The only criteria I have with every new album is to keep moving

The musician Bonobo, a craftsman of soundscapes that blend the ancient and the modern, once declared: “The only criteria I have with every new album is to keep moving on from what I’ve done before.” These words, spoken in the language of art, carry a wisdom that extends far beyond music. They are a hymn to growth, to transformation, to the refusal of stagnation. For what is life if not a series of departures from the past, a continual creation of something new from the ashes of what was?

To keep moving on is not an act of rejection but of evolution. Bonobo does not cast away his earlier works; rather, he honors them by refusing to remain their prisoner. Each album, each creation, becomes a stepping stone, not a resting place. This is the essence of progress: to cherish what has been made, yet to know that the journey demands more, always more. In art, as in life, the past is a foundation, but the spirit must rise higher, seeking ever-greater horizons.

Consider the example of Pablo Picasso, who began with the soft hues of the Blue Period, shifted into the warmth of the Rose Period, and later shattered form itself with Cubism. He did not cling to what the world praised most, but moved on from each phase, boldly inventing new expressions. Had he remained in any single style, his greatness would have withered. It was his restless courage, his refusal to be defined by what he had already done, that carved his name into eternity.

So too does Bonobo’s philosophy mirror the cycles of nature. The tree does not remain forever a sapling, nor the river forever a spring. Seasons change, leaves fall, waters flow — and life moves forward. To stay still is to decay; to move on is to remain alive. This is the eternal law written into the heart of creation: everything grows, everything transforms. The artist, like the tree and the river, must heed this law or be left behind.

Yet this teaching is not for artists alone. It is for all who struggle with the weight of their past. Too many remain bound to former glories, repeating what once worked, clinging to what once shone. Others remain chained to failures, unable to release what has ended. But Bonobo’s words cry out: “Do not remain where you are. Move on.” In forward motion lies freedom, renewal, and the chance to discover what more you are capable of becoming.

The lesson is clear: let your past be your teacher, not your master. Use it as a stepping stone, not a cage. Do not fear to leave behind even what you once loved, for every ending makes room for a new creation. Whether in art, in labor, in love, or in life, the path to fullness is found in the willingness to move on from what has already been.

Practical wisdom follows: when you finish a task, a season, or a chapter of your life, do not cling too tightly to it. Ask yourself, “What is the next thing I must create?” Cultivate the courage to explore, to risk, to try again in a way you have never tried before. Embrace change not as a threat, but as the rhythm of life itself.

So remember, O listener, the voice of Bonobo: “The only criteria is to keep moving on.” Let this truth guide you. Do not rest forever in yesterday’s achievements, nor be bound in yesterday’s sorrows. Step forward. Move on. For only in the courage to create anew will you find the strength to live fully, and the joy of knowing that your journey is still unfolding.