I had a really hard time getting through this section of the book. Why did Seth Godin even include this section? All it did was rehash the same principles endorsed in the first four chapters of the book over and over again. By the end of the fourth chapter, Godin has made his point. We get it. And now in the fifth chapter he's just throwing more insincere self-motivational phrases and anecdotes at his readers. Even if I liked this book, I would probably be sick of it by now. The whole book is disorganized, but especially Part 5. It seems that Godin just doesn't quite know what he wants to say. He moves from topic to topic quickly enough to give himself plenty of room for b.s., and in the process he waters down every point that he tries to make. Part 5 is particularly lacking in flow, depth, and meaning because it is basically all recapitulation. Its subsections are so brief and randomly assorted, I felt like I was flipping through a quote-a-day calendar, not reading a book. Parts 1 through 4 had their problems, but Part 5 of The Icarus Deception is simply not enjoyable to read.
Now that I have sufficiently criticized the structure of Part 5, let's discuss the content, shall we? I think that, with this book, Godin is essentially trying to stir up passion in his readers, passion that will inspire them to view themselves as artists and "fly closer to the sun." In doing so, he is choosing to ignore some important elements of artistry:
1. Passion takes time to develop, much longer than the time it takes to read The Icarus Deception.
2. Skill takes time to develop.
3. Skill is actually necessary.
Yeah. Sure, everyone is an artist and everyone can do whatever they want because Seth Godin says so, but every artist has a craft, and every craft has a skill set with which it is associated, and the development of skills requires patience, dedication, energy, and (dare I say) just a dash of talent. By focusing solely on motivating readers to soar, he is encouraging people to take unnecessary risks. Not everyone who makes art is totally confident in the things they're creating, nor should they be, because if they're still figuring out who they are, then their art can't possibly really be a reflection of themselves yet. In order to really soar (by taking a worthwhile risk) you have to be willing to die in defense of your work. Artists who are just starting out need to develop their art before they take that leap of faith, or else they'll fall flat on their faces. Seth Godin fails to mention in his book that there is a long period of preparation that precedes any worthwhile artistic endeavor. He makes creativity sound like it's a cake mix or something, like you can "just add water" and it will suddenly be a part of your life. There's a danger in this kind of thinking: a danger of rushing things along and not really being true to one's own identity, a danger that many beginners face. And isn't that precisely for whom this book is designed? Beginners? I see what Godin is going for. He's trying to eliminate fear and teach people to aim high and think outside of the box. I get that. But, in the wrong hands, this kind of advice can sometimes to more harm than good.
This book annoys me in a very personal way. I know from experience that incorporating art into everyday life is not as simple as Godin makes it sound. The Icarus Deception teaches that everyone is an artist and that if you follow certain steps then you could become a truly great one. But books cannot teach people how to be artists. The only power this book has is to get people to want to be artists, and then it leaves them in the dust, lost in the puzzling whirlwind of Seth Godin's contradictory statements. Because I do want to be an artist, I know that wanting it is not enough, and I know that recognizing your own innate artistic qualities is not enough, and I know that constantly surrounding yourself with creative people is not enough, and I know that constantly doing creative things is not enough. The Icarus Deception means well, but in my eyes, it sets people up for disappointment.
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