--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: If I waited until I felt creative, I…" description: "\"If I waited until I felt creative, I would never have had a career. I long ago learned that a day that starts out badly, when nothing comes out on the ..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c7b/dean-koontz-118_be-creative_if-i-waited-until-i-felt-creative-i-woul_1497569.jpg" --- # If I waited until I felt creative, I would never have had… ![“If I waited until I felt creative, I would never have had a career. I long ago learned that a day that starts out badly, when nothing comes out on the page or comes out wrong, can suddenly turn into a good day a few hours later, when suddenly everything starts to click. The brain can be cajoled…” quote by Dean Koontz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c7b/dean-koontz-118_be-creative_if-i-waited-until-i-felt-creative-i-woul_1497569.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c7b/dean-koontz-118_be-creative_if-i-waited-until-i-felt-creative-i-woul_1497569.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c7b/dean-koontz-118_be-creative_if-i-waited-until-i-felt-creative-i-woul_1497569.jpg) > “If I waited until I felt creative, I would never have had a career. I long ago learned that a day that starts out badly, when nothing comes out on the page or comes out wrong, can suddenly turn into a good day a few hours later, when suddenly everything starts to click. The brain can be cajoled into being creative.” [Dean Koontz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dean-koontz/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Creativity often follows disciplined work, not waiting for inspiration; perseverance turns bad days into breakthroughs. **In simple terms:** Work first, creativity follows. Key Takeaway Keep working even when uninspired. Themes discipline creativity perseverance Mood determined optimistic Type motivational practical inspirational When to use this quote - writing - research - problem solving - art projects Key Concepts growth mindset flow state Questions to Reflect On - How can you structure breaks to aid insight? - What small habit can you add to sustain momentum? A Different Perspective Creativity may still be blocked despite effort. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Be creative](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/be-creative/) [Brain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/brain/) [Brain Cajoled](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/brain-cajoled-5482777/) [Careers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/careers/) [Clicks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/clicks/) [Creative](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/creative/) [Creative Career](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/creative-career-523631/) [Creativity](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/creativity/) [Felt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/felt/) [Felt Creative](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/felt-creative-915339/) [Good day](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/good-day/) [Hours](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/hours/) [Ifs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ifs/) [Later Suddenly](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/later-suddenly-1632800/) [Long](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/long/) [Long ago](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/long-ago/) [Pages](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/pages/) [Turns](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/turns/) ## Related quotes > [If you want to be a creative person, then you’re gonna have to be creative in how you put your career together. There isn’t…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alec-soth/if-you-want-to-be-a-creative-person-then-you-re-gonna-have-to-be/) [Alec Soth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alec-soth/) > [The real composer thinks about his work the whole time; he is not always conscious of this, but he is aware of it later…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/igor-stravinsky/the-real-composer-thinks-about-his-work-the-whole-time-he-is-not/) [Igor Stravinsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/igor-stravinsky/) > [The question of Heaven, the question of what happens after death, is one which a lot of people in our culture try to put…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/n-t-wright-2/the-question-of-heaven-the-question-of-what-happens-after-death-is/) [N. T. Wright](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/n-t-wright-2/) > [Music was something I had put aside to make movies. Somehow I earlier felt there was only so much creative energy allotted to your…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/farhan-akhtar/music-was-something-i-had-put-aside-to-make-movies-somehow-i-earlier/) [Farhan Akhtar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/farhan-akhtar/) > [I got to the point of insanity, but I also got out, but during the insane times, I felt invincible, and I felt creative…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/duff-mckagan/i-got-to-the-point-of-insanity-but-i-also-got-out-but-during-the/) [Duff McKagan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/duff-mckagan/) > [“I wasn’t a prostitute; I was an artist who used her fingers to paint a fantasy that her body fulfilled. And when I was…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marni-mann/i-wasn-t-a-prostitute-i-was-an-artist-who-used-her-fingers-to-paint-a/) [Marni Mann](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marni-mann/) > [The war, as I felt it and a lot of my compatriots felt it, was a creative act.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lawrence-halprin/the-war-as-i-felt-it-and-a-lot-of-my-compatriots-felt-it-was-a/) [Lawrence Halprin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lawrence-halprin/) > [I felt I would have the most creative freedom making experimental films and teaching, as I had many good examples of people around me…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/todd-haynes/i-felt-i-would-have-the-most-creative-freedom-making-experimental/) [Todd Haynes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/todd-haynes/) > [There were the usual types of things that happen, in a production, like logistical bullshit, and this and that and the other. That's the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ben-mendelsohn/there-were-the-usual-types-of-things-that-happen-in-a-production-like/) [Ben Mendelsohn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ben-mendelsohn/) > [It's really hard juggling, trying to carve out a time to have a family and be a mom and have a career, especially a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/santigold/it-s-really-hard-juggling-trying-to-carve-out-a-time-to-have-a-family/) [Santigold](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/santigold/) > [My whole creative career is a product of the Internet. ...I'll take that back. To some degree. My fascination with cultural esoterica and trivia…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-hodgman/my-whole-creative-career-is-a-product-of-the-internet-i-ll-take-that/) [John Hodgman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-hodgman/) > [“A successful creative career is always built on successful creative failures.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sravani-saha-nakhro/a-successful-creative-career-is-always-built-on-successful-creative/) [Sravani Saha Nakhro](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sravani-saha-nakhro/) > [I have people who come up to me and say, 'Oh, seeing your work in my little home town in the middle of nowhere…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kesh/i-have-people-who-come-up-to-me-and-say-oh-seeing-your-work-in-my/) [Kesh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kesh/) > [I've always looked at directing as the next step for me in my creative career, and after spending the better part of the last…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ian-anthony-dale/i-ve-always-looked-at-directing-as-the-next-step-for-me-in-my/) [Ian Anthony Dale](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ian-anthony-dale/) > [My mom is originally from Minnesota and pursuing a creative career wasn't very normal to her, so I think while I knew I wanted…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/esther-povitsky/my-mom-is-originally-from-minnesota-and-pursuing-a-creative-career/) [Esther Povitsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/esther-povitsky/) ## More by Dean Koontz > [“This kind of derangement is emblematic of humankind. Grave faults are said to be only eccentricities, and imperfections are routinely celebrated as mere differences…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dean-koontz/this-kind-of-derangement-is-emblematic-of-humankind-grave-faults-are/) [Dean Koontz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dean-koontz/) > [“He often remembered his dad's admonition that envy was mental theft. If you coveted another man's possessions, Dad said, then you should be willing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dean-koontz/he-often-remembered-his-dad-s-admonition-that-envy-was-mental-theft/) [Dean Koontz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dean-koontz/) > [But victimhood was seductive, a release from responsibility and caring. Fear would be transmuted into weary resignation; failure would no longer generate guilt but,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dean-koontz/but-victimhood-was-seductive-a-release-from-responsibility-and-caring/) [Dean Koontz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dean-koontz/) > [What really holds their marriage together are mutual respect of an awesome depth, a shared sense of humor, faith that they were brought together…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dean-koontz/what-really-holds-their-marriage-together-are-mutual-respect-of-an/) [Dean Koontz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dean-koontz/) > [“Her mother said that three great powers kept the universe going. The first and the strongest was God. Each of the two additional powers…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dean-koontz/her-mother-said-that-three-great-powers-kept-the-universe-going-the/) [Dean Koontz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dean-koontz/) > [“I stopped keeping an eye out for Santa Claus on Christmas Eve because, when I was five, my mother told me that Santa was…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dean-koontz/i-stopped-keeping-an-eye-out-for-santa-claus-on-christmas-eve-because/) [Dean Koontz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dean-koontz/) > [“To one degree or another, I have been happy most of my life, in part because the world has infinite charms if you wish…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dean-koontz/to-one-degree-or-another-i-have-been-happy-most-of-my-life-in-part/) [Dean Koontz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dean-koontz/) > [“This life is just a bootcamp, to test and toughen us, to prepare us for the next life of service in some great adventure.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dean-koontz/this-life-is-just-a-bootcamp-to-test-and-toughen-us-to-prepare-us-for/) [Dean Koontz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dean-koontz/) > [“A madman should have a madman’s laugh, not the warm chuckle of a favorite uncle.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dean-koontz/a-madman-should-have-a-madman-s-laugh-not-the-warm-chuckle-of-a/) [Dean Koontz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dean-koontz/) > [“Anger was a reliable defense, but one that allowed no chance of final victory. Anger was a medicine but never a cure, briefly numbing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dean-koontz/anger-was-a-reliable-defense-but-one-that-allowed-no-chance-of-final/) [Dean Koontz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dean-koontz/) > [“Nothing is predetermined for us, and yet all our possible choices are threads in the vast weave of things, so that we have free…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dean-koontz/nothing-is-predetermined-for-us-and-yet-all-our-possible-choices-are/) [Dean Koontz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dean-koontz/) > [“In fact, time teaches us that the musical score of life oscillates between that of Psycho and that of The Sound of Music, with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dean-koontz/in-fact-time-teaches-us-that-the-musical-score-of-life-oscillates/) [Dean Koontz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dean-koontz/) > [“Some will accuse me of being judgmental. Thank you. And proud of it. You wreck a kid's life, I have no pity for you.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dean-koontz/some-will-accuse-me-of-being-judgmental-thank-you-and-proud-of-it-you/) [Dean Koontz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dean-koontz/) > [“Waiting is one of the things that humans beings cannot do well, though it is one of the essential things we must do successfully…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dean-koontz/waiting-is-one-of-the-things-that-humans-beings-cannot-do-well-though/) [Dean Koontz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dean-koontz/) > [“Dogs know we need to give affection as much as they need to receive it. They were the first therapists; they've been in practice…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dean-koontz/dogs-know-we-need-to-give-affection-as-much-as-they-need-to-receive/) [Dean Koontz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dean-koontz/) [Explore all 1,233 Dean Koontz quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dean-koontz/) ## More Be creative quotes > [Beware of self-indulgence. The romance surrounding the writing profession carries several myths: that one must suffer in order to be creative; that one must…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-brin/beware-of-self-indulgence-the-romance-surrounding-the-writing/) [David Brin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-brin/) > [To be creative means to connect. It's to abolish the gap between the body, the mind and the soul, between science and art, between…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nawal-el-saadawi/to-be-creative-means-to-connect-it-s-to-abolish-the-gap-between-the/) [Nawal El Saadawi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nawal-el-saadawi/) > [Attempt to be creative for the joy it brings… Select something like music, dance, sculpture, or poetry. Being creative will help you enjoy life.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-g-scott/attempt-to-be-creative-for-the-joy-it-brings-select-something-like/) [Richard G. Scott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-g-scott/) > ['Born This Way' is shaping up to be creative ecstasy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laurieann-gibson/born-this-way-is-shaping-up-to-be-creative-ecstasy/) [Laurieann Gibson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laurieann-gibson/) > [Women need a space to be creative -- creativity thrives in solitude.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sark/women-need-a-space-to-be-creative-creativity-thrives-in-solitude/) [Sark](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sark/) > [Held in the palms of thousands of disgruntled people over the centuries have been ideas worth millions - if they only had taken the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-m-hayes/held-in-the-palms-of-thousands-of-disgruntled-people-over-the/) [Robert M. Hayes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-m-hayes/) > [To lose your everyday life of surfing and being creative on waves, enjoying the ocean - that's scary to me. It was essential to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bethany-hamilton/to-lose-your-everyday-life-of-surfing-and-being-creative-on-waves/) [Bethany Hamilton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bethany-hamilton/) > [Trusting people to be creative and constructive when given more freedom does not imply an overly optimistic belief in the perfectibility of human nature.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-senge/trusting-people-to-be-creative-and-constructive-when-given-more/) [Peter Senge](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-senge/) > [I do like to be creative and I'm very lucky that I've been given different areas in which I'm able to do that -…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-o-brien/i-do-like-to-be-creative-and-i-m-very-lucky-that-i-ve-been-given/) [Richard O'Brien](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-o-brien/) > [I miss the city Bret and I live in, Wellington. It's a good place to be creative, in the same way New York is.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jemaine-clement/i-miss-the-city-bret-and-i-live-in-wellington-it-s-a-good-place-to-be/) [Jemaine Clement](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jemaine-clement/) > [I do explore the emotion every once in a while. I'd like to think you don't stop being creative once you get happy. My…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/taylor-swift/i-do-explore-the-emotion-every-once-in-a-while-i-d-like-to-think-you/) [Taylor Swift](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/taylor-swift/) > [I stopped doing comics because I found the pressure really high to nail it every time. It's really difficult to be creative all the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kate-beaton/i-stopped-doing-comics-because-i-found-the-pressure-really-high-to/) [Kate Beaton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kate-beaton/) > [If you never venture outside the box, you will probably not be creative. But if you never get inside the box, you will certainly…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-peterson/if-you-never-venture-outside-the-box-you-will-probably-not-be/) [Christopher Peterson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-peterson/) > [I got into acting because I wanted to act and I love acting. That's my true north: to be creative and to be challenged…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-ruffalo/i-got-into-acting-because-i-wanted-to-act-and-i-love-acting-that-s-my/) [Mark Ruffalo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-ruffalo/) > [ I don't know that Brandy \[Burre\] would ever categorize herself as being trapped, but I felt like I saw her being trapped. When she's… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-greene/i-don-t-know-that-brandy-burre-would-ever-categorize-herself-as-being/) [Robert Greene](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-greene/) [Browse all 489 Be creative quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/be-creative/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "If I waited until I felt creative, I would never have had a career. I long ago learned that a day that starts out badly, when nothing comes out on the page or comes out wrong, can suddenly turn into a good day a few hours later, when suddenly everything starts to click. 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