"There's a way of playing safe, there's a way of using tricks and there's the way I like to play which is dangerously where you're going to take a chance on making mistakes in order to create something you haven't created before"

Dave Brubeck articulates the tension between safety and innovation in creative endeavors, particularly in music but equally applicable to any form of artistry or even life itself. Playing safe implies sticking to tried-and-true methods, ensuring that errors are minimized and outcomes are predictable. While this path avoids embarrassment or public failure, it often limits growth and stifles originality. Using tricks refers to relying on established techniques or shortcuts, devices that might impress or entertain but are ultimately repetitions of what has worked before. This can lead to technical proficiency, yet may lack genuine risk or depth.

Brubeck expresses a preference for a third way, playing dangerously. This approach means stepping beyond comfort zones, embracing vulnerability, and allowing for the possibility, even the likelihood, of making mistakes. By accepting errors as an inevitable part of the creative process, he opens himself up to musical discoveries and fresh expressions he would not otherwise encounter. This courages approach aligns with the spirit of jazz, where improvisation and surprise are considered not just byproducts but essential components of artistry.

The willingness to accept imperfection for the sake of authenticity and innovation is at the heart of creative progress. It requires confidence in one’s instincts, receptivity to the unknown, and resilience to confront setbacks. The danger is not solely in technical errors, but in exposing parts of oneself untested by public view. However, by persistently choosing this precarious path, Brubeck contends, artists can transcend their former selves and realize artistic achievements unattainable through caution or rote repetition.

Ultimately, the message emphasizes that great art demands bravery, not the absence of fear or error, but the embrace of risk as transformative. By venturing into uncharted territory, mistakes become the signposts of growth, and the art that emerges possesses an originality and vitality impossible to attain by safer, more controlled means.