Quotes: Michael Snow

"Art is like a game, every time I feel like I'm going to lose, I change the rules." 

–– Michael Snow (1928-2023), Canadian artist

Quotes: Marcel Duchamp

"Art is a game between all people of all periods."

–– Marcel Duchamp (1887-1968), French conceptual artist 

Quotes: Julie Andrews

"Some people regard discipline as a chore. For me, it is a kind of order that sets me free to fly." 

–– Julie Andrews (b. 1935), English singer, actress, and author 

Quotes: Elizabeth Gilbert

"You need to learn how to start saying no to things you do want to do, with the recognition that you have only one life."

–– Elizabeth Gilbert (b. 1969), American writer and journalist 

via: Commonplace Book, 2022, 2024, p. 141.

Quotes: Adam Alter

 "... Novelty is overrated; Success often comes when you're second or third, or even twenty-second, to the party. The key is to keep pushing, because you're more likely to succeed with experience –– and also because you're likelier to get lucky as time passes." 

–– Adam Alter, South African writer and professor

Source: Adam Alter. Anatomy of a Breakthrough. Toronto: Simon & Shuster, 2023; p. 30. 

via: Commonplace Book 2022, 2023, p. 132.

Quotes: Quincy Jones

"[B]eing exposed to more than what is available to you in your immediate sphere of life is an important variable in the equation of growth. To put it simply, you gotta "go to know." You've got to step outside of what is familiar to you because falling prey to comfort only prevents you from experiencing the fullness of life that different people, places, and languages have to offer." 

–– Quincy Jones (b. 1933), American record producer, songwriter, composer, arranger, and film and television producer. 

Source: Quincy Jones. 12 Notes on Life and Creativity. New York: Abrams Image, 2022; p. 29. 

via: Commonplace Book 2022, 2023, p. 121.

Quotes: Austin Kleon

"Believe that there is no such thing as waste. Creative work is the residue of time "wasted." Of materials "wasted." 

–– Austin Kleon (b. 1983), American writer

Source: Austin Kleon Blog post Tuesday April 23, 2024 

via: Commonplace Book 2022, 2024, p. 164.

Quotes: Pablo Picasso

"You've got to know the rules in order to break them." 

–– Pablo Picasso (1881-1973), Spanish artist 

via: Commonplace Book 2022, 2023, p.122. 

Quotes: Jean-Luc Bannalec

"[Georges] Dupin could feel the feverishness he experienced whenever he was caught up in a complicated case. It was an odd state. In a way, he stepped away from the world every time. He forgot everyday life. So there was nothing but the case and all of his questions, which was a sore point in his relationship with Claire. But at the same time, this was when he was absolutely in the real world, more precisely and clearly than at any other time. Doing just one thing: solving the case." 

–– Jean-Luc Bannalec, pseudonym of Jörg Bong, (b. 1966) a German author.

Source: Jean-Luc Bannalec. The Fleur de Sel Murders. New York: Minotaur Books, 2012 (Translation copyright 2017 by Sorcha McDonagh), p. 98. 

via: Commonplace Book 2022, 2023, p.119-120. 

Quotes: Thích Nhất Hanh

"Don't just do something, sit there."

–– Thích Nhất Hanh (1926-2022), Vietnamese Buddhist monk, writer, teacher and peace activist 

via: Commonplace Book 2022, 2023, p.113. 

Quotes: Steven Heighton

"I am not bored at the moment, though it might be better if I were. Boredom might mean I was lagging and loafing my way slowly toward a fresh jag of creative work, creative excitement." 

–– Steven Heighton (1961-2022), Canadian novelist, poet, short-story writer 

Source: Steven Heighton. Work Book. Toronto, Ontario: ECW Press, 2011, p. 11.

via: Commonplace Book 2022, 2023, p.113. 

Quotes: Michelle Richmond

"Life is a series of decisions, forks in the road, this or that, yes or no, left or right. We make our choices, we select our path. When I was young, the options seemed unlimited, so many paths to travel. But here's what I didn't understand: Every path is a one-way street. There is no turning back, no changing your mind, no trying both options. There is only forward motion. With time, your decisions pile up, compounding, interweaving, slowly turning you into the person you are." 

–– Michelle Richmond, American writer 

Source: Michelle Richmond. The Wonder Test. New York: Atlantic Monthly Press, 2021; p. 422.

via: Commonplace Book 2022, 2023, p.112. 

Quotes: Kyo Maclear

"Neither one of my parents finished high school. There were obvious downsides, but one result is that they discovered the movement of their minds without thought of permission, without an eye on a good grade. From them, I should have known: knowledge is a beautiful sideways and sometimes upward spiral, but a tower of appeasement will not feed you. Merit badges will teach compliance with preset paths but will not teach pathfinding." 

–– Kyo Maclear (b. 1970), British-born, Canadian writer and artist 

Source: Kyo Maclear. Unearthing: A Story of Tangled Love and Family Secrets. Toronto: Alfred A. Knopf Canada, 2023; pp. 166. 

via: Commonplace Book 2022, 2023, p.106-7.

Quotes: Kate Morton

"Someone I used to know a long time ago told me once that fear is the doorway to opportunity." 

–– Kate Morton, Australian novelist 

Source: Kate Morton. Homecoming. Toronto: Simon & Schuster, 2023; p. 46.

 via: Commonplace Book 2022, 2022, p. 105.

Quotes: Katherine May

"I often think that ritual gives us something to do with our hands rather than our heads, performing a set of actions that root us into our being again. Ritual is different from worship: a matter of instinct rather than construction, a gesture that lets us weave significance in the moment. It is so undemanding, so simple, almost passive. You follow the steps, and they take you down to find what you need." 

–– Katherine May, British author and podcaster 

Source: Katherine May. Enchantment: Awakening Wonder in an Anxious Age. New York: Riverhead Books, 2023; p. 90.

 via: Commonplace Book 2022, 2022, p. 103.

Quotes: Robert Henri

"The object isn't to make art, it's to be in that wonderful state which makes art inevitable."

 –– Robert Henri, born Robert Henry Cozad (1865-1929), American painter and teacher 

via: Commonplace Book 2022, 2022, p. 96.

Quotes: Deborah Levy

"The writing life is mostly about stamina. To get to the finishing line requires the writing to become more interesting than everyday life." 

–– Deborah Levy (b. 1959), South African-born, British novelist, playwright, and poet. 

Source: Deborah Levy. The Cost of Living: A Living Autobiography. Toronto, ON: Hamish Hamilton Canada, 2018; p. 50.

via: Commonplace Book 2022, 2022, p. 94.

Quotes: Alvar Aalto

"Beauty is the harmony of purpose and form." 

–– Alvar Aalto (1898-1976), Finnish architect and designer 

Source: Katja Pantzar. The Finnish Way: Finding Courage, Wellness, and Happiness Through the Power of Sisu. New York: TarcherPerigee, 2018; p. 194.

via: Commonplace Book 2022, 2022, p. 91.

Quotes: Eula Biss

"In the August humidity, I feel a rising euphoria. I recognize this as the aura that precedes the work of writing, like the aura that precedes a seizure or a migraine. An idea is hovering before me, spectral and electric. The idea is just slightly out of reach and I will spend hours at my desk before I can grasp it, before I can work it on the page." 

–– Eula Biss (b. 1977), American non-fiction writer and professor 

Source: Eula Biss. Having and Being Had. New York: Riverhead Books, 2020; p. 213.

via: Commonplace Book 2022, 2022, p. 81.

Quotes: Nita Prose

Died versus Passed Away

    "Recently, I turned twenty-five, "a quarter of a century" my gran would proclaim to me now if she could say anything to me. Which she can't, because she is dead. 

    "Yes, dead. Why call it anything other than what it is? She did not pass away, like some sweet breeze tickling the heather. She did not go gently. She died. About nine months ago." 

–– Nita Prose, Canadian author and book editor 

Source: Nita Prose. The Maid. New York: Ballantine Books, 2022; p. 10-11. 

via: Commonplace Book 2022, 2022, p. 72.

Quotes: Anthony de Mello

"Enlightenment is absolute cooperation with the inevitable." 

–– Anthony de Mello (1931-1987), Bombay-born Jesuit priest and modern-day mystic 

via: Commonplace Book 2022, 2024, p. 164.

Quotes: Marilyn Monroe

"I restore myself when I'm alone. A career is born in public, talent in privacy." 

–– Marilyn Monroe (1926-1962), American actress and model

via: Art Alternatives Knapsack Sketchbook L 2024, p. 30.

Quotes: Muhammad Ali

"You lose nothing when fighting for a cause."

–– Muhammad Ali (1942-2016), American professional boxer, activist, and entertainer 

via: Art Alternatives Knapsack Sketchbook L 2024, p. 30. 

Quotes: Latin expression

"Sweeter after difficulty." 

–– Latin expression

via: Art Alternatives Knapsack Sketchbook L 2024, p. 23.

Quotes: Alice Munro

"One foot in front of the other gets you where you're going, but it's the detours that make the journey worth it."

–– Alice Munro (1931-2024), Canadian short-story writer 

via: Art Alternatives Knapsack Sketchbook L 2024, p. 29. 

Quotes: Elaine de Kooning

"I'm more interested in character. Character comes out of the work. Style is applied or imposed on it." 

–– Elaine de Kooning (1918-1989), American painter

via: Art Alternatives Knapsack Sketchbook L 2024, p. 29. 

Quotes: Seneca

"It does not matter what you bear, but how you bear it."

–– Seneca (4 BC - AD 65), Roman Stoic philosopher, dramatist, statesman 

via: Art Alternatives Knapsack Sketchbook L 2024, p. 29. 

Quotes: Henrik Karlsson

"You just have to grab hold of what awakens a sense of loving curiosity in you."

–– Henrik Karlsson, Swedish writer 

via: Art Alternatives Knapsack Sketchbook L 2024, p. 28. 

Quotes: Kahlil Gibran

"Trees are poems that the earth writes upon the sky."

–– Kahlil Gibran (1883-1931), Lebanese-American writer and poet 

via: Art Alternatives Knapsack Sketchbook L 2024, p. 25.

Quotes: African proverb

"With a little seed of imagination, you can grow a field of hope." 

–– African proverb 

Source: Aspire Design and Home, Spring 2024, p. 45.

via: Aboveground Art Supplies Knapsack Sketchbook 2020, 2024, p. 41.