Innovation is About Giving Up.

“Art is never finished, only abandoned.” That’s Leonardo DaVinci.

Most people hear that and think: “classic tortured artist stuff.”
But this line isn’t just about art—it’s about work. Leadership. Growth.
And frankly, it’s about what it means to be an innovative keynote speaker, a builder, or anyone trying to do meaningful work in a noisy world.

I’m a poet turned keynote speaker. And a poet could easily spend ten years working on the same poem.

Often, the poet’s instinct is to do just that—it’s a piece of art they care about, in a craft they love. So of course they want to get it right.

But every artist eventually realizes the opportunity cost of perfecting one piece, technique, or style is missing out on a breakthrough in one of the countless other ways there are to create.

This isn’t just a creative problem. It’s a leadership one.

Whether you're leading a team, scaling a business, or chasing a personal goal, the same truth applies: Creative leadership means knowing when to let go—not because something’s bad, but because holding on too long keeps you from building something better.

Quitting can feel like failure. But in reality, it’s the only way to stop improving and start evolving.

Why Quitting Is Core to Innovation

We spend years refining our products, processes, or skill sets—because they’re familiar. Because they worked once. Because we care.

But the most innovative leaders know that sticking with the familiar is often the biggest risk of all.

If you want to grow—creatively or professionally—you have to get comfortable abandoning what's good in pursuit of what's next. That’s not just innovation. That’s vision.

Sometimes the boldest move isn’t to master what’s in front of you.

It’s to quit—and go build something new.

Because even masterpieces are never finished.

And I don’t know about you, but I’d rather end my life with ten unfinished masterpieces than one.