Great content is often fascinating because it seems effortless. It appears to be the collective effect of inspiration, genius, and eureka moments.
There’s an old Italian word for this, sprezzatura, which blogger and marketer extraordinaire Seth Godin describes as, “a combination of elan and grace and class.”
It is addictive, in part, because it seems to be the embodiment of natural talent, of a god-given ability, the confluence of some supernatural forces acting together to create a precious gift we must cherish and share all over the web.
Well, most of us have to struggle.
As Hemingway famously said, “The first draft of anything is shit.” He probably knew what he was talking about since he famously rewrote the ending to A Farewell to Arms some 47 times.
This means that, yes, there’s actually a lot of work and a lot of effort that goes on behind closed doors in order to make something seem effortless, and while sprezzatura might be just another magic illusion that both fascinates and terrifies us, it’s well worth trying to see the hidden contraptions that make this trick so powerful.
