“Art & Fear” Book Quotes

Those of you who have been around the Skinny Artist community for awhile probably already know that this is the book that I recommend the most to all types of creative artists.  One of the reasons is the fact that this book doesn’t attempt to tell you how to create your art, instead it deals with all of those little mental roadblocks that eventually makes so many artists simply give up.

“To require perfection is to invite paralysis.  The pattern is predictable: as you see error in what you have done, you steer your work toward what you imagine you can do perfectly.  Your cling ever more tightly to what you already know you can do, away from risk and exploration, and possibly further from the work of your heart.  You find reasons to procrastinate, since to not work is to not make mistakes.”

 

“To demand perfection is to deny your ordinary (and universal) humanity. . . yet this humanity is the ultimate source of your work”

 

“The lessons you are meant to learn are in your work.  To see them, you need only look at the work clearly–without judgment, without need or fear, without wishes or hopes.  Without emotional expectations.  Ask your work what it needs, not what you need. Then set aside your fears and listen, the way a good parent listens to a child.”

 

“Those who would make art might begin by reflecting on the fate of those who preceded them: most who began, quit. To survive as an artist requires confronting these troubles. Those who continue to make art are those who have learned how to continue – or more precisely, have learned how to not quit.”

 

If you’re interested, I wrote an article for our Artist’s Bookshelf series on the site that includes many favorite quotes from the book along with reviews and comments from other artists from around the world about how this amazing book has influenced them.

Art & Fear is available at your local bookstore and at Amazon.com ~$10