How Being Vague Can Make Your Creative Work More Powerful - For The Interested

How Being Vague Can Make Your Creative Work More Powerful

“When you eliminate a person’s need to infer — when you explain things — you take the mystery out. By doing this, the person experiencing the art uses their mind less; they no longer imagine, no longer question, no longer contemplate. This limits their overall emotional connection.”

Would Bob Dylan be as respected a lyricist if he explained the meaning of his lyrics to everybody? Probably not.

Paul Cantor uses that as an example of how being vague can increase the power of your creative work and suggests creators show the audience just enough to allow them to complete the puzzle without making it too easy on them.