Radical asymmetry

There is a radical asymmetry between the ability to recognize good art and the ability to create it. Everybody knows when they have heard a great song, seen a wonderful movie, or watched a play that has moved them.

But they usually can’t tell you just what it was about the song, the movie or the play that made it so good. They know the difference between something good and something bad, but they don’t know what has caused that difference. For example, the typical person knows when a movie has been beautifully shot and edited, but if you were to hand them a camera, they wouldn’t know how to set up a sequence of shots.

For some reason this bothers me. Maybe it shouldn’t, but it does.

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