Skip to content
quotesby

About this quote

What does it mean?
True creativity often emerges when technical rules are forgotten and intuition takes over.
In plain terms
Art happens when you stop thinking about the rules.
What can you take from it?
Trust your instinct over rigid technique.

Where it applies

  • painting
  • writing
  • problem solving

Putting it to work

  • stop overthinking
  • embrace mistakes

Questions to consider

  • When do you lose yourself in work?
  • Does planning help or hinder you?

Another view

This overlooks the need for foundational skill before intuition works.

More from Edgar Degas

  1. It seems to me that today, if the artist wishes to be serious - to cut out a little original niche for himself, or at least preserve his own innocence of perso…

    Permalink to quote #12
  2. There is a kind of success that is indistinguishable from panic.

    Permalink to quote #14
  3. A painting requires a little mystery, some vagueness, and some fantasy. When you always make your meaning perfectly plain you end up boring people.

    Permalink to quote #11

Related quotes

  1. I haven't had any particular direction in my music. I just do it the way I feel it at the time.

    Johnny CashJohnny Cash quote #21
  2. My drawings have been described as pre-intentionalist, meaning that they were finished before the ideas for them had occurred to me. I shall not argue the poin…

    James ThurberJames Thurber quote #55
  3. If you're listening to this song You may think the chords are going wrong But they're not We just wrote it like that

    George HarrisonGeorge Harrison quote #1