David Bayles Art and Fear Observations on the Perils and Rewards of Artmaking Quotes

“The function of the overwhelming majority of your artwork is simply to teach you how to make the small fraction of your artwork that soars.”

“Each artwork requires its own design”

“My response to stress is just as complex as my artwork.”

“In this kind of personal artwork, jettison any idea that you can help yourself or others by interpreting, praising, or criticizing. These kinds of creative pieces and experiences are only for being with. The only helpful response is to nourish the imagination and your piece by associating other images to it and noticing what feelings it evokes in you.”

“I think sometimes in artwork or writing or music, you discover something that just needs to be created. It’s not even something that you want to create... You’re just pulled into it like an instrument. Like you’re part of a bigger plan.”

“I've got some incredible fans actually - so loyal and they make me birthday cards and Christmas cards. I got this package of poems and artwork based around the songs. They've got this thing called 'Floetry' where they all have to put in artwork. They've set up their own competitions and stuff which is kind of amazing.”

“Work. Good, honest work, whether it’s working with your hands to create an artwork, or manual labour, brings forth a sense of divinity at play. The only prerequisite is that whatever the work is, it is done sincerely and in congruence with the soul’s true origin and intent, then, without any effort, one experiences a flow, wherein one feels a part of the plan of the entire universe.”

“My artwork isn't evolving, it's deconstructing, and I don't know why.”

“We are all an unforgettable artwork and a story yet to be told.”

“Practicing art is a meditation”