competently and forget to cut the deck, you have put those 52 cards into a unique combination.
Nobody, not one soul or robot in the history of people (or robots) and playing cards, has ever arranged the cards quite like that.
This is mind-blowing! So many artists spend their whole lives driving themselves mad to be original, and all they had to do was pick up a deck of playing cards and give it a little shuffle.
Originality is easy.
Originality is not what makes art interesting.
What makes art interesting is resonance. Paintings, poetry, prose, music, and dance captivate us when something about the art speaks to us—when we hear an echo of our soul coming from the artist through their art.
If you think the number of combinations for shuffling a deck of cards is staggering, think about the number of combinations for making humans. Nobody is like you because nobody has your exact combination of DNA, experiences, and gut bacteria1.
You don’t need to try and be original in your art. All you need to do is be yourself. If you put your soul into your art, it will be unique. Where you should put your time is learning. to make your art resonate with people. You need. to learn how to help other people hear and understand your song.
That is why we make art—to be seen and heard. It’s our birdcall letting others of our flock know that we are here.
Originality is easy, but resonance takes practice. You have to put in real work to learn your craft and how to shape a message that others can understand.
This isn’t to say that you should make art for the masses—that’s not resonance. You want your art to speak to your tribe. That requires you to learn about yourself and your people.
Robins aren’t singing for cardinals. The finches are not singing for the blue jays. Your art is your birdsong.
Don’t waste a moment worrying about originality, instead practice singing the song only your flock understands.
Be the weird you want to see in the world!
Cheers,
Jason
P.S. Do you want me to make you a custom haiku comic? I’m currently accepting requests. It’s simple, you email me and tell me what you want the haiku to be about, and I’ll email a custom haiku comic. You can tip anything you feel good about, even $0.
You can see my previous custom haiku and learn more here.
According to recent research, your guy biome influences everything from your emotions to your cognitive ability. See this Harvard Health summary.
Writing to reach readers is that sweet spot between authenticity and resonance, yes?