"... 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.
"[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.
"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.
"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.
"[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.
"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.
"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.
"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.
"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.
"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.
"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.
"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.
"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.
"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.
"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.
"Sweeter after difficulty."
–– Latin expression
via: Art Alternatives Knapsack Sketchbook L 2024, p. 23.
"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.
"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.
"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.
"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.
"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.
"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.
