It’s the internet, and you’re never more than 2 feet away from an “inspirational” quote.
But the fact that most social media feeds are gummed up with images of people in yoga poses with meaningless slogans printed over them, doesn’t mean we can’t draw on some sage wisdom for our own hobby.
With that in mind, here’s my (ever growing) list of quotes that absolutely weren’t about painting miniatures, but at the same time, are totally apt for the craft.
Let’s dive in…
“If you feel safe in the area you’re working in, you’re not working in the right area. Always go a little further into the water than you feel you’re capable of being in. Go a little bit out of your depth. And when you don’t feel that your feet are quite touching the bottom, you’re just about in the right place to do something exciting.” – David Bowie
“Those who do not want to imitate anything, produce nothing.” – Salvador Dali
“Don’t tell me the moon is shining; show me the glint of light on broken glass.” – Anton Chekhov
“Art enables us to find ourselves and lose ourselves at the same time.” – Thomas Merton
“You want to know how to paint a perfect painting? It’s easy. Make yourself perfect and then just paint naturally.” – Robert M. Pirsig, Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance
“Creativity doesn’t wait for that perfect moment. It fashions its own perfect moments out of ordinary ones.” – Bruce Garrabrandt
“True happiness is to enjoy the present, without anxious dependence upon the future.” – Seneca
“Human beings, it seems, are at their best when immersed deeply in something challenging.” – Cal Newport, Deep Work
“The best way is always to stop when you are going good and when you know what will happen next. If you do that every day … you will never be stuck … That way your subconscious will work on it all the time. But if you think about it consciously or worry about it you will kill it and your brain will be tired before you start.” – Ernest Hemingway
“You set yourself a goal and carry it out – not all at once, but over time. You use your hands or your body to create something.” – Erling Kagge, Silence in the Age of Noise
“To practice any art, no matter how well or badly, is a way to make your soul grow. So do it.” – Kurt Vonnegut
“In the end, mastery involves discovering the most resonant information and integrating it so deeply and fully it disappears and allows us to fly free.” – Josh Waitzkin, The Art of Learning
Is that you suitably inspired now? Ready to crack on and battle through that pile of shame? Great!
Be sure to bookmark this post. Next time you’re struggling to find the motivation, give it another once-over.
And I’ll be building it out over time with more great quotes as I either remember them, or stumble across them. Hopefully you’ve found it useful in some small way 🙂
