--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: When I don't have any ideas, I pick up…" description: "\"When I don't have any ideas, I pick up fabric and start working with it and something happens.\" — Geoffrey Beene" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/97b/geoffrey-beene-30450_art-work_when-i-don-t-have-any-ideas-i-pick-up-fa_2986699.png" --- # When I don't have any ideas, I pick up fabric and start… ![“When I don't have any ideas, I pick up fabric and start working with it and something happens.” quote by Geoffrey Beene](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/97b/geoffrey-beene-30450_art-work_when-i-don-t-have-any-ideas-i-pick-up-fa_2986699.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/97b/geoffrey-beene-30450_art-work_when-i-don-t-have-any-ideas-i-pick-up-fa_2986699.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/97b/geoffrey-beene-30450_art-work_when-i-don-t-have-any-ideas-i-pick-up-fa_2986699.png) > “When I don't have any ideas, I pick up fabric and start working with it and something happens.” [Geoffrey Beene](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/geoffrey-beene/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. When lacking ideas, engaging with a tactile material sparks creativity and unexpected outcomes. **In simple terms:** Using fabric sparks ideas. Key Takeaway Start a hands‑on project to unlock creativity. Themes creativity hands‑on spontaneity Mood inspired curious Type motivational practical When to use this quote - design work - craft projects - problem solving - artist block Key Concepts material engagement creative flow Questions to Reflect On - What material could you use to spark a new idea? - How does tactile work affect your thinking? A Different Perspective Hands‑on work may not always yield useful ideas. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Art work](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/art-work/) [Fabric](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/fabric/) [Fabric Start](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/fabric-start-4672588/) [Happens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/happens/) [Ideas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ideas/) [Ideas Pick](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ideas-pick-1205835/) [Pick Fabric](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/pick-fabric-4672587/) [Things happen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/things-happen/) [Working Happens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/working-happens-3939669/) ## Related quotes > [Find a business mentor. Connect with others who are successful in other lines of business. Bounce ideas off them, pick their brains. Maybe they…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cory-trepanier/find-a-business-mentor-connect-with-others-who-are-successful-in/) [Cory Trepanier](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cory-trepanier/) > [I have to learn on my own when something is not working, and then, once that happens, I adapt quickly.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/coco-gauff/i-have-to-learn-on-my-own-when-something-is-not-working-and-then-once/) [Coco Gauff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/coco-gauff/) > [I genuinely love the guys and I love working with them. It happens all the time, when we can't actually believe this is our…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brian-quinn/i-genuinely-love-the-guys-and-i-love-working-with-them-it-happens-all/) [Brian Quinn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brian-quinn/) > [Surrender is working with what happens.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lizz-wright/surrender-is-working-with-what-happens/) [Lizz Wright](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lizz-wright/) > [When you first start working for me, directly for me, I micromanage until I trust you.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-cuban/when-you-first-start-working-for-me-directly-for-me-i-micromanage/) [Mark Cuban](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-cuban/) > [Whenever you start working on something, you have to go about it with the underlying assumption that this puzzle has a solution, right? If…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/boyan-slat/whenever-you-start-working-on-something-you-have-to-go-about-it-with/) [Boyan Slat](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/boyan-slat/) > [The longest break I have taken in my life was 14 days. On the 15th day, I started getting impatient to start work again.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rajkumar-hirani/the-longest-break-i-have-taken-in-my-life-was-14-days-on-the-15th-day/) [Rajkumar Hirani](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rajkumar-hirani/) > [But I think you have to - whatever the environment looks like, it does enter into people's art work one way or another; it's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donald-judd/but-i-think-you-have-to-whatever-the-environment-looks-like-it-does/) [Donald Judd](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donald-judd/) > [“monotony kills the heart. Ironically, monotony is what keeps the heart working.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/soumeet-lanka/monotony-kills-the-heart-ironically-monotony-is-what-keeps-the-heart/) [soumeet lanka](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/soumeet-lanka/) > [When art works travel from place to place, what you have is the opportunity to engage with the intellect of another person who has…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kerry-james-marshall/when-art-works-travel-from-place-to-place-what-you-have-is-the/) [Kerry James Marshall](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kerry-james-marshall/) > [Smart Work + Hard Work = Genius!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/manish-pandey/smart-work-hard-work-genius/) [Manish Pandey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/manish-pandey/) > [Some say work smarter, not harder, but the wisest are both. Whether you're more of a hard worker or a smart worker, if you're…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/colby-tatem/some-say-work-smarter-not-harder-but-the-wisest-are-both-whether-you/) [Colby Tatem](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/colby-tatem/) > [Society takes what it wants. The artist himself does not count, because there is no actual existence for the work of art. The work…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marcel-duchamp/society-takes-what-it-wants-the-artist-himself-does-not-count-because/) [Marcel Duchamp](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marcel-duchamp/) > [“Recluses won’t find purpose living out their days in a sacred bubble. Partake in commerce, start working out, volunteer, go on a mission. Do…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/m-j-demarco/recluses-won-t-find-purpose-living-out-their-days-in-a-sacred-bubble/) [M.J. DeMarco](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/m-j-demarco/) > [I get pretty focused when I start working on something. And I drink a lot of water, way more than most people.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nick-woodman/i-get-pretty-focused-when-i-start-working-on-something-and-i-drink-a/) [Nick Woodman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nick-woodman/) ## More by Geoffrey Beene > [I tell women not to believe everything they read about fashion.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/geoffrey-beene/i-tell-women-not-to-believe-everything-they-read-about-fashion/) [Geoffrey Beene](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/geoffrey-beene/) > [Clothes should look as if a woman was born into them. It is a form of possession, this belonging to one another.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/geoffrey-beene/clothes-should-look-as-if-a-woman-was-born-into-them-it-is-a-form-of/) [Geoffrey Beene](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/geoffrey-beene/) > [Clothes should be as interesting on the inside as on the outside. Even if you enjoy it totally alone, it's important.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/geoffrey-beene/clothes-should-be-as-interesting-on-the-inside-as-on-the-outside-even/) [Geoffrey Beene](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/geoffrey-beene/) > [Design is an unknown.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/geoffrey-beene/design-is-an-unknown/) [Geoffrey Beene](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/geoffrey-beene/) > [I come in. I'm going to sketch, I'm going to drape, I don't know what I'm going to do.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/geoffrey-beene/i-come-in-i-m-going-to-sketch-i-m-going-to-drape-i-don-t-know-what-i/) [Geoffrey Beene](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/geoffrey-beene/) > [Designs are a revelation to me. It's like taking something that is not alive and giving it form, shape, substance, and life.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/geoffrey-beene/designs-are-a-revelation-to-me-it-s-like-taking-something-that-is-not/) [Geoffrey Beene](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/geoffrey-beene/) > [Fashion is in a terrible state. An overdose of too much flesh.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/geoffrey-beene/fashion-is-in-a-terrible-state-an-overdose-of-too-much-flesh/) [Geoffrey Beene](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/geoffrey-beene/) > [I hate clothes that look saleable. I love when they look desirable.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/geoffrey-beene/i-hate-clothes-that-look-saleable-i-love-when-they-look-desirable/) [Geoffrey Beene](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/geoffrey-beene/) > [I gave up medicine. So I'll give up fashion. . . I could be a colorist of spaceships.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/geoffrey-beene/i-gave-up-medicine-so-i-ll-give-up-fashion-i-could-be-a-colorist-of/) [Geoffrey Beene](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/geoffrey-beene/) > [The greatest concubines in history knew that everything revealed with nothing concealed is a bore.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/geoffrey-beene/the-greatest-concubines-in-history-knew-that-everything-revealed-with/) [Geoffrey Beene](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/geoffrey-beene/) > [The whole point of design is to make people feel better about themselves.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/geoffrey-beene/the-whole-point-of-design-is-to-make-people-feel-better-about/) [Geoffrey Beene](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/geoffrey-beene/) > [The unimaginable always becomes the unforgettable.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/geoffrey-beene/the-unimaginable-always-becomes-the-unforgettable/) [Geoffrey Beene](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/geoffrey-beene/) > [A woman should be less concerned about Paris and more concerned about whether the dress she's about to buy relates to the way she…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/geoffrey-beene/a-woman-should-be-less-concerned-about-paris-and-more-concerned-about/) [Geoffrey Beene](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/geoffrey-beene/) > [The influence of Paris, for instance, is now minimal. Yet a lot is written about Paris fashion.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/geoffrey-beene/the-influence-of-paris-for-instance-is-now-minimal-yet-a-lot-is/) [Geoffrey Beene](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/geoffrey-beene/) > [Designis a revelation to me. It's like taking something that is not alive and giving it form, shape, substance, and life.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/geoffrey-beene/designis-a-revelation-to-me-it-s-like-taking-something-that-is-not/) [Geoffrey Beene](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/geoffrey-beene/) [Explore all 17 Geoffrey Beene quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/geoffrey-beene/) ## More Art work quotes > [I get pretty focused when I start working on something. And I drink a lot of water, way more than most people.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nick-woodman/i-get-pretty-focused-when-i-start-working-on-something-and-i-drink-a/) [Nick Woodman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nick-woodman/) > [“Recluses won’t find purpose living out their days in a sacred bubble. Partake in commerce, start working out, volunteer, go on a mission. Do…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/m-j-demarco/recluses-won-t-find-purpose-living-out-their-days-in-a-sacred-bubble/) [M.J. DeMarco](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/m-j-demarco/) > [Society takes what it wants. The artist himself does not count, because there is no actual existence for the work of art. The work…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marcel-duchamp/society-takes-what-it-wants-the-artist-himself-does-not-count-because/) [Marcel Duchamp](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marcel-duchamp/) > [Some say work smarter, not harder, but the wisest are both. Whether you're more of a hard worker or a smart worker, if you're…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/colby-tatem/some-say-work-smarter-not-harder-but-the-wisest-are-both-whether-you/) [Colby Tatem](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/colby-tatem/) > [Smart Work + Hard Work = Genius!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/manish-pandey/smart-work-hard-work-genius/) [Manish Pandey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/manish-pandey/) > [When art works travel from place to place, what you have is the opportunity to engage with the intellect of another person who has…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kerry-james-marshall/when-art-works-travel-from-place-to-place-what-you-have-is-the/) [Kerry James Marshall](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kerry-james-marshall/) > [“monotony kills the heart. Ironically, monotony is what keeps the heart working.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/soumeet-lanka/monotony-kills-the-heart-ironically-monotony-is-what-keeps-the-heart/) [soumeet lanka](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/soumeet-lanka/) > [But I think you have to - whatever the environment looks like, it does enter into people's art work one way or another; it's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donald-judd/but-i-think-you-have-to-whatever-the-environment-looks-like-it-does/) [Donald Judd](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donald-judd/) > [The longest break I have taken in my life was 14 days. On the 15th day, I started getting impatient to start work again.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rajkumar-hirani/the-longest-break-i-have-taken-in-my-life-was-14-days-on-the-15th-day/) [Rajkumar Hirani](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rajkumar-hirani/) > [Whenever you start working on something, you have to go about it with the underlying assumption that this puzzle has a solution, right? If…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/boyan-slat/whenever-you-start-working-on-something-you-have-to-go-about-it-with/) [Boyan Slat](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/boyan-slat/) > [When you first start working for me, directly for me, I micromanage until I trust you.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-cuban/when-you-first-start-working-for-me-directly-for-me-i-micromanage/) [Mark Cuban](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-cuban/) > [We are not being true to the artist as a man if we consider his art work junk simply because we differ with his…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/we-are-not-being-true-to-the-artist-as-a-man-if-we-consider-his-art/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [That's what I like: to kind of get up and start working right away in the morning.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ramin-djawadi/that-s-what-i-like-to-kind-of-get-up-and-start-working-right-away-in/) [Ramin Djawadi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ramin-djawadi/) > [The JCPOA is working - preventing Iran from developing a nuclear weapon. It's time for the Republicans to start working, too.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jan-schakowsky/the-jcpoa-is-working-preventing-iran-from-developing-a-nuclear-weapon/) [Jan Schakowsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jan-schakowsky/) > [I went to London to do the stuff. I was like "What am I going to do? What's going to happen?" But then once…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/a-r-rahman/i-went-to-london-to-do-the-stuff-i-was-like-what-am-i-going-to-do/) [A. R. Rahman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/a-r-rahman/) [Browse all 484 Art work quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/art-work/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "When I don't have any ideas, I pick up fabric and start working with it and something happens.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Geoffrey Beene" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/geoffrey-beene/when-i-don-t-have-any-ideas-i-pick-up-fabric-and-start-working-with/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Art work" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/geoffrey-beene/when-i-don-t-have-any-ideas-i-pick-up-fabric-and-start-working-with/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/97b/geoffrey-beene-30450_art-work_when-i-don-t-have-any-ideas-i-pick-up-fa_2986699.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/97b/geoffrey-beene-30450_art-work_when-i-don-t-have-any-ideas-i-pick-up-fa_2986699.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/97b/geoffrey-beene-30450_art-work_when-i-don-t-have-any-ideas-i-pick-up-fa_2986699.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“When I don't have any ideas, I pick up fabric and start working with it and something happens.” — Geoffrey Beene", "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": "Geoffrey Beene", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/geoffrey-beene/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "When I don't have any ideas,...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/geoffrey-beene/when-i-don-t-have-any-ideas-i-pick-up-fabric-and-start-working-with/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/geoffrey-beene/when-i-don-t-have-any-ideas-i-pick-up-fabric-and-start-working-with/#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 } } ] } ```