The Art of Infecting Others With Your Idea

Leo Tolstoy was a great Russian novelist and essayist and philosopher and crazy person, as well as an idea entrepreneur in his own way. 

He wrote a book called What is Art? He writes about what is the purpose of the artist and how does the artist communicate with the audience.  And he’s talking about writing – for the most part he was a writer – but he’s really talking about any kind of artist.  So I broaden that out to include any idea entrepreneur.  

Tolstoy says:  “Art is a human activity consisting in this that one man, woman, consciously, by means of certain external signs, hand on to others feelings he has lived through and that other people are infected by those feelings and also experience them.” 

So the “infecting” is really interesting.  You’re taking it in and you’re also experiencing them when you hear the words or see the PowerPoint or watch the video.  

60 Second Reads is recorded in Big Think’s studio.

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