--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I don't work with inspiration…" description: "\"I don't work with inspiration. Inspiration is for amateurs. I just get to work.\" — Chuck Close" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d80/chuck-close-4781_amateurs_i-don-t-work-with-inspiration-inspiratio_410800.jpg" --- # I don't work with inspiration. Inspiration is for… ![“I don't work with inspiration. Inspiration is for amateurs. I just get to work.” quote by Chuck Close](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d80/chuck-close-4781_amateurs_i-don-t-work-with-inspiration-inspiratio_410800.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d80/chuck-close-4781_amateurs_i-don-t-work-with-inspiration-inspiratio_410800.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d80/chuck-close-4781_amateurs_i-don-t-work-with-inspiration-inspiratio_410800.jpg) > “I don't work with inspiration. Inspiration is for amateurs. I just get to work.” [Chuck Close](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chuck-close/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Inspiration is secondary; consistent work and effort produce art. **In simple terms:** Work beats fleeting inspiration. Key Takeaway Prioritize disciplined practice over waiting for inspiration. Themes work ethic artistry discipline creativity professionalism Mood pragmatic determined Type artistic motivational When to use this quote - studio practice - daily sketching - project deadlines - skill drills Key Concepts habit formation skill mastery process over product Questions to Reflect On - How can you balance routine with moments of creative spark? - What habits keep you productive when motivation wanes? A Different Perspective Neglecting inspiration may limit originality. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Amateurs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/amateurs/) [Inspiration](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/inspiration/) [Photography](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/photography/) ## Related quotes > [I don't believe in inspiration. Inspiration is for amateurs. Some of the time you know you're cooking, and the rest of the time, you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chuck-close/i-don-t-believe-in-inspiration-inspiration-is-for-amateurs-some-of/) [Chuck Close](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chuck-close/) > [“The advice I like to give young artists, or really anybody who'll listen to me, is not to wait around for inspiration. Inspiration is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chuck-close/the-advice-i-like-to-give-young-artists-or-really-anybody-who-ll-2/) [Chuck Close](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chuck-close/) > [The advice I like to give young artists, or really anybody who’ll listen to me, is not to wait around for inspiration. Inspiration is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chuck-close/the-advice-i-like-to-give-young-artists-or-really-anybody-who-ll/) [Chuck Close](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chuck-close/) > [Inspiration is for amateurs - the rest of us just show up and get to work. And the belief that things will grow out…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chuck-close/inspiration-is-for-amateurs-the-rest-of-us-just-show-up-and-get-to-3/) [Chuck Close](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chuck-close/) > [“Inspiration is for amateurs. I just get to work.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chuck-close/inspiration-is-for-amateurs-i-just-get-to-work/) [Chuck Close](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chuck-close/) > [“I always thought that inspiration is for amateurs. The rest of us just show up and get to work.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chuck-close/i-always-thought-that-inspiration-is-for-amateurs-the-rest-of-us-just/) [Chuck Close](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chuck-close/) > [Inspiration is for amateurs. professionals work everyday. Personally the best inspiration is a deadline.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chuck-close/inspiration-is-for-amateurs-professionals-work-everyday-personally/) [Chuck Close](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chuck-close/) > [Inspiration is for amateurs.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/inspiration-is-for-amateurs/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“Inspiration is for amateurs--the rest of us just show up and get to work. - Chuck Close”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joe-fig/inspiration-is-for-amateurs-the-rest-of-us-just-show-up-and-get-to/) Joe Fig > [Waiting for inspiration is for amateurs; professionals get to work.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-genn/waiting-for-inspiration-is-for-amateurs-professionals-get-to-work/) [Robert Genn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-genn/) > [“Inspiration is for amateurs,” Close says. “The rest of us just show up and get to work.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mason-currey/inspiration-is-for-amateurs-close-says-the-rest-of-us-just-show-up/) [Mason Currey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mason-currey/) > [Inspiration is for amateurs. The rest of us just show up and get to work. If you wait around for the clouds to part…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chuck-close/inspiration-is-for-amateurs-the-rest-of-us-just-show-up-and-get-to-2/) [Chuck Close](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chuck-close/) > [Never let anyone define what you are capable of by using parameters that don't apply to you. Inspiration is for amateurs, the rest of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chuck-close/never-let-anyone-define-what-you-are-capable-of-by-using-parameters-2/) [Chuck Close](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chuck-close/) > [At first, when an idea, a poem, or the desire to write takes hold of you, work is a pleasure, a delight, and your…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/natalie-clifford-barney/at-first-when-an-idea-a-poem-or-the-desire-to-write-takes-hold-of-you/) [Natalie Clifford Barney](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/natalie-clifford-barney/) > [“Inspiration is not something that gives you permission to begin your work; inspiration is the reward you get after you start working.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chris-erzfeld/inspiration-is-not-something-that-gives-you-permission-to-begin-your/) [Chris Erzfeld](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chris-erzfeld/) ## More by Chuck Close > [While photography is the easiest medium in which to be competent, it is the hardest in which to develop an idiosyncratic personal vision.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chuck-close/while-photography-is-the-easiest-medium-in-which-to-be-competent-it/) [Chuck Close](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chuck-close/) > [Never let anyone define what you are capable of by using parameters that don’t apply to you.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chuck-close/never-let-anyone-define-what-you-are-capable-of-by-using-parameters/) [Chuck Close](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chuck-close/) > [Inspiration is highly overrated. If you sit around and wait for the clouds to part, it's not liable to ever happen. More often than…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chuck-close/inspiration-is-highly-overrated-if-you-sit-around-and-wait-for-the/) [Chuck Close](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chuck-close/) > [There's something Zen-like about the way I work - it's like raking gravel in a Zen Buddhist garden.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chuck-close/there-s-something-zen-like-about-the-way-i-work-it-s-like-raking/) [Chuck Close](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chuck-close/) > [After a few days in hospital, I was thinking, Oh, gee - I raised in a church, Protestant upbringing which I'd rejected as an…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chuck-close/after-a-few-days-in-hospital-i-was-thinking-oh-gee-i-raised-in-a/) [Chuck Close](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chuck-close/) > [Painting is the most magical of mediums. The transcendence is truly amazing to me every time I go to a museum and I see…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chuck-close/painting-is-the-most-magical-of-mediums-the-transcendence-is-truly/) [Chuck Close](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chuck-close/) > [Every child should have a chance to feel special.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chuck-close/every-child-should-have-a-chance-to-feel-special/) [Chuck Close](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chuck-close/) > [It's always a pleasure to talk about someone else's work.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chuck-close/it-s-always-a-pleasure-to-talk-about-someone-else-s-work/) [Chuck Close](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chuck-close/) > [I absolutely hate technology, and I'm computer illiterate, and I never use any labor-saving devices although I'm not convinced that a computer is a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chuck-close/i-absolutely-hate-technology-and-i-m-computer-illiterate-and-i-never/) [Chuck Close](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chuck-close/) > [In the 7th grade, I made a 20-foot long mural of the Lewis and Clark Trail while we were studying that in history because…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chuck-close/in-the-7th-grade-i-made-a-20-foot-long-mural-of-the-lewis-and-clark/) [Chuck Close](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chuck-close/) > [Ease is the enemy of the artist. When things get too easy, you're in trouble.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chuck-close/ease-is-the-enemy-of-the-artist-when-things-get-too-easy-you-re-in/) [Chuck Close](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chuck-close/) > [I'm very learning-disabled, and I think it drove me to what I'm doing.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chuck-close/i-m-very-learning-disabled-and-i-think-it-drove-me-to-what-i-m-doing/) [Chuck Close](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chuck-close/) > [If it looks like art, chances are it's somebody else's art.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chuck-close/if-it-looks-like-art-chances-are-it-s-somebody-else-s-art/) [Chuck Close](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chuck-close/) > [Paintings can make you cry and it's just \*\*colored dirt\*\*.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chuck-close/paintings-can-make-you-cry-and-it-s-just-colored-dirt/) [Chuck Close](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chuck-close/) > [You don't have to reinvent the wheel every day. Today you will do what you did yesterday, and tomorrow you will do what you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chuck-close/you-don-t-have-to-reinvent-the-wheel-every-day-today-you-will-do-what/) [Chuck Close](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chuck-close/) [Explore all 106 Chuck Close quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chuck-close/) ## More Amateurs quotes > [Dealing with Jazz at Lincoln Center and its board of directors, who are so great, and then seeing how these Rock Hall guys operate,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steve-miller/dealing-with-jazz-at-lincoln-center-and-its-board-of-directors-who/) [Steve Miller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steve-miller/) > [I love mixing amateurs and professionals.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lasse-hallstrom/i-love-mixing-amateurs-and-professionals/) [Lasse Hallstrom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lasse-hallstrom/) > [Even virtue is an art; and even its devotees are divided into those who practise it and those who are merely amateurs.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marie-von-ebner-eschenbach/even-virtue-is-an-art-and-even-its-devotees-are-divided-into-those/) [Marie von Ebner-Eschenbach](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marie-von-ebner-eschenbach/) > [Most amateurs are so worried about mis-hitting the shot or hitting it off line, they don't make an aggressive move. You'd be surprised how…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/keegan-bradley/most-amateurs-are-so-worried-about-mis-hitting-the-shot-or-hitting-it/) [Keegan Bradley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/keegan-bradley/) > [A lot of amateurs are terrified of going up against a player who is clearly better than they are. They never play their best,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fuzzy-zoeller/a-lot-of-amateurs-are-terrified-of-going-up-against-a-player-who-is/) [Fuzzy Zoeller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fuzzy-zoeller/) > [Amateurs look for challenges; professionals look for easy trades. Losers get high from the action; the pros look for the best odds.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alexander-elder/amateurs-look-for-challenges-professionals-look-for-easy-trades/) [Alexander Elder](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alexander-elder/) > [Inner beauty is for amateurs.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-taintor/inner-beauty-is-for-amateurs/) [Anne Taintor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-taintor/) > [There's a myth among amateurs, optimists and fools that beyond a certain level of achievement, famous artists retire to some kind of Elysium where…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-matousek/there-s-a-myth-among-amateurs-optimists-and-fools-that-beyond-a/) [Mark Matousek](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-matousek/) > [You know, criticism began as the province of amateurs, of wealthy men who liked the arts.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-christgau/you-know-criticism-began-as-the-province-of-amateurs-of-wealthy-men/) [Robert Christgau](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-christgau/) > [Conor is not emulating me. He has to be his own man and learn his trade from the start. He will fight in the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nigel-benn/conor-is-not-emulating-me-he-has-to-be-his-own-man-and-learn-his/) [Nigel Benn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nigel-benn/) > [We're all amateurs when it comes to love. Don't be too hard on each other.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bob-goff/we-re-all-amateurs-when-it-comes-to-love-don-t-be-too-hard-on-each/) [Bob Goff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bob-goff/) > [“They were chosen for their perfect ignorance of these things. That is how the system works. In the end, the lawyers and judges happily…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-landay/they-were-chosen-for-their-perfect-ignorance-of-these-things-that-is/) [William Landay](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-landay/) > [Sometimes, I wish we were all amateurs again. I'd play for nothing. Ab-so-lute-ly free. But that's not the system.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dan-marino/sometimes-i-wish-we-were-all-amateurs-again-i-d-play-for-nothing-ab/) [Dan Marino](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dan-marino/) > [Inspiration is for amateurs.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/inspiration-is-for-amateurs/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“Inspiration is for amateurs,” Close says. “The rest of us just show up and get to work.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mason-currey/inspiration-is-for-amateurs-close-says-the-rest-of-us-just-show-up/) [Mason Currey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mason-currey/) [Browse all 127 Amateurs quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/amateurs/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "I don't work with inspiration. Inspiration is for amateurs. 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