George Lois Quotes

Even if you're not releasing songs, the act of creativity is important. That's the part I love, when you're in the moment. The rest of it I'm not particularly interested in at all.

Art is not the kind of thing where you get what you put into it all the time. So I learned to not expect anything other than the sort of joy of having a poem in front of me.

Creative work is one of life's greatest pleasures, and the only one we will gladly interrupt.

I've always felt that there's a point where a piece seems to be alive, that is, living. And that's the point where I know the composition is finished.

The creative habit is like a drug. The particular obsession changes, but the excitement, the thrill of your creation lasts.

When I am composing, I try to clear my mind of having to publish, or having to sell a book or find readers. That kind of thinking gets in the way.

Being at the genesis of the creative process is definitely something I want to keep doing. It's just such a great buzz.

Work can take on a new dimension if you know something about the artist.

Like all artists, I go through creative spurts.

When I have a creative insight, there is a high. I think back in the day, I made music as much as I did because it made me feel so good. I think you could argue that there is a creative addiction - but, you know, the healthy kind.

The most astonishing joy is to receive from the muses the gift of a whole lyric.

One of the pleasant things those of us who write or paint do is to have the daily miracle. It does come.

One does not set out with the idea that I've just had a great idea and now I'm going to go and carry it out. Almost all art that's made like that doesn't go anywhere.

I create work, and I devote myself to the creative process, and I try to, you know, stay pure in that process and be worthy of the messages that I receive.

I think that that's why artists make art - it is difficult to put into words unless you are a poet. What it takes is being open to the flow of universal creativity. The Zen artists knew this.

I think it's natural for a creative to be sensitive. If I'm in the studio and I write something, I think it's the greatest thing in the world; it's like my baby. I just made something out of thin air that exists now in a tangible form. It's the biggest thrill in my life.

Writing isn't about the process. It is about creating. The joy comes not from the process but from the creation.

I think as long as I have a creative outlet, I'm happy.

There are a lot of distractions when you're in creative industries like publishing or fashion or media, and it's a real blessing to have witnessed some of those up close at a young age. I think when you get past the glamour, that's when you get to the good stuff - the stuff that really feeds your soul and enriches you as a person.

Why a musician loves playing jazz or classical music or what makes them happy, and why an artist likes to paint - it's so hard to actually put into words what that feeling is of joy that we get, but that is what I get: a feeling of joy when the camera is rolling, even if I'm doing something that is not joyous.

That's what I've always wanted to do - work with my favorite writers and make something from scratch with them that we can feel like didn't exist before we came in the room.

Art is never finished, only abandoned.

I think the greatest privilege you have as an artist is time to nurture what you want to make; that's super luxurious. For you to rush into something, that doesn't feel fun to me. I'm living life in order to be able to write about it.

I'm really happy when I'm actively creating things. When I'm frustrated and not excited, it's because I haven't written anything in a month or so.

I'm having fun creating what I'm creating.