Punch line

The reason the Beatles last line of “The End” from the Abbey Road album hits so hard is the set up. By itself, it’s a kitschy quote your grandma might hang in the kitchen. In the context of the masterpiece that is the Abbey Road Album, it might bring you to tears.

I tried to quote just the most salient part of a Seth Godin blog. The blog was super powerful, but the most powerful line barely makes any impression at all without the context of the blog.

I re-read a book I thought was super important  when I was 19. It was still great, but had lost a lot of the power to move me. I was surprised to realize the reason the book hit so hard for me, was because of what was going on in my life at the time to set up the book. Still a great book, just not as life altering because my life wasn’t needed to be altered anymore in that way.

If you’re an artist, your work is mostly setup and punchline on repeat. Recognizing that makes art better.

If you enjoy art, part of making it hit is setting yourself up before you experience it. If you’re open, present, and ready to grow, the punchline hits harder. Also, if a piece of art doesn’t connect with you, it might be you just don’t need it to connect right now and it’s not bad art.

The punchline is great. But the setup is what makes it punch.