Skip to content
quotesby

I don't do art to address other people but to address myself. I've never done art with a thought of being a professional artist who makes a living by selling his art. I've never had a commercial show in a gallery. I suppose I'm like those who write poetry or songs without seeking publication. I make art in and for the experience itself - to satisfy a need to express myself in a creative, colorful, non-verbal way.

Robert Fulghum#2

CreativityArtAuthenticityExpressionSelf expression

About this quote

What does it mean?
Art should be a personal expression to satisfy inner needs rather than a commercial pursuit.
In plain terms
Make art for yourself, not for money or fame.
What can you take from it?
Create art for personal expression.

Where it applies

  • creative pursuits
  • hobbyist communities
  • art therapy

Putting it to work

  • Dedicate time to non-commercial work
  • Share for joy not sales

Questions to consider

  • Why do you create?
  • What is your relationship to selling art?

Another view

Artists need income to sustain their practice.

More from Robert Fulghum

  1. I believe that imagination is stronger than knowledge - That myth is more potent than history. I believe that dreams are more powerful than facts - That hope a…

    Permalink to quote #1
  2. The grass is not, in fact, always greener on the other side of the fence. Fences have nothing to do with it. The grass is greenest where it is watered. When cr…

    Permalink to quote #3
  3. For all my good intentions, there are days when things go wrong or I fall into old habits. When things are not going well, when I'm grumpy or mad, I'll realize…

    Permalink to quote #4

Related quotes

  1. Close the door. Write with no one looking over your shoulder. Don't try to figure out what other people want to hear from you; figure out what you have to say.…

    Barbara KingsolverBarbara Kingsolver quote #7
  2. All my life I have been acutely aware of a contradiction in the very nature of my existence. For forty-five years I struggled to resolve this dilemma by writin…

    Yukio MishimaYukio Mishima quote #8
  3. A work of art consists of two elements,the inner and outer. The inner is the emotion in the soul of the artist...it has the capacity to evoke similar emotions …

    Wassily KandinskyWassily Kandinsky quote #16