Collaboration

It takes a group effort to make a great production. No matter how close to perfection you can take your work on your own, the work can be so much better by just adding perspectives of other artists to the work. 


I can guarantee that the work will go at least from 5/10 to 9/10 in audience appeal because the target audience expands when multiple artists are working to make the project so much better. I find that when I'm writing scripts, that I can come up with a good plot and some decent ideas, but I have certain weak points (such as applying effective use of allusion). I usually take a lot of suggestions from others to patch the holes in my work. As an artist, don't allow pride or greed to keep your work from it's greater potential.


Its the same with writing music. You can sit down at a keyboard and compose a catchy tune if you have the talent; you might even be able to create a hit song. However, I can guarantee that in order for the song to have the depth to appeal to everyone for an extended period of time (that means not getting played out after a month on the radio), the song must come from many people's hearts. That really is the difference between a hit and a classic, both get popular, but the best art never gets old because of the amazing depth of it's existence.


Little things like the events that happened in the writer's life that affected the story: the time that a book was released, the direct impact that it had on the world once it got out there, the way it changed lives, changed the media, created memories that will forever be attached to the art. These things usually don't happen when an artist relies on their own  input alone for the outcome of the art. 


Filmmakers know this better than anyone. Have you ever seen a one-man film? You may have enjoyed it, I don't know, but I say it's quite amateur and can't be compared to the greats that make their way to the Academy Awards. The rule is that the more collective heart that goes into making something amazing, the more unique and irreplaceable the work will be. The world will receive the product and when they do, it will be the thing that they never knew they were missing, because they will be represented by one of the many hearts involved in the making.

- The Artist