Quotes About Artistry

Any artist that's involved in their work is inevitably going to have a focus in what they do.

We are part of each other and part of something bigger than our own egos. An artist should... bring into the world some vision. Dancers should ask, "What is their work in the service of?"

I work from awkwardness. By that I mean I don't like to arrange things. If I stand in front of something, instead of arranging it, I arrange myself.

A work of art doesn't have to be explained.

Great works are done when one is not calculating and thinking.

I am always watching for fear of getting feeble and passé in my work. I don't want to trickle out. I want to pour till the pail is empty, the last bit going out in a gush, not in drops.

An artist does his most difficult work when he steps back from the blank canvas and thinks about what he is going to create.

I hate cameras. They interfere, they're always in the way. I wish: if I could work with my eyes alone.

When I work, and in my art, I hold hands with God.

A song or an album is never really done. You can work on it forever, but knowing when to call it a day and knowing when to walk away from it is extremely important.

What is an artist but a workman who is determined that, whatever else happens, his work shall be excellent?

I think people think that labels can get you features more than you can get your own. I just doesn't work like that.

The little dissatisfaction which every artist feels at the completion of a work forms the germ of a new work.

I'm always working. Like a lot of creative people I can't switch off. I can't disassociate work from pleasure. My job is my hobby.

There is something wrong with a work of art if it can be understood by a policeman.

The worst evil which can befall the artist is that his work should appear good in his own eyes.

My work is always better when I am alone and follow my own impressions.

All makers must leave room for the acts of the spirit. But they have to work hard and carefully, and wait patiently, to deserve them.

Most people wait for the muse to turn up. That's terribly unreliable. I have to sit down and pursue the muse by attempting to work.

An audience is always warming but it must never be necessary to your work.

A writer's work is the product of laziness.

I would say to any artist: Don't be repressed in your work, dare to experiment, consider any urge, if in a new direction all the better.

I work every day. I work all day. I've never had a holiday. It's all I really want to do. It's what I'm here for. . . . More and more, I'm just so grateful I was born an artist.

I think I was first awakened to musical exploration by Dizzy Gillespie and Bird. It was through their work that I began to learn about musical structures and the more theoretical aspects of music.