Thoughts on Creativity

7 inspiring quotes from Artists

I was tidying up some posts on my old blog over on website, and came across the series of “Lovely Quotes” posts* that I put together in 2018/2019. I’ve always loved an inspiring quote, and those posts remain the most viewed pages on my website to this day.

(*The old blog is mostly hidden now as I’m focusing on writing here, but you can view the Lovely Quotes posts via this link)

So I thought it would be fun to bring back something similar here on Substack, with quotes about creativity & art, and (in a future post) florals & nature.

I started researching quotes from artists, and found an abundance of lovely ones that I hadn’t come across before, along with some old favourites. Today I’m sharing 7 of my favourites, from artists including Pablo Picasso, Frida Kahlo and Claude Monet.

Designing these graphics also gives me a great chance to use all those fonts I buy from Creative Market!

“Great art picks up where nature ends” - March Chagall

“Don’t think about making art, just get it done. Let everyone else decide if it’s good or bad, whether they love it or hate it. While they are deciding, make even more art” - Andy Warhol

“The only time I feel alive is when I'm painting” - Vincent Van Gogh

“I never painted my dreams, I painted my own reality” - Frida Kahlo

“Everything you can imagine is real” - Pablo Picasso

“I am interested in art as a means of living a life; not as a means of making a living” - Robert Henri

“Colour is my day-long obsession, joy and torment.” - Claude Monet

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Many of these quotes are from well over 100 years ago, but I still find them all so relatable as an artist - Marc Chagall’s connection between art and nature, Frida Kahlo’s self-expression through her art, and of course Claude Monet’s struggles and love affair with colour.

I love the advice from Andy Warhol, to keep on making art and stop focusing on what other people may think- something that’s even harder and more important to remember in a modern world with social media. That time and energy is better spent on creating, experimenting and making new work.

I have one additional bonus quote for you too - this one isn’t from an artist but it was one of my favourites from my research. This reminder from Albert Einstein that creativity is all about putting your own stamp on something, and doing things your own way.

“Creativity is seeing what others see and thinking what no one else ever thought” - Albert Einstein

Thanks so much for reading! Let me know if you’d like to see more posts like this. Feel free to share these quote graphics on social media (just remember to tag me, and don’t crop out my username when sharing)

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