--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: The discovery of useful forms is…" description: "\"“The discovery of useful forms is precious. Once found, they should never be abandoned for trivial reasons. It’s easy to imagine today’s art instructor..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0d2/david-bayles-13995_art_the-discovery-of-useful-forms-is-preciou_2403676.jpg" --- # The discovery of useful forms is precious. Once found… ![“The discovery of useful forms is precious. Once found, they should never be abandoned for trivial reasons. It’s easy to imagine today’s art instructor cautioning Chopin that the Mazurka thing is getting a little repetitive, that the work is not progressing. Well, true, it may not have been…” quote by David Bayles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0d2/david-bayles-13995_art_the-discovery-of-useful-forms-is-preciou_2403676.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0d2/david-bayles-13995_art_the-discovery-of-useful-forms-is-preciou_2403676.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0d2/david-bayles-13995_art_the-discovery-of-useful-forms-is-preciou_2403676.jpg) > ““The discovery of useful forms is precious. Once found, they should never be abandoned for trivial reasons. It’s easy to imagine today’s art instructor cautioning Chopin that the Mazurka thing is getting a little repetitive, that the work is not progressing. Well, true, it may not have been progressing — but that’s not the issue. Writing Mazurkas may have been useful only to Chopin — as a vehicle for getting back into the work, and as a place to begin making the next piece. For most artists, making good art depends upon making lots of art, and any device that carries the first brushstroke to the next blank canvas has tangible, practical value. Only”” [David Bayles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-bayles/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Valuable creative methods should be retained despite seeming repetition, as they serve as stepping stones to further work. **In simple terms:** Keep useful techniques even if they seem repetitive. Key Takeaway Preserve and reuse effective creative tools. Themes creativity process artistry Mood thoughtful inspirational Type advice philosophical When to use this quote - writing practice - musical composition - visual art - design iteration Key Concepts incremental learning skill development Questions to Reflect On - How can you identify which techniques truly advance your work? - When should you discard a method that feels stagnant? A Different Perspective Reliance on old methods may hinder innovation if not balanced with new exploration. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Art](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/art/) [Artist](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/artist/) [Blank canvas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/blank-canvas/) [Chopin Mazurka](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/chopin-mazurka-6027701/) [Good art](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/good-art/) [Mazurka Thing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/mazurka-thing-6027702/) [Mazurkas Useful](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/mazurkas-useful-6027698/) [Useful Chopin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/useful-chopin-6027700/) [Writing Mazurkas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writing-mazurkas-6027699/) ## Related quotes > [You wind up creating from silence, like painting a picture on a blank canvas that could bring tears to somebody's eyes. As songwriters, our…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rodney-atkins/you-wind-up-creating-from-silence-like-painting-a-picture-on-a-blank/) [Rodney Atkins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rodney-atkins/) > [“Every single morning we awake from our rest to a day that has never existed before. A day with the latent possibility of anything…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-berube-ph-d/every-single-morning-we-awake-from-our-rest-to-a-day-that-has-never/) [Anne Berube Ph.D](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-berube-ph-d/) > [The mild creaminess of cottage cheese makes it a perfect blank canvas for almost any flavor combination, savory or sweet. Since it's so soft,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/claire-saffitz/the-mild-creaminess-of-cottage-cheese-makes-it-a-perfect-blank-canvas/) [Claire Saffitz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/claire-saffitz/) > [The canvas has an idiotic stare and mesmerises some painters so much that they turn into idiots themselves.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vincent-van-gogh/the-canvas-has-an-idiotic-stare-and-mesmerises-some-painters-so-much/) [Vincent Van Gogh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vincent-van-gogh/) > [Behind all creation is silence. Silence is the essential condition, the vital ingredient for all creation and all that is created. It is a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dr-bk-satyanarayan/behind-all-creation-is-silence-silence-is-the-essential-condition-the/) [Dr BK Satyanarayan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dr-bk-satyanarayan/) > [I don't go into the studio with the idea of 'saying' something. What I do is face the blank canvas and put a few…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-diebenkorn/i-don-t-go-into-the-studio-with-the-idea-of-saying-something-what-i/) [Richard Diebenkorn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-diebenkorn/) > [I try to kind of come at everything as a blank canvas.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jacob-elordi/i-try-to-kind-of-come-at-everything-as-a-blank-canvas/) [Jacob Elordi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jacob-elordi/) > [An artist does his most difficult work when he steps back from the blank canvas and thinks about what he is going to create.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michelangelo/an-artist-does-his-most-difficult-work-when-he-steps-back-from-the/) [Michelangelo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michelangelo/) > [“I'm... a blank canvas. There's nothing here to love.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephanie-perkins/i-m-a-blank-canvas-there-s-nothing-here-to-love/) [Stephanie Perkins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephanie-perkins/) > [“Your life is a blank canvas,” her mother always told her. “It is what you make of it.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bryan-mooney/your-life-is-a-blank-canvas-her-mother-always-told-her-it-is-what-you/) [Bryan Mooney](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bryan-mooney/) > [I'm constantly thinking about design, shapes, patterns and colors, so I just want to be more of a blank canvas. But there is a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/prabal-gurung/i-m-constantly-thinking-about-design-shapes-patterns-and-colors-so-i/) [Prabal Gurung](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/prabal-gurung/) > [“EXERCISE Creating Authentic Relationships The questions below deal with issues most people take for granted and let society define for them. You can start…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tristan-taormino/exercise-creating-authentic-relationships-the-questions-below-deal/) [Tristan Taormino](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tristan-taormino/) > [Theres a blank canvas in front of you. You are the artist of your life, and you are free to paint any picture that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nishu/theres-a-blank-canvas-in-front-of-you-you-are-the-artist-of-your-life/) [Nishu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nishu/) > [The white T-shirt is like a blank canvas - eternally versatile.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-enninful/the-white-t-shirt-is-like-a-blank-canvas-eternally-versatile/) [Edward Enninful](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-enninful/) > [“Personally, I think on leaving school we aren't prepared to deal with the seriousness the work place presents. Indeed, the formality of the real…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/miranda-hart/personally-i-think-on-leaving-school-we-aren-t-prepared-to-deal-with/) [Miranda Hart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/miranda-hart/) ## More by David Bayles > [The seed of your next artwork lies embedded in the imperfections of your current piece.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-bayles/the-seed-of-your-next-artwork-lies-embedded-in-the-imperfections-of/) [David Bayles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-bayles/) > [The seed of your next artwork lies embedded in the imperfections of your current piece. Such imperfections are your guides - valuable, objective, non-judgmental…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-bayles/the-seed-of-your-next-artwork-lies-embedded-in-the-imperfections-of-2/) [David Bayles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-bayles/) > [“But the important point here is not that you have — or don’t have — what other artists have, but rather that it doesn’t…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-bayles/but-the-important-point-here-is-not-that-you-have-or-don-t-have-what/) [David Bayles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-bayles/) > [“In essence, art lies embedded in the conceptual leap between pieces, not in the pieces themselves. And simply put, there’s a greater conceptual jump…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-bayles/in-essence-art-lies-embedded-in-the-conceptual-leap-between-pieces/) [David Bayles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-bayles/) > [“But while mastering technique is difficult and time-consuming, it’s still inherently easier to reach an already defined goal — a “right answer” — than…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-bayles/but-while-mastering-technique-is-difficult-and-time-consuming-it-s/) [David Bayles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-bayles/) > [“There were counter-protests, of course, and in the end Mapplethorpe’s work was exhibited, but the message to the arts community was clear: stray too…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-bayles/there-were-counter-protests-of-course-and-in-the-end-mapplethorpe-s/) [David Bayles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-bayles/) > [Tolerance for uncertainty is the prerequisite to succeeding.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-bayles/tolerance-for-uncertainty-is-the-prerequisite-to-succeeding/) [David Bayles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-bayles/) > [Art is a high calling - fears are coincidental. Coincidental, sneaky and disruptive, we might add, disguising themselves variously as laziness, resistance to deadlines,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-bayles/art-is-a-high-calling-fears-are-coincidental-coincidental-sneaky-and/) [David Bayles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-bayles/) > [“Sometimes to see your work’s rightful place you have to walk to the edge of the precipice and search the deep chasms. You have…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-bayles/sometimes-to-see-your-work-s-rightful-place-you-have-to-walk-to-the/) [David Bayles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-bayles/) > [“Fears arise when you look back, and they arise when you look ahead. If you're prone to disaster fantasies, you may even find yourself…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-bayles/fears-arise-when-you-look-back-and-they-arise-when-you-look-ahead-if/) [David Bayles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-bayles/) > [“But is the Mona Lisa really art? Well then, what about an undetectably perfect copy of the Mona Lisa? That comparison (however sneaky) points…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-bayles/but-is-the-mona-lisa-really-art-well-then-what-about-an-undetectably/) [David Bayles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-bayles/) > [The hardest part of art-making is living your life in such a way that your work gets done-over and over-and that means, among other…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-bayles/the-hardest-part-of-art-making-is-living-your-life-in-such-a-way-that/) [David Bayles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-bayles/) > [“In making art you need to give yourself room to respond authentically, both to your subject matter and to your materials. Art happens between…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-bayles/in-making-art-you-need-to-give-yourself-room-to-respond-authentically/) [David Bayles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-bayles/) > [“Uncertainty is the essential, inevitable and all-pervasive companion to your desire to make art. And tolerance for uncertainty is the prerequisite to succeeding.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-bayles/uncertainty-is-the-essential-inevitable-and-all-pervasive-companion/) [David Bayles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-bayles/) > [“HENRY JAMES once proposed three questions you could productively put to an artist’s work. The first two were disarmingly straightforward: What was the artist…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-bayles/henry-james-once-proposed-three-questions-you-could-productively-put/) [David Bayles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-bayles/) [Explore all 48 David Bayles quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-bayles/) ## 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. 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 only thing--I tell you this straight from the heart--that disgusts me in Salzburg is that one can't have any proper social intercourse with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wolfgang-amadeus-mozart/the-only-thing-i-tell-you-this-straight-from-the-heart-that-disgusts/) [Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wolfgang-amadeus-mozart/) > [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/) [Browse all 48,643 Art quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/art/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“The discovery of useful forms is precious. Once found, they should never be abandoned for trivial reasons. It’s easy to imagine today’s art instructor cautioning Chopin that the Mazurka thing is getting a little repetitive, that the work is not progressing. Well, true, it may not have been progressing — but that’s not the issue. Writing Mazurkas may have been useful only to Chopin — as a vehicle for getting back into the work, and as a place to begin making the next piece. For most artists, making good art depends upon making lots of art, and any device that carries the first brushstroke to the next blank canvas has tangible, practical value. Only”", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "David Bayles" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-bayles/the-discovery-of-useful-forms-is-precious-once-found-they-should/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Art" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-bayles/the-discovery-of-useful-forms-is-precious-once-found-they-should/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0d2/david-bayles-13995_art_the-discovery-of-useful-forms-is-preciou_2403676.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0d2/david-bayles-13995_art_the-discovery-of-useful-forms-is-preciou_2403676.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0d2/david-bayles-13995_art_the-discovery-of-useful-forms-is-preciou_2403676.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“The discovery of useful forms is precious. Once found, they should never be abandoned for trivial reasons…” — David Bayles", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } }, { "@type": "BreadcrumbList", "itemListElement": [ { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 1, "name": "Home", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 2, "name": "Quotes", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 3, "name": "David Bayles", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-bayles/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "“The discovery of useful forms is...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-bayles/the-discovery-of-useful-forms-is-precious-once-found-they-should/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-bayles/the-discovery-of-useful-forms-is-precious-once-found-they-should/#breadcrumb" }, { "@type": "WebSite", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "publisher": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } }, { "@type": "Organization", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "logo": { "@type": "ImageObject", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png", "width": 512, "height": 512 } } ] } ```