Quotes: David Lynch

"We think we understand the rules when we become adults but what we really experience is a narrowing of the imagination."

–– David Lynch (1946-2025), American filmmaker, visual artist, musician and actor 

via: Sketchbook N 14, 2025, p. 47. 

Quotes: Laurie Anderson

"When young artists ask, "How can I get past [creative blocks]? I respond: "For one thing, try doing your worst work. Do the worst song you can possibly think of. At the very least, you'll get some idea of what your rules are. At the most, you're going to get something that's better than anything you've every done because it has a lot of pure energy." Just make it bad. Just make it really bad. You know, so pure and bad."

–– Laurie Anderson (b. 1947), American musician and multidisciplinary artist 

Source: Laurie Anderson conversation with Brandon Stosuy, November 14, 2016, The Creative Independent (thecreativeindependent.com) 

via: Commonplace Book 2024, p. 25-26.

Quotes: Pablo Picasso

"Learn the rules like a pro, so that you can break them like an artist."

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

via: Commonplace Book 2022-2024, 2023, p.178.  

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: 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: Helen Frankenthaler

"I follow the rules until I go against them all."

–– Helen Frankenthaler (1928-2011), American abstract expressionist painter 

Quotes: Helen Frankenthaler

"There are no rules. That is how art is born, how breakthroughs happen. Go against the rules or ignore the rules. That is what invention is about."

–– Helen Frankenthaler (1928-2011), American abstract expressionist painter

Quotes: Katharine Hepburn

"If you obey all the rules, you miss all the fun." 

–– Katharine Hepburn (1907-2003), American actress 

via: Sketchbook 18, 2012, p. 38.