korrents

korrents · piece

The Natural-Born Artist.

George Saunders · 9 Jul 2026 · georgesaunders.substack.com ↗

4 korrents from this piece

George Saunders did not write this page.

Every claim below was made in this piece, quoted word for word and numbered in the order the piece makes them, so you can read it there rather than take our word for it. The sentence above each quote is our reading of the claim, not their wording. Each quote was checked against a stored copy of the page at build time; where the two differ, the quote is the fact.

  1. Our reading

    There is no separate class of natural-born artists: the artistic impulse is ordinary curiosity about life turned into a wish to make someone else feel something.

    Their wordsI think of it like this: any person has an innate curiosity about life, and an energy toward it, that may manifest itself in all kinds of ways throughout the course of their life.
    Interesting

  2. Our reading

    Insisting on knowing whether you have talent, or started too late, closes doors that staying uncertain would have left open.

    Their wordsThe more we know – the more we insist on being sure – the more doors we close.
    Interesting

  3. Our reading

    Years of apparent failure and waiting can be the artistic work itself rather than evidence of a missing gift.

    Their wordsSomeone might have to live a long time before the thing they were born to say becomes fully formed and accessible to them.
    Interesting

  4. Our reading

    The self-critical half of a maker's mind should be coached to be kind, because a gentler internal auditor produces bolder work.

    Their wordsA kinder assistant makes for a more daring detective.
    Interesting