Finding Inspiration in Quotes

"I know now that most people are so closely concerned with themselves that they are not aware of their own individuality. I can see myself, and it has helped me to say what I want to say—in paint."

— Georgia O'Keeffe

In the age of Instagram, using or referencing quotes has become a bit overused and cliché. However, as an artist myself, I find that the words of other creatives can be a source of inspiration and comfort when facing creative blocks or fears. Here are a few of my favorite quotes from artists, authors, and architects that I admire and have shaped my creative perspective:

“You can learn from the past, but you can’t continue to be in the past; history is not a substitute for imagination.” — Frank Gehry

“You have to really believe in not only yourself; you have to believe that the world is worth your sacrifices.” — Zaha Hadid

“Even the knowledge of my own fallibility cannot keep me from making mistakes. Only when I fall do I get up again.” — Vincent van Gogh

“My father was very sure about certain matters pertaining to the universe. To him all good things-trout as well as eternal salvation-come by grace and grace comes by art and art does not come easy.” — Norman Maclean, A River Runs Through It and Other Stories

“Live the full life of the mind, exhilarated by new ideas, intoxicated by the Romance of the unusual.” — Ernest Hemingway

“Freedom (n.): To ask nothing. To expect nothing. To depend on nothing.” — Ayn Rand, The Fountainhead

“No need to hurry. No need to sparkle. No need to be anybody but oneself." — Virginia Woolf, A Room of One’s Own

"I know now that most people are so closely concerned with themselves that they are not aware of their own individuality. I can see myself, and it has helped me to say what I want to say—in paint." — Georgia O'Keeffe

“I saw my life branching out before me like the green fig tree in the story. From the tip of every branch, like a fat purple fig, a wonderful future beckoned and winked. One fig was a husband and a happy home and children, and another fig was a famous poet and another fig was a brilliant professor, and another fig was Ee Gee, the amazing editor, and another fig was Europe and Africa and South America, and another fig was Constantin and Socrates and Attila and a pack of other lovers with queer names and offbeat professions, and another fig was an Olympic lady crew champion, and beyond and above these figs were many more figs I couldn't quite make out. I saw myself sitting in the crotch of this fig tree, starving to death, just because I couldn't make up my mind which of the figs I would choose. I wanted each and every one of them, but choosing one meant losing all the rest, and, as I sat there, unable to decide, the figs began to wrinkle and go black, and, one by one, they plopped to the ground at my feet.” — Sylvia Plath, The Bell Jar

Currently, I am working towards completing my first collection and launching my website in early summer. However, I am also experiencing a lot of fear - fear that my work won't be well-received, fear that I don't know what I'm doing, and fear that my efforts will ultimately fail. Despite these fears, I know deep down that pursuing my passion is worth it. Even if my audience is only myself, my husband, and our dog, I believe that the long-term rewards will be worth the risks.

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