Betty Dodson Quotes

O painter, take care lest the greed for gain prove a stronger incentive than renown in art, for to gain this renown is a far greater thing than is the renown of riches.

Many young artists, they look at the art world and think they can make a lot of money.

I remind myself Vincent van Gogh died without having sold a single painting. Like, art is not measured by the trappings that people attached to it. It's the thing itself, and so, as you know, it's been a dream of mine to write songs for Disney, and so, it's really exciting to finally hear. It's two and a half years.

I put all of my time into art because I couldn't go back to Jersey and work at Starbucks.

Somebody said us artists have trouble with success because art is derived from struggle. I disagree with that, because truely doing your art is success, whether you make money from it or not.

I hate to sound like a romantic adolescent, but I believe artists don't generally see art as a career choice; they simply can't overcome their desire to make art, and will live on little income for as long as they have to, before they start to sell their work - or give up and get a paying job.

I don't like to say I have given my life to art. I prefer to say art has given me my life.

I think most of the people involved in any art always secretly wonder whether they are really there because they're good or there because they're lucky.

I always wanted to be an acclaimed artist and to be at the top of my game.

When I was setting out to be an artist, I said: If I can just produce one work that some people think is good, if I can become an obscure cult artist, that's all I want. Well, I attained that. I'm an obscure cult artist, and I think now, Why didn't I say I want to be another Picasso or something? What other options were open to me? But I was convinced I couldn't achieve great things because I don't have a steady-state mind.

Art is something that nobody laughs at and nobody makes any money out of is the attitude, which I would dispute.

I understand wanting to do your craft. I understand wanting to have a passion for your art and for your ability to be an actor, to be a singer, to be a dancer - that I understand. Wanting to be famous - I don't get that. But that's where we're living right now.

I gave my genius to my life, but my talent to my art.

I certainly know guys in comedy, I know some actors, and I definitely know some musicians, who have survived to a certain age and make a good living doing what they do, but nobody knows who they are. They wake up every day and they have the ability to get paid practicing their art, but underneath it all, if you scratched the surface, you still get, "If I only had my own show . . .," or "If I only had my own band . . ." It's what people always do when they want to be their own star.

You must have the devil in you to succeed in the arts.

I remember my friends at primary and secondary school admiring my work and even paying me money for some of my pieces.

The only sensible way to regard the art life is that it is a privilege you are willing to pay for... You may cite honors and attentions and even money paid, but I would have you note that these were paid a long time after the creator had gone through his struggles.

Art was not created as a way to riches. Strive to become a true artist; all else will take care of itself.

As an artist, I've been very fortunate.

I just want to be rich and famous.

There's only one reason for my whole life, and that's art. Nothing else counts; nothing else gives me pleasure; nothing else gives me satisfaction.

When I was growing up, I thought I'd be a lot happier if I was famous and successful and if I had money.

Every human is an artist. The dream of your life is to make beautiful art.

Doing my art came out of something very solitary and something that I had no intention of showing anybody, and yet once people saw pieces in my house, it became really clear that there was a great demand for my art.

I wouldn't know any other way to live except to be an artist. I'm not very good at anything else.