When I have trouble writing, I step outside my studio into the garden and pull weeds until my mind clears--I find weeding to be the best therapy there is for writer's block.
Irving StoneRead
One should not become an artist because he can, but because he must. It is only for those who would be miserable without it.
Interpretation
This quote emphasizes that true artistry comes from a deep, intrinsic need rather than mere ability or talent.
Irving Stone suggests that becoming an artist should stem from an inner compulsion and necessity to create, rather than simply the capability to do so. This perspective highlights the dedication and passion that true artists possess, indicating that for some individuals, the absence of artistic expression would lead to profound dissatisfaction and anguish.
In practice
This quote can be shared at an art exhibition to inspire aspiring artists.
When I have trouble writing, I step outside my studio into the garden and pull weeds until my mind clears--I find weeding to be the best therapy there is for writer's block.
Art's a staple. Like bread or wine or a warm coat in winter. Those who think it is a luxury have only a fragment of a mind. Man's spirit grows hungry for art in the same way his stomach growls for food.
Talent is cheap; dedication is expensive. It will cost you your life.
Art is amoral; so is life. For me there are no obscene pictures or books; there are only poorly conceived and poorly executed ones.
People like Dick Gregory, Paul Robeson, Harry Belafonte and Nina Simone show me what the definition of an artist is - it isn't just to make art but to speak truth to what's happening, speak beauty into the world, speak love into the world and also... get involved.
I am still a victim of chess. It has all the beauty of art - and much more. It cannot be commercialized. Chess is much purer than art in its social position.
Be natural my children. For the writer that is natural has fulfilled all the rules of art.
When they say 'jazz,' I'm thinking of a word called 'the creative process.' It intersects every vein and tributary, avenue, path, that everyone's living. It crosses through there, but it's been contained.
It is music that welds spiritual and sensual, that can convey ecstasy free of guilt, faith without dogma, love as homage, and a person at home with nature and the infinite.
For me, writing [was] a question of survival...I could not trust anyone, even my family. The atmosphere was so poisoned. People even in your own family could turn you in.
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