Well, dear readers, I am disappointed that none of you have commented one way or another on the last two posts of quotations. I will give you one last chance with these remaining ones. Also wanted to point out that the picture I've been using for these posts was taken at city beach of a small statue in the children's play area. If you look closely at each post, you will see that the picture changes slightly due to subtle manipulation of the hue/saturation map. Am I stealing from the designer of the statue or building on his work? Neither really - just exploring my software for future reference. Have no idea who is responsible for that lion.
You must have a room, or a certain hour or so a day, where you don’t know what was in the newspapers that morning, you don’t know who your friends are, you don’t know what you owe anybody, you don’t know what anybody owes to you. This is a place where you can simply experience and bring forth what you are and what you might be. This is the place of creative incubation. At first you may find that nothing happens there. But if you have a sacred place and use it, something eventually will happen.— Joseph Campbell on having a “bliss station,“ in The Power of Myth
The writer is one who, embarking upon a task, does not know what to do… The not-knowing is crucial to art, is what permits art to be made. Without the scanning process engendered by not-knowing, without the possibility of having the mind move in unanticipated directions, there would be no invention… Writing is a process of dealing with not-knowing…Donald Barthelme, “Not-Knowing,” from Not-Knowing: The Essays and Interviews
You need the eye, the hand, and the heart. Two won’t do.
Finally, I leave you with this link, just in case you're interested in more of Austin Kleon's collection of "steal like an artist" quotations: http://tinyurl.com/6pt8ooz
4 comments:
I've loved those quotes and your ramblings about creativity and originality. So thanks for posting them. I come away from all of it with an immense sense of freedom and permission.
Hope you have a delightful week!
I'm currently looking for inspiration for a quilt challenge, after not having done anything much in the way of quilting or sewing (or even blog reading) for over 12 months. So it's serendipity to come across the quotes on your blog. They've certainly put a different perspective on my research!
Glad to oblige ladies! Seriously, it's good to know these are having a positive influence similar to what I've experienced.
Hi, Sheila. I'm catching up as I've been traveling in the States. The last several posts are very interesting and thoughtful. I agree on the idea of building upon our predecessors and there's enough for everyone. Copying or imitating is one thing, but, copying for commercial purposes without the permission of artists is unethical. Give credit where credit is due. At the same time, the quote about "stop copying crap" rings true--there's an awful lot of mediocre stuff out there. Which leads to the problem of what constitutes substantial art: eye, hand, and heart as David Hockney put it. Nothing excuses poor craftsmanship in an artistic creation. And there exists a lot of "eye candy" that is simply that--the passion or a driving idea is missing. I will now step off my soap box!
best,
nadia
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