When we work, our whole being participates in what we do.

InspirationArtist

Apr 23

Wanted to quickly share a few quotes by Etel Adnan.

Firstly:

When we work our whole being participates in what we do.
It's more than just thinking.
It's who you are…
you can't escape from.
It's going to follow you like your shadow.
And it will come out.
So let it come out.

I’ve only learned of her and her art recently when she appeared in a Google doodle a few days ago. She was first a poet and then a painter and it really shows in her paintings - the colors, the shapes, despite being pared down and minimal, still felt impactful and vibrant.

I adored her works, so I read more about her and watched a few (ok, more than a few) video interviews. And the above quote really resonated with me. I’ve always found it fascinating how we can all be given the same assignment, be drawing or painting from the same model, or even be copying the same masters’ painting and yet we’d all get different looking results. So her thought of our unique works reflecting our unique selves is spot on. And I feel it can be any kind of work, not solely art work.

Another quote about artists and creating:

So here you are a writer
but you are a human being
you have to survive
to deal with all these contradictions
and I think everybody alive has a love for life
if you hated life you'd be dead
one hundred percent
so we each have a instinct for life
when I paint I am really happy
I forget, I don’t think much
I just do it on instinct

And lastly, Etel Adnan on beauty:

I am very sensitive to beauty.
We don't speak of beauty anymore.
In art criticism, we don't mention beauty.
It's 'demodé', out of fashion.
But it isn't really, beauty...
is an inner sense.
And it makes us happy.
It's not complicated. We need it.

Ditto, whole heartedly.