--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: There is a popular notion that artists…" description: "\"“There is a popular notion that artists work from inspiration—that there is some strike or bolt or bubbling up of creative mojo from who knows where… b..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e86/cal-newport-1302_art_there-is-a-popular-notion-that-artists-w_1246050.jpg" --- # There is a popular notion that artists work from… ![“There is a popular notion that artists work from inspiration—that there is some strike or bolt or bubbling up of creative mojo from who knows where… but I hope [my work] makes clear that waiting for inspiration to strike is a terrible, terrible plan. In fact, perhaps the single best piece of…” quote by Cal Newport](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e86/cal-newport-1302_art_there-is-a-popular-notion-that-artists-w_1246050.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e86/cal-newport-1302_art_there-is-a-popular-notion-that-artists-w_1246050.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e86/cal-newport-1302_art_there-is-a-popular-notion-that-artists-w_1246050.jpg) > ““There is a popular notion that artists work from inspiration—that there is some strike or bolt or bubbling up of creative mojo from who knows where… but I hope \[my work\] makes clear that waiting for inspiration to strike is a terrible, terrible plan. In fact, perhaps the single best piece of advice I can offer to anyone trying to do creative work is to ignore inspiration.”” [Cal Newport](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cal-newport/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Creative output relies on disciplined practice rather than waiting for fleeting inspiration. **In simple terms:** Work consistently, not waiting for inspiration. Key Takeaway Focus on regular practice. Themes discipline creativity productivity Mood determined focused Type advice motivational When to use this quote - writing - design - music composition - software development - research Key Concepts habit formation flow state deliberate practice Questions to Reflect On - How can you structure daily routines to foster creativity? - What role does occasional inspiration play in your work? A Different Perspective Inspiration can still spark ideas; ignoring it may limit serendipity. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Art](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/art/) [Creative Mojo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/creative-mojo-3908929/) [Creative work](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/creative-work/) [Creativity](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/creativity/) [Ignore Inspiration](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ignore-inspiration-3908928/) [Inspiration](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/inspiration/) [Inspiration Strike](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/inspiration-strike-2603097/) [Trying Creative](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/trying-creative-298896/) ## Related quotes > [Do not ignore inspiration, it is your guide to self discovery](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/e-yen-a-gardner/do-not-ignore-inspiration-it-is-your-guide-to-self-discovery/) [E'yen A. Gardner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/e-yen-a-gardner/) > [If you look at the world one way, it takes from you - it's a thief of time, energy, creative mojo. But if you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/julianna-baggott/if-you-look-at-the-world-one-way-it-takes-from-you-it-s-a-thief-of/) [Julianna Baggott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/julianna-baggott/) > [“Any writer who waits for inspiration to strike will never finish a book. Inspiration is all very well but it will never replace sheer…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barbara-michaels/any-writer-who-waits-for-inspiration-to-strike-will-never-finish-a/) [Barbara Michaels](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barbara-michaels/) > [“One never knows when inspiration will strike. Inspiration happens in a flash so pay attention. And then Go with it. Immediately.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ruth-yunker/one-never-knows-when-inspiration-will-strike-inspiration-happens-in-a/) [Ruth Yunker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ruth-yunker/) > [I am sure that inspiration will strike multiple times - it always does.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vera-nazarian/i-am-sure-that-inspiration-will-strike-multiple-times-it-always-does/) [Vera Nazarian](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vera-nazarian/) > [“One of the greatest dangers for us creators is that we are impatiently waiting for inspiration to strike before we begin our work. The…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chris-erzfeld/one-of-the-greatest-dangers-for-us-creators-is-that-we-are/) [Chris Erzfeld](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chris-erzfeld/) > [I think I'm always writing, and I'm always working, and I'm always trying to be creative. It's just something that I do all the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-5/i-think-i-m-always-writing-and-i-m-always-working-and-i-m-always/) [John 5](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-5/) > [Everybody struggles to come up with stuff that no one has ever seen before. It's a fine line between trying to get creative and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-seagal/everybody-struggles-to-come-up-with-stuff-that-no-one-has-ever-seen/) [Steven Seagal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-seagal/) > [The worst thing you can do to anybody trying to be creative is to demand participation in their vision.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chuck-klosterman/the-worst-thing-you-can-do-to-anybody-trying-to-be-creative-is-to/) [Chuck Klosterman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chuck-klosterman/) > [While I pride myself on trying to be creative in all areas of my life, I have occasionally gone overboard, like the time I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gregory-maguire/while-i-pride-myself-on-trying-to-be-creative-in-all-areas-of-my-life/) [Gregory Maguire](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gregory-maguire/) > [I like trying to be creative.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/clint-dempsey/i-like-trying-to-be-creative/) [Clint Dempsey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/clint-dempsey/) > [Trying to be creative, yet having to deal with the day to day - I mean, there is a lot of stuff to deal…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeremy-enigk/trying-to-be-creative-yet-having-to-deal-with-the-day-to-day-i-mean/) [Jeremy Enigk](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeremy-enigk/) > [Every day, I kind of have in my brain a few slots of what I want to do. Like school, sleep, homework, 'Rookie,' hanging…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tavi-gevinson/every-day-i-kind-of-have-in-my-brain-a-few-slots-of-what-i-want-to-do/) [Tavi Gevinson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tavi-gevinson/) > [If you're trying to be more creative, one of the most important things you can do is increase the volume and diversity of the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonah-lehrer/if-you-re-trying-to-be-more-creative-one-of-the-most-important-things/) [Jonah Lehrer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonah-lehrer/) > [Every time, I train things differently with my coach and work on new things, so I don't always come in with the same strategy.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yair-rodriguez/every-time-i-train-things-differently-with-my-coach-and-work-on-new/) [Yair Rodriguez](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yair-rodriguez/) ## More by Cal Newport > [“the importance of ability. The things that make a great job great, I discovered, are rare and valuable. If you want them in your…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cal-newport/the-importance-of-ability-the-things-that-make-a-great-job-great-i/) [Cal Newport](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cal-newport/) > [“many software companies now deploy the Scrum project management methodology, which replaces a lot of this ad hoc messaging with regular, highly structured, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cal-newport/many-software-companies-now-deploy-the-scrum-project-management/) [Cal Newport](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cal-newport/) > [“when paying more than $1,000 a day to write the chapter in a suite of an old hotel down the street from a Hogwarts-style…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cal-newport/when-paying-more-than-1-000-a-day-to-write-the-chapter-in-a-suite-of/) [Cal Newport](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cal-newport/) > [“When deciding whether to follow an appealing pursuit that will introduce more control into your work life, seek evidence of whether people are willing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cal-newport/when-deciding-whether-to-follow-an-appealing-pursuit-that-will/) [Cal Newport](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cal-newport/) > [“Let your mind become a lens, thanks to the converging rays of attention; let your soul be all intent on whatever it is that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cal-newport/let-your-mind-become-a-lens-thanks-to-the-converging-rays-of/) [Cal Newport](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cal-newport/) > [“study by Harvard Business School professor Leslie Perlow. 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This insight brought me into the world of performance science, where I encountered the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cal-newport/if-it-s-rare-and-valuable-it-s-not-easy-to-get-this-insight-brought/) [Cal Newport](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cal-newport/) > [“Here’s the routine: Once a week I require myself to summarize in my “bible” a paper I think might be relevant to my research.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cal-newport/here-s-the-routine-once-a-week-i-require-myself-to-summarize-in-my/) [Cal Newport](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cal-newport/) > [“craftsman mindset is the foundation for creating work you love.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cal-newport/craftsman-mindset-is-the-foundation-for-creating-work-you-love/) [Cal Newport](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cal-newport/) > [“the journalist philosophy. This name is a nod to the fact that journalists, like Walter Isaacson, are trained to shift into a writing mode…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cal-newport/the-journalist-philosophy-this-name-is-a-nod-to-the-fact-that/) [Cal Newport](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cal-newport/) > [“Not long into his 2010 TED talk on creativity and leadership, Derek Sivers plays a video clip of a crowd at an outdoor concert.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cal-newport/not-long-into-his-2010-ted-talk-on-creativity-and-leadership-derek/) [Cal Newport](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cal-newport/) > [“Kirk’s path to American Treasures was incremental. He didn’t decide out of nowhere that he wanted to host a television show and then work…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cal-newport/kirk-s-path-to-american-treasures-was-incremental-he-didn-t-decide/) [Cal Newport](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cal-newport/) > [“If you spend too much time focusing on whether or not you’ve found your true calling, the question will be rendered moot when you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cal-newport/if-you-spend-too-much-time-focusing-on-whether-or-not-you-ve-found/) [Cal Newport](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cal-newport/) > [“Their plans were circumspect and small-time. They weren’t dreaming of taking over the world.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cal-newport/their-plans-were-circumspect-and-small-time-they-weren-t-dreaming-of/) [Cal Newport](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cal-newport/) > [“This chain method (as some now call it) soon became a hit among writers and fitness enthusiasts—communities that thrive on the ability to do…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cal-newport/this-chain-method-as-some-now-call-it-soon-became-a-hit-among-writers/) [Cal Newport](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cal-newport/) [Explore all 257 Cal Newport quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cal-newport/) ## More Art quotes > [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/) > [Before Noah, men having only water to drink, could not find the truth. Accordingly...they became abominably wicked, and they were justly exterminated by the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/benjamin-franklin/before-noah-men-having-only-water-to-drink-could-not-find-the-truth/) [Benjamin Franklin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/benjamin-franklin/) > [“Hear the sum of the whole matter in the compass of one brief word — every art possessed by man comes from Prometheus.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aeschylus/hear-the-sum-of-the-whole-matter-in-the-compass-of-one-brief-word/) [Aeschylus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aeschylus/) > [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/) > [The capacity to be puzzled is the premise of all creation, be it in art or in science.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/erich-fromm/the-capacity-to-be-puzzled-is-the-premise-of-all-creation-be-it-in/) [Erich Fromm](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/erich-fromm/) > [That's the great secret of creativity. You treat ideas like cats: you make them follow you.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ray-bradbury/that-s-the-great-secret-of-creativity-you-treat-ideas-like-cats-you/) [Ray Bradbury](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ray-bradbury/) > [“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](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/taf-teh/) > [The house has to serve comfort. The work of art is revolutionary; the house is conservative.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adolf-loos/the-house-has-to-serve-comfort-the-work-of-art-is-revolutionary-the/) [Adolf Loos](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adolf-loos/) > [During human progress, every science is evolved out of its corresponding art.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/herbert-spencer/during-human-progress-every-science-is-evolved-out-of-its/) [Herbert Spencer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/herbert-spencer/) > [In literature and art memory is a synonym for invention. It is the life-blood of imagination, which faints and dies when the veins are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-aris-willmott/in-literature-and-art-memory-is-a-synonym-for-invention-it-is-the/) [Robert Aris Willmott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-aris-willmott/) > [I think a business guy is different from an artist. They walk different paths. Artists create the best outputs when they're having fun. 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