Ira Glass, the renowned figure in public radio, elucidated a phenomenon most creatives experience but few talk about — the “Taste Gap.” As beginners in creative fields, our taste often exceeds our initial ability. We recognize the brilliance of the works we admire, yet our initial attempts often fall short of our own expectations.

Nobody tells people who are beginners … that for the first couple of years that you’re making stuff, what you’re making isn’t so good. But your taste, the thing that got you into the game, is still killer… And the most important possible thing you can do is do a lot of work… it’s only by actually going through a volume of work that you will… close that gap.

Ira Glass (see this beautiful visual story by Daniel Sax)

My Personal Experience with the “Taste Gap”

When I began my journey writing manuscripts and grants, I vividly recall the “Taste Gap” Glass spoke about. I began my scientific writing journey inspired by the greats in my field. And aimed high to emulate their prowess. But when my initial efforts didn’t mirror those lofty standards, I was often very disappointed. However, I think it’s crucial to understand: this phase is NORMAL✔️. Everyone trudges through it. The key is persistent and deliberate practice. As Glass emphasized, only through consistent work can one’s creations meet one’s ambitions.

Navigating Comparison and Continuous Improvement

“Comparison is the thief of joy”

– Theodore Roosevelt

While it’s natural to measure your work against others, it can sometimes erode your self-worth. Instead, a productive strategy involves comparing your current self to your past iterations. Are you progressing daily? A good way to put this into practice is to use the one percent rule (Atomic Habits, James Clear). i.e. trying to make slow incremental improvements over time. However, it is important not to try to improve too many things at once and just focus on one thing at a time. 

For my manuscript writing, the game-changer was understanding the narrative’s importance – yes, even in scientific writings. Having a storyline and a framework before writing saved me hours of work and led to significant improvements in my writing. Entrepreneur Garry Tan‘s YouTube success exemplifies this principle. He improved one element of his videos at a time, quickly amassing a substantial following. He sequentially worked on putting a thumbnail/title wisely, started every video with a 20-second hook about what the video is about, edited the video concisely, and asked himself if he’d actually watch it. He quickly gained 20,000 subscribers in a week. 

practice drills focusing on one skill at a time

While I have been writing scientific manuscripts for over a decade, I am still constantly working on improving my writing skills. I often pick one skill that I want to improve that week and then work deliberately on that. I have found that focusing on improving too many things at once is usually futile. I call these my “sprints”. For example, one week I would work on my grammar (English is not my primary language, so this is something I’m constantly working on). The next week, I would work on building good arguments. Benjamin Franklin did similar sprints to try and improve his writing. He would write out a newspaper article himself and later compare it with the original to see where his gaps were.

What strategies have you employed to refine your craft? And what specific skill are you focusing on improving this week? 🛠️

Please do share them in the comments below!