--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: The creative process obtains in all…" description: "\"The creative process obtains in all creative acts. So if I'm painting suddenly I'll see something that I didn't see before.\" — Annie Dillard" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ed9/annie-dillard-509_artist_the-creative-process-obtains-in-all-crea_450741.jpg" --- # The creative process obtains in all creative acts. So if… ![“The creative process obtains in all creative acts. So if I'm painting suddenly I'll see something that I didn't see before.” quote by Annie Dillard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ed9/annie-dillard-509_artist_the-creative-process-obtains-in-all-crea_450741.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ed9/annie-dillard-509_artist_the-creative-process-obtains-in-all-crea_450741.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ed9/annie-dillard-509_artist_the-creative-process-obtains-in-all-crea_450741.jpg) > “The creative process obtains in all creative acts. So if I'm painting suddenly I'll see something that I didn't see before.” [Annie Dillard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/annie-dillard/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Creativity emerges when we notice unexpected details during artistic work, revealing new perspectives. **In simple terms:** Creative work reveals unseen details. Key Takeaway Observe closely to spark new ideas. Themes creativity observation artistic insight Mood curious inspired Type reflective inspirational When to use this quote - painting - writing - design - problem solving Key Concepts mindfulness perception innovation Questions to Reflect On - How can you train yourself to notice the unnoticed? - What habits help you stay open to surprise? A Different Perspective Seeing new details can be fleeting and requires practice. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Artist](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/artist/) [Creative](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/creative/) [Creative act](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/creative-act/) [Creative process](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/creative-process/) [Creativity](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/creativity/) [Painting](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/painting/) [Process](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/process/) ## Related quotes > [Only in our creative acts do we step forth into the light and see ourselves whole and complete.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carl-jung/only-in-our-creative-acts-do-we-step-forth-into-the-light-and-see/) [Carl Jung](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carl-jung/) > [Questions are creative acts of intelligence.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/francis-kingdon-ward/questions-are-creative-acts-of-intelligence/) Francis Kingdon Ward > [Of all the creative acts performed by the artist, the most directly legible is drawing... it is the act that is most directly and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rene-huyghe/of-all-the-creative-acts-performed-by-the-artist-the-most-directly/) Rene Huyghe > [Art - be it painting, sculpture, music - they are all creations, they are creative acts. I consider a film, with everything that is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/audrey-tautou/art-be-it-painting-sculpture-music-they-are-all-creations-they-are/) [Audrey Tautou](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/audrey-tautou/) > [Questions are the creative acts of intelligence.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/questions-are-the-creative-acts-of-intelligence/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Art indeed is a term referring to the social source and to the social utility of creative acts.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laura-riding/art-indeed-is-a-term-referring-to-the-social-source-and-to-the-social/) [Laura Riding](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laura-riding/) > [In painting, you can suddenly come upon something so huge that no-one can deal with it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/honor-de-balzac/in-painting-you-can-suddenly-come-upon-something-so-huge-that-no-one/) [Honore de Balzac](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/honor-de-balzac/) > [The creative act is not performed by the artist alone; the spectator brings the work in contact with the external world by deciphering and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marcel-duchamp/the-creative-act-is-not-performed-by-the-artist-alone-the-spectator/) [Marcel Duchamp](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marcel-duchamp/) > [Separate out the creative act from the act of editing and execution. Make it a two-step process. First, let ideas flow and encourage EVERY…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/josh-linkner/separate-out-the-creative-act-from-the-act-of-editing-and-execution/) [Josh Linkner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/josh-linkner/) > [“Creativity is a magic wand that works two ways. When you set it in action and seek to create something, it does not just…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jyoti-arora/creativity-is-a-magic-wand-that-works-two-ways-when-you-set-it-in/) [Jyoti Arora](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jyoti-arora/) > [Perhaps the meaning of all human activity lies in the artistic consciousness, in the pointless and selfless creative act? Perhaps our capacity to create…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrei-tarkovsky/perhaps-the-meaning-of-all-human-activity-lies-in-the-artistic/) [Andrei Tarkovsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrei-tarkovsky/) > [Creativity is not a solitary movement. That is its power. Whatever is touched by it, whoever hears it, sees it, senses it, knows it,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/clarissa-pinkola-estes/creativity-is-not-a-solitary-movement-that-is-its-power-whatever-is/) [Clarissa Pinkola Estes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/clarissa-pinkola-estes/) > [In my own case, I'm an artist, and I'm really interested in expanding the vocabulary of human action, and basically empowering people through interactivity.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/golan-levin/in-my-own-case-i-m-an-artist-and-i-m-really-interested-in-expanding/) [Golan Levin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/golan-levin/) > [Every culture, if its natural development is not too much affected by political restrictions, experiences a perpetual renewal of the formative urge, and out…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rudolf-rocker/every-culture-if-its-natural-development-is-not-too-much-affected-by/) [Rudolf Rocker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rudolf-rocker/) > [Half of the pleasure of painting and feeling the joy of the creative act is sharing it with others and the feeling of connection.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sara-genn/half-of-the-pleasure-of-painting-and-feeling-the-joy-of-the-creative/) [Sara Genn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sara-genn/) ## More by Annie Dillard > [Like everyone in his right mind, I feared Santa Claus.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/annie-dillard/like-everyone-in-his-right-mind-i-feared-santa-claus/) [Annie Dillard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/annie-dillard/) > [“This is a spendthrift economy; though nothing is lost, all is spent.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/annie-dillard/this-is-a-spendthrift-economy-though-nothing-is-lost-all-is-spent/) [Annie Dillard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/annie-dillard/) > [The creatures I seek do not want to be seen.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/annie-dillard/the-creatures-i-seek-do-not-want-to-be-seen/) [Annie Dillard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/annie-dillard/) > [Nothing moves a woman so deeply as the boyhood of the man she loves.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/annie-dillard/nothing-moves-a-woman-so-deeply-as-the-boyhood-of-the-man-she-loves/) [Annie Dillard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/annie-dillard/) > [We live in all we seek. The hidden shows up in too-plain sight. It lives captive on the face of the obvious - the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/annie-dillard/we-live-in-all-we-seek-the-hidden-shows-up-in-too-plain-sight-it/) [Annie Dillard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/annie-dillard/) > [“...The mockingbird took a single step into the air and dropped. His wings were still folded against his sides as though he were singing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/annie-dillard/the-mockingbird-took-a-single-step-into-the-air-and-dropped-his-wings/) [Annie Dillard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/annie-dillard/) > [“Father had stretched out his long legs and was tilting back in his chair. Mother sat with her knees crossed, in blue slacks, smoking…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/annie-dillard/father-had-stretched-out-his-long-legs-and-was-tilting-back-in-his/) [Annie Dillard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/annie-dillard/) > [I am a frayed and nibbled survivor in a fallen world, and I am getting along. I am aging and eaten and have done…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/annie-dillard/i-am-a-frayed-and-nibbled-survivor-in-a-fallen-world-and-i-am-getting/) [Annie Dillard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/annie-dillard/) > [It should surprise no one that the life of the writer - such as it is - is colorless to the point of sensory…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/annie-dillard/it-should-surprise-no-one-that-the-life-of-the-writer-such-as-it-is/) [Annie Dillard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/annie-dillard/) > [It is madness to wear ladies' straw hats and velvet hats to church; we should all be wearing crash helmets. Ushers should issue life…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/annie-dillard/it-is-madness-to-wear-ladies-straw-hats-and-velvet-hats-to-church-we/) [Annie Dillard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/annie-dillard/) > [The sense impressions of one-celled animals are not edited for the brain. This is philosophically interesting in a rather mournful way, since it means…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/annie-dillard/the-sense-impressions-of-one-celled-animals-are-not-edited-for-the/) [Annie Dillard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/annie-dillard/) > [“What can we make of the inexpressible joy of children? It is a kind of gratitude, I think—the gratitude of the ten-year-old who wakes…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/annie-dillard/what-can-we-make-of-the-inexpressible-joy-of-children-it-is-a-kind-of/) [Annie Dillard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/annie-dillard/) > [“If we were to judge nature by its common sense or likelihood, we wouldn't believe the world existed. In nature, improbabilities are the one…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/annie-dillard/if-we-were-to-judge-nature-by-its-common-sense-or-likelihood-we/) [Annie Dillard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/annie-dillard/) > [For writing a first draft requires from the writer a peculiar internal state which ordinary life does not induce. ... how to set yourself spinning?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/annie-dillard/for-writing-a-first-draft-requires-from-the-writer-a-peculiar/) [Annie Dillard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/annie-dillard/) > [I am a fugitive and a vagabond, a sojourner seeking signs.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/annie-dillard/i-am-a-fugitive-and-a-vagabond-a-sojourner-seeking-signs/) [Annie Dillard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/annie-dillard/) [Explore all 509 Annie Dillard quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/annie-dillard/) ## More Artist quotes > [One is a painter because one wants so-called freedom; one doesn't want to go to the office every morning.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marcel-duchamp/one-is-a-painter-because-one-wants-so-called-freedom-one-doesn-t-want/) [Marcel Duchamp](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marcel-duchamp/) > [True works of art contain their own theory and give us the measurement according to which we should judge them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/johann-wolfgang-von-goethe/true-works-of-art-contain-their-own-theory-and-give-us-the/) [Johann Wolfgang von Goethe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/johann-wolfgang-von-goethe/) > [I think most artists feel like they're outside society - no matter how many accolades they receive, or how much money is in your…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aaron-rose/i-think-most-artists-feel-like-they-re-outside-society-no-matter-how/) [Aaron Rose](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aaron-rose/) > [“People in coats and ties were milling around the Talley gallery, and on the wall were the minimally rendered still lifes by Giorgio Morandi,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steve-martin/people-in-coats-and-ties-were-milling-around-the-talley-gallery-and/) [Steve Martin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steve-martin/) > [The prophet who fails to present a bearable alternative and yet preaches doom is part of the trap that he postulates. Not only does…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-mead/the-prophet-who-fails-to-present-a-bearable-alternative-and-yet/) [Margaret Mead](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-mead/) > [“So, really," continued Jacob as if this were perfectly normal to expound on art in these circumstances, "when you think about it, the artists…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/justina-chen-headley/so-really-continued-jacob-as-if-this-were-perfectly-normal-to-expound/) [Justina Chen Headley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/justina-chen-headley/) > [“There are two options in art; either to adopt philosophical life by dissecting art, or to write your own philosophical life and claim it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/taf-teh/there-are-two-options-in-art-either-to-adopt-philosophical-life-by/) Taf Teh > [From as long as I can remember, I was always fond of drawing.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/st-lucia/from-as-long-as-i-can-remember-i-was-always-fond-of-drawing/) [St. Lucia](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/st-lucia/) > [I think a business guy is different from an artist. They walk different paths. Artists create the best outputs when they're having fun. And…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/g-dragon/i-think-a-business-guy-is-different-from-an-artist-they-walk/) [G-Dragon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/g-dragon/) > [The sublime in art is the attempt to express the infinite without finding in the realm of phenomena any object which proves itself fitting…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/georg-wilhelm-friedrich-hegel/the-sublime-in-art-is-the-attempt-to-express-the-infinite-without/) [Georg Wilhelm Friedrich Hegel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/georg-wilhelm-friedrich-hegel/) > [Art isn't done to decorate apartments, but to wage war against the enemy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pablo-picasso/art-isn-t-done-to-decorate-apartments-but-to-wage-war-against-the/) [Pablo Picasso](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pablo-picasso/) > [Designers shouldn’t design for museums any more than mummies should die for them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ralph-caplan/designers-shouldn-t-design-for-museums-any-more-than-mummies-should/) [Ralph Caplan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ralph-caplan/) > [I don't believe in competitions between artists. This is insane. Who has the authority to say someone is better?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-arkin/i-don-t-believe-in-competitions-between-artists-this-is-insane-who/) [Alan Arkin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-arkin/) > [I am not the avant-garde. I am the artist who comes after the advancing guard. I am more concerned with continuity of ideas and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nathan-oliveira/i-am-not-the-avant-garde-i-am-the-artist-who-comes-after-the/) [Nathan Oliveira](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nathan-oliveira/) > [I am a horrible visual artist. I can't fix a car, sew, knit, cook, etc. Statistically, there is more I don't do than do.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carrie-brownstein/i-am-a-horrible-visual-artist-i-can-t-fix-a-car-sew-knit-cook-etc/) [Carrie Brownstein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carrie-brownstein/) [Browse all 32,600 Artist quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/artist/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "The creative process obtains in all creative acts. 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