Quality Is the Destination, Quantity Is the Path, and Photos Are the Unexpected Proof
How a photography professor forever changed my approach to writing.
Jerry Uelsmann. Remember this name, so that you can thank him later.
As a photography professor at the University of Florida, Jerry divided his class into two groups: the “quantity” group and the “quality” group.
For the quantity group, the more photos they delivered, the higher their grade would be. As simple as that.
On the other hand, students in the quality group only had to submit one photo, and their grade would depend on the quality of that single photo.
Now, guess where the best photos came from? Surprisingly, they came from the quantity group.
The explanation? Simple: while the students from the quality group were theorizing about the perfect photo, those from the quantity group were honing their skills through experimentation.
Stop speculating about the perfect article. Take action. Experiment.
Write about how your dog ruined your weekend barbecue but how you still love him, write about the mysteries of consciousness, and write about how to lose weight by eating only pizza.
Write in a formal tone, then in an informal one. Write fiction and non-fiction. Write long pieces and then short ones.
Accept quantity as the path to quality.
Or should I just say “Take more photos”?
