Sunday, May 25, 2008

Sometimes I think creativity is magic; it's not a matter of finding an idea, but allowing the idea to find you.

~ Maya Lin

I can never accomplish what I want, only what I would have wanted had I thought of it beforehand.

~ Richard Diebenkorn

What would you say to an artist just starting out?

Build up your self esteem to the level that might seem unwarranted. This will help you ignore both positive and negative responses to your paintings. Both are usually misguided, since they come from the outside. Be your most severe and devastating critic, while never doubting that you are the best thing since sliced bread.

~From an interview with the artist Alex Kanevsky

3 comments:

Sheila Vaughan said...

Don, I love the Kanevsky comment. At the end of the day it is not what comes "from outside" that matters. It is what we learn to recognise from inside ourselves. Learning to paint is about developing inner knowledge rather than external praise or criticism.

Don Gray said...

So true, isn't it Sheila? Much easier said than done, though.

Mary Sheehan Winn said...

the third one seems to resonate as do both of the comments.