Beth Inglish Artist Speaker Events Creative

100 Quotes That Will Inspire The Artist In You

These 100 quotes will definitely inspire the artist in you! We all need encouragement—it’s what keeps us going and sometimes just the right words will propel us into action.

So I asked the Nashville Creative Group, “If you could encourage another someone to make art today, what would you say?”

Here’s what they said:

  1. Don’t ever give up! Especially if your heart craves it! – Debbie Guthery-Owen
  2. If you ride the bench long enough eventually you will become a starter. Be ready when it is your turn to play. – Michael Weintrob
  3. Fan the flames of passion by engaging with other creatives… it’s how we thrive and become a bonfire! – Sue M. Marshall
  4. I think Kurt Vonnegut Jr. had the best advice for creatives. He taught creative writing, but I find his thoughts applicable to visual art. He said only write to please one person (for him it was his sister). Get all those other people out of your head when you are creating. – Emily Cathcart
  5. Do it and finish it. – Joey Petrone
  6. Did we remember to shower recently? – Janelle Zorvan
  7. One of the biggest lessons I’ve learned this year is to make the work that is uniquely you, that’s what audiences want. – Beth Inglish
  8. The process is everything. Just get a piece done, and even if you don’t like it, you got something done, and you can make your technique, style, process and all that better as you go. – Jenn Deafenbaugh
  9. You are a star!! – Chandra J. Walton
  10. Don’t let life and all the junk it throws at you get in the way of who you are. Always be you and keep creating. – Kelly Sellers
  11. Make your art your priority by making it your habit, then you can’t be stopped. – Neth Williams
  12. You can never make a mistake that can’t be fixed. Don’t give up. – Deana Clinard Tribble
  13. Creation is part of the divine feminine. The machine wants to crush all things feminine, artistic, and creative. It works to keep us separate from ourselves and from others. – Cooper Lynn Hays
  14. Don’t compare yourself to others. It is not a competition. – Jan B. Batts
  15. If you don’t give up you will get there. – Dana Langford
  16. Never let someone’s subjective opinion be misconstrued as an objective analysis of your talent or skill. – Mallory Trunnell
  17. (Because I need to hear it) — Make the time, do the thing. – Ruth Gough Loiacano
  18. Go for what your hear, and if possible, try not to let anyone sway you. – Miqui Gutierrez
  19. Always keep creating and have a current project. Opportunities come and go, so just keep going. – Mark Cowden
  20. Rock your art, there are so many avenues you can display it in!! – Rosie Morton
  21. The notion that you have to experience pain to make good art is patently false. Do not believe it is a pre-requisite to making good work. – Coffey May
  22. You’re better than you think you are. – Nathan Pizar
  23. It doesn’t have to be a masterpiece, it does need to be authentic. – Dan L Hayes
  24. Do what comes naturally. Just be you! – Sarah Stob
  25. Just start somewhere or clean up the studio. – Lisa Weiss
  26. Never be afraid to try something new… a new technique or material could be just the thing to ignite inspiration. – Katrina Hoff
  27. Set an alarm every day and take 5 minutes to focus on your progress. Time is the only true enemy of creation. – Jonathan Fraser
  28. Don’t make excuses and paint through the ugly! – Lynn Hutson
  29. Never stop. – Tim Lowry
  30. Be Rodin, be Michelangelo, be Picasso. They would want that and you have the benefit of their recorded works and being alive here in this time to do it. (I just figured out that this advice is to me.) – Ed Gar Massey
  31. Be in the moment. The best gift you can give anybody (including yourself) is 100% of your attention. – Aaron Miller
  32. Keep going. – Dana Malone
  33. Do the thing. – Brian Coren Cusce
  34. Just make it visual. If only for a minute… give it a form… for the moment… sometimes, you will pass it by… other times it will stay with you… and often you can share it. – Helen Lewis
  35. Go You! – Lis Valle
  36. Your gift will make room for you! – Lakika Shay Scott
  37. Always create, keep going, and never give in to doubt and naysayers. – Amy Elizabeth
  38. Know that each, and every creation you forge from your head, your heart and your hands, and produce, will outlive you… your craft, your work, will remain in this world long after you pass, and be your marker, the testimony of your time and existence on this planet… whether a gallery in Florence, or a used bookstore in Cleveland, a junk store in Nebraska, or a Goodwill in Destin, a boutique in Green Hills or a living room shelf in Madison, your creation will live on… savor the love, commitments, glory, and permanence in all you do. – Hugh Waddell
  39. Progress over Perfection. – Jeric Arpon
  40. Believing in yourself is the single most important step. Practice affirmations and remind yourself of why you do what you do. Surround yourself with encouragement. Surround yourself with reminders of why you’re an artist and why it matters! – Meredith C Bullock
  41. Be fearless! – Sandy Brown
  42. Don’t work for free unless the cause is something you are passionate about & don’t undersell your work. – Wendy L. Hickey
  43. Don’t spend too much time pursuing something once you figure out there’s no demand for it. – Tim Davis
  44. Create the things that you want to create – the things that the very creation of brings you satisfaction. Don’t worry about trends, popularity, audience, or sales. Just create and find fulfillment in that process. – Jonathan Garner
  45. Don’t stop! – Laurena Stanos
  46. Learn your craft, put in the work, believe in yourself, and have faith! – Thom E. Booton
  47. Just create. – Michael E Hraba
  48. I love this thread! So helpful! I recently made a HUGE shift from photo-realistic drawings to abstract painting, so I totally feel like a beginner. I want to soak up every ounce of encouragement and advice. All I can say is, I’m having tons of fun with it, so I guess my advice would be to have fun and enjoy the process. – Sarah Vaughn-Rohrbough
  49. Don’t be afraid to be yourself. Don’t be afraid to be yourself. Don’t be afraid to be yourself. Don’t be afraid to be yourself. Don’t be afraid to be yourself. Don’t be afraid to be yourself. – Caleb Brainweight
  50. If you can’t figure out a painting, don’t look at it for a couple of days. Paint something else and then bring it out of hiding! – Priscilla Eichler
  51. Make art! Every. Day. – Greg Wilson
  52. Know and understand your value! – Russell Green
  53. Practice your craft every day. – Kristen Thompson
  54. Continue enhancing your craft. – Alida Pinson
  55. Create to please yourself. Do it to move you. If it moves anyone else, that’s a bonus. – Angela Thompson Howell
  56. Don’t underestimate your gift. It was given to you by God himself and he makes no mistakes. Never be afraid to use the talents He has given to you to share. – Tann Black
  57. Keep going. Try something new or opposite from your regular approach if you feel limited or stuck. – Callie Konane Rickards
  58. Do what you do. Find what you want and go for it. It’s your life and it’s your art. So do what you do. – Ara Karei
  59. Believe in yourself. – Arlene Bates
  60. Don’t do it, you’ll be awake all night, every night. – Mitch Turpin
  61. Perfect is the enemy of done. Finish the thing so you can start the next thing. – Nick Dobbins
  62. Don’t listen to negativity. Not even your own. – Brian Batista
  63. Stop mimicking artists that you admire and become an original. – Michael Lax
  64. “The secret to a good artist is a good eraser.” – Sunny Baer
  65. Flow Freely. – Kelly Dorsey
  66. There are no mistakes, just keep going. – Nessi Ford
  67. Stay focused… even if you question, what the heck am I doing? If the ideas keep coming, keep doing and know in the end you will realize why you kept doing. We all have so much untapped potential. Also… share your ideas… it will help you get excited about it and keep you motivated because it kind of commits you to it. – Andrew Buckwalter
  68. You can do it!!! – Darlene Shadden
  69. Never let your brushes become dry! – Debra Thain
  70. Be consistent and draw and paint every day. Even when you are not feeling it. – Billy Martinez
  71. Meditate and go for a walk. – Bruce Cate
  72. Let me buy some of your artwork. – Debbie Lynn
  73. Just f@&$ing do it! – Heather Holloway McCash
  74.  There will be folks who won’t get what you are doing and that’s ok. You will have haters. Don’t let them bother you. We all have a voice of self-doubt. It will pass. Never listen to it! Create! – Jonathan Treadway
  75. Edgar Allen Poe made $9 on The Raven. You’re probably doing way better! – Ernest Chapman
  76. The only thing you can do better than anyone else is be yourself. – Erin Donovan
  77. Quirky is good. Quirky is creative. Embrace the quirky. – Shannon Freeman
  78. Don’t stop… ever. – Amy Karns
  79. No matter what, just finish it. – Bradley Pierce
  80. Many now influential artists initially faced a lot of rejection. Get over or around it! – Leonard Wolf
  81. Be disciplined with your time. – Nicole La Bailarina
  82. Do it for yourself. – Lin Crowson
  83. God blessed you with this gift, use it! – Nicky Doody
  84. Continue using your amazing talent, only you know the full potential in your hands. Keep going. – Liliana Stevens
  85. It’s time to get started….do it. – Reba Stanley
  86. To thine own self be true. – Victoria Woodworth
  87. “Just keep swimming.” – Dory – Suzanne LeBeau
  88. Sit by yourself outside for 10 to 15 minutes with random songs playing on your playlist or not then GO. – Whitney Hilley Stewart
  89. Art is inspired by the entire spectrum of emotions and the human condition. Sometimes it’s good to feel doubt or fear or concern when it comes to our art. We often forget to allow art to be created from those scary places of self. Use the butterflies to feed the art and allow the art to be bigger than you. – Cody Brooks
  90. No rules. – David Anesta
  91. Go to museums and study art history and draw. – Bob Jones
  92. We need you to be yourself. – Amanda Dobra Hope
  93. Be you! You are the only one the rest of us have to learn about and to experience! – Melinda Ebert
  94. Follow your muse…. if it wanes, take a break. – Greg Allen
  95. Make it fun. – Buddy Jackson
  96. Keep making it no matter what. – Elizabeth Seiters
  97. Loving what you create is far more important than making it to sell. – Lydia Lea Wilson
  98. Become very still and quiet before you play your first note by taking a deep breath and then forgetting yourself. – Stan Lassiter
  99. Art is in the heart. – Ernest Chapman
  100. Just keep doing it. – Jennifer Lea Bowman

 

Feeling encouraged? Leave a comment below!