Ira Glass on Storytelling 3
Why Hacker News recommends it
HN commenters return to it as motivation for creators who feel their work is not good enough yet.
What it is
A five-minute clip of Ira Glass on the gap between good taste and early creative work. He says beginners know their work falls short and must keep producing to close the gap.
Recommended by 7 HN commenters across 7 different months, 2018 to 2026.
What Hacker News said
Strong rec fenwick67 · 2019-12 · on “Hexing the technical interview (2017)”
Ira Glass's take on this is so good and I go back to it often when my creative work is less than satisfactory: [this video] Basically when you work on creative stuff you're drawn to it because you have good taste, but for a long time your work will disappoint you because of your good taste.
Strong rec michael-online · 2024-11 · on “Procrastination and the fear of not being good enough”
The first three minutes of this Ira Glass interview are pure gold, and I listen to them at least once a year to remind myself to keep fighting. [this video]
Recommends wallflower · 2018-01 · on “Ask HN: 2018 resolutions?”
Good luck! We can all do this. Create and create and you will eventually catch up with your taste. I have a personal theory that unhappiness is due to too much consumption, not enough personal creation. Even if it just a sketchnote or a doodle... that is enough. > Nobody tells this to people who are beginners. I wish someone told me. All of us who do creative work, we get into it because we have good taste. But there is this gap. For the first couple years you make stuff, it’s just not that good. It’s trying to be good, it has potential, but it’s not. But your taste, the thing that got you into the game, is still killer. And your taste is why your work disappoints you. A lot of people never
Recommends RickS · 2018-06 · on “Ask HN: How Do I Become as Proficient with Art as I Am with Computing?”
I am on the reverse journey. I went to art school, have been a designer for many years, and write software at a "not very good but I'm working on it" level. How do you learn to self-critique? Honesty, objectivity, and taste. Given your background, taste is the only one I'd worry about, but if you're shooting for photorealism, that's fine. You've got taste about what photos look like. That's easy. I'd bet that, after getting in the game, your goal won't be photorealism at the 5 year mark. But that's for later. Here's Ira Glass, of NPR, with a fairly famous set of remarks about overcoming the period of time when you know what good art looks like, and know that the art you are making is not goo
Recommends spondyl · 2018-12 · on “Ask HN: How do you manage UI/UX for your side projects?”
One thing I always like to go back to is Ira Glass's video on taste: [this video] In a nutshell, that feeling you get where you believe your projects look crap? It's because you're seeing the disconnect between what you can achieve now, and your taste that's informing what "great" is. It's a bit of a double edged sword in that while you'll likely not be truly happy with a project anytime soon, that disconnect means you'll also be able to constantly strive as you recognise supposed flaws in what you've created. In the end, all you can really do is just keep at it and over time, that gap will hopefully close as your skills allow you to create what your taste envisions. That's the dream anyway, haha
Recommends rojoca · 2021-11 · on “Is there such a thing as good taste?”
Ira Glass has a practical take on the idea of exposing good taste (e.g. trying to paint like Bellini): [this video] where he talks about how your good taste informs you that the work you are doing doesn’t yet match your ambition, and that this can be both motivating and discouraging
Recommends SeanAnderson · 2025-07 · on “Being too ambitious is a clever form of self-sabotage”
I find it surprisingly difficult to lower my standards once I feel committed to an idea. I wish this article leaned a little more into ways to address that sort of dilemma. Don't get me wrong, I agree fully with the article. I put it into practice plenty well in many areas of my life. I've made great progress with my diet, self-care, and physical fitness routines by keeping my goals SMART. And yet, a few years ago, I got this idea in my head for a piece of software I wanted to create that is, if not too ambitious, then clearly asking all of me and then some. The opening paragraph of the article really resonated with me -- "The artwork that will finally make the invisible visible." And so, I'
Cites FrojoS · 2024-05 · on “Half-Ass It”
There is a simple test. Look at the result. Imagine someone else produced it. Would you think "This is very well done."? If not, it's "mediocre" at best. Reminds me of Ira Glass: “All of us who do creative work, we get into it because we have good taste. But there is this gap. For the first couple years you make stuff, it’s just not that good. It’s trying to be good, it has potential, but it’s not. But your taste, the thing that got you into the game, is still killer. And your taste is why your work disappoints you.” source: [this video]