99 Quotes by Eric Maisel

The artist, busy and unsettled, can find a moment’s peace – and even whole-being rejuvenation – by quietly attuning to a red sky, a gray sky, a black sky, a blue sky.

Artists know failure. It is not tragic that they know failure; it is only tragic if they know failure and little else...

The strange, unbeautiful face beautiful in its ugliness; the perfect, beautiful face ugly in its perfection.

Meaning is primarily a subjective psychological experience. A smart person is more likely than the next person to be aware of its absence and to be affected by its absence. He is more likely to get bored, to experience meaninglessness, to begin to see the extent to which neither his society nor the universe are built to satisfy his meaning needs, and to then hunt for soothing or exciting meaning substitutes that ultimately reduce his freedom. Meaning is a smart person’s most difficult challenge.

Remind yourself of the value of detaching from work that’s out of your hands and committing to new work that wants to be born.

Affirmations need to be used if they are to become incorporated into the fabric of your being.

All space is space in which to create.

The artist must reckon with his own character flaws, which do not disappear just because he has been called to be an artist.

While it may feel natural to devote yourself to your creative work and succumb to feelings of separation and alienation, it nevertheless isn’t a terrific idea in terms of your overall happiness and health.