The power of simplicity: Why the roughest art and simplest truths hit the hardest
I’ve walked through countless museums in my life, and it never fails to amaze me: the roughest art is often the most profound.
And the simplest art? The most accomplished.
At a poetry event in Berkeley years ago, I heard poetry written by homeless women. Their words carried a raw, unfiltered depth, far more captivating than anything polished by English lit grads.
And I’ll never forget my first encounter with the quilts of Gee’s Bend. Made by poor, uneducated women in the South, they’ve been described as some of the best examples of modern art.
I think about a friend’s husband who once criticized Garrison Keillor’s “terrible” voice and questioned how he could dare sing on Prairie Home Companion.
It hurt my heart to hear him dismissed so easily.
It reminds me of Yo-Yo Ma speaking about playing just a single note—with great feeling. Or Dubuffet’s belief that simplicity is the measure of great art.
Even Einstein said, “When the solution is simple, God is answering.”
Simplicity moves us. We’re not stuck in our heads, untangling layers of complexity—we’re just present, connected, and alive. Simplicity allows us to feel.
#simplicity #art #creativitymatters
