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Artist Quotes

The discipline and feeling behind making art.

This group of quotes describes the artist as someone shaped by training as much as instinct, whether that means starting a project from a visual idea or treating color and sound as tools for emotion. It pairs naturally with our broader Art quotes.

When I first heard Ray Charles, he was a flop artist on a small label in California. He hadn't sold any records. And I bought his contract for $2,500.

Quotes by Ahmet Ertegun

Hands are the tool of the painter, the artist.

Quotes by Agnes Varda

Any material may be used but the theme is the same and the response is the same for all artwork... we all have the same concern, but the artist must know exactly what the experience is. He must pursue the...

Quotes by Agnes Martin

The artist never entirely knows. We guess. We may be wrong, but we take leap after leap in the dark.

Quotes by Agnes de Mille

Always Quotes

I am a failed visual artist.

Quotes by Aesop Rock

Before I began concentrating on writing, in my free time I was an artist, making and selling etchings illustrating stories based on my readings in classical literature.

Quotes by Adrienne Mayor

'All the Stars in the Heavens' takes place during the golden age of Hollywood, around an imagined story about Loretta Young; Clark Gable; Alda, a young woman with a secret who is preparing to become a nun but is cast...

Quotes by Adriana Trigiani

As a freelance artist, you have to please somebody instead of just making music. But when the employer trusts and leans on you to determine what is right for a scene or feeling, that's ideal.

Quotes by Adrian Younge

To be perfectly honest, if it was up to me, I would be invisible as an artist.

Quotes by Adrian Tomine

Art Quotes

I wanted to be as invisible as possible as an artist. I wanted to differentiate between myself and who I'm writing about.

Quotes by Adrian Tomine

My early comics are really reflective of being kind of a befuddled, single loser in the Bay Area, and I think having kids has been by far the most profound impact on me as a person and as an artist.

Quotes by Adrian Tomine

Music reflects an artist's feelings and their experiences.

Quotes by Adnan Sami

As an actor, you just like to be able to play as much range. I just want to be invisible. I want to be able to be perceived as an artist as opposed to 'a black actor': that's the joy.

Quotes by Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje

I want to go and see things as a fan again. I am a fan, but I can't remember what it feels like to be a fan anymore. Because I've become an artist. I've become the artist.

Quotes by Adele

Being Quotes

I think it's shameful when you sell out. It depends what kind of artist you wanna be, but I don't want my name anywhere near another brand.

Quotes by Adele

I've never really had the desire to be a front person or a solo artist. I don't really create that much of a hierarchy in my mind.

Quotes by Adam Schlesinger

I like Jaykae. He's a great artist, and I absolutely love Dr. Dre's album and a bit of Calvin Harris now and then.

Quotes by Adam Peaty

The artist finds, that the more he can confine his attention to a particular part of any work, his productions are the more perfect, and grow under his hands in the greater quantities.

Quotes by Adam Ferguson

Only a bad artist thinks he has a good idea. A good artist does not need anything.

Quotes by Ad Reinhardt

I Am Quotes

Now almost every artist outside of New York is connected with some school or some museum school, and even in New York the majority are. That's an interesting fact when you take the idea of making money, making a living...

Quotes by Ad Reinhardt

Frequently Asked Questions

What do these Artist quotes explore?
These quotes look at what it means to be an artist to the core — using talent to elevate humanity, drawing inspiration from visual artists, and training both eye and soul. For more on the craft itself, see our Art collection.
Is there a quote about using art to elevate humanity?
Yes — one quote says, "I'm an artist to the core. And my objective has always been to use my talents and my skills to elevate humanity through my art."
How does a choreographer's process connect to visual art here?
One quote explains starting not with music but with a visual artist, then finding music that fits that visual artist's world — a reminder that inspiration doesn't have to follow the usual order. This creative, unconventional way of being an artist is explored further in our Being collection.
Is there a quote about training beyond just technical skill?
Yes — one quote states simply, "The artist must train not only his eye but also his soul."
What does the 'color is the keyboard' quote mean?
One quote compares creation to music: "Color is the keyboard, the eyes are the harmonies, the soul is the piano with many strings. The artist is the hand that plays, touching one key or another, to cause vibrations in the soul." It's a poetic way of describing how an artist channels feeling into form. If you like exploring identity through creative work, our I Am collection covers similar ground.

A few lines describe art as a way of elevating others, a purpose worth reading beside Being quotes, while more introspective statements about identity as a maker connect to our I Am quotes.