--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Now and then when I get an idea for a…" description: "\"Now and then when I get an idea for a picture, I think, how ordinary. Why paint that old rock? Why not go for a walk instead? But then I realise that t..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c52/georgia-o-keeffe-2763_artist_now-and-then-when-i-get-an-idea-for-a-pi_719444.png" --- # Now and then when I get an idea for a picture, I think… ![“Now and then when I get an idea for a picture, I think, how ordinary. Why paint that old rock? Why not go for a walk instead? But then I realise that to someone else it may not seem so ordinary.” quote by Georgia O'Keeffe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c52/georgia-o-keeffe-2763_artist_now-and-then-when-i-get-an-idea-for-a-pi_719444.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c52/georgia-o-keeffe-2763_artist_now-and-then-when-i-get-an-idea-for-a-pi_719444.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c52/georgia-o-keeffe-2763_artist_now-and-then-when-i-get-an-idea-for-a-pi_719444.png) > “Now and then when I get an idea for a picture, I think, how ordinary. Why paint that old rock? Why not go for a walk instead? But then I realise that to someone else it may not seem so ordinary.” [Georgia O'Keeffe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/georgia-o-keeffe/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The artist questions the value of depicting ordinary subjects, realizing that what seems mundane to one may be extraordinary to another. **In simple terms:** Ordinary subjects can hold hidden significance. Key Takeaway Consider the unseen value in everyday scenes. Themes art perception subjectivity Mood contemplative inquisitive Type artistic reflective When to use this quote - painting - photography - creative brainstorming - education Key Concepts aesthetic appreciation human experience Questions to Reflect On - What makes an ordinary object interesting? - How does perspective change artistic value? A Different Perspective May overlook personal bias in judging art. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Artist](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/artist/) [Ideas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ideas/) [Rocks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/rocks/) [Thinking](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/thinking/) [Why not](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/why-not/) ## Related quotes > [I realise I'll have to acquire the ability to speak to my audience in between numbers. I've never had to do that. 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I'll feel pretty good about myself when I leave the house, then I'll see…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/katherine-heigl/i-always-assume-i-look-better-than-i-actually-do-i-ll-feel-pretty/) [Katherine Heigl](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/katherine-heigl/) > [I have found that the more I get my ego out of a picture and the more I think about how can I serve…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wayne-dyer/i-have-found-that-the-more-i-get-my-ego-out-of-a-picture-and-the-more/) [Wayne Dyer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wayne-dyer/) > [It is, because you've got a nice picture, you want to put it up, and then you're like, 'Do I want this to go…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michelle-keegan/it-is-because-you-ve-got-a-nice-picture-you-want-to-put-it-up-and/) [Michelle Keegan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michelle-keegan/) > [“This is a perfectly good picture. And if I didn't know you, I would be impressed and charmed. But I do know you." He…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/iain-pears/this-is-a-perfectly-good-picture-and-if-i-didn-t-know-you-i-would-be/) [Iain Pears](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/iain-pears/) > [Before a painter puts a brush to his canvas, he sees his picture mentally… If you think of yourself in terms of a painting,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-dreier/before-a-painter-puts-a-brush-to-his-canvas-he-sees-his-picture/) [Thomas Dreier](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-dreier/) > [People think I'm not as ordinary as I think I am. They don't approach me as much as I would like, because they think…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/warwick-davis/people-think-i-m-not-as-ordinary-as-i-think-i-am-they-don-t-approach/) [Warwick Davis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/warwick-davis/) > [I'm one of these people who tends to think that the ordinary people are more fascinating than the celebrities and even the politicians.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matt-lauer/i-m-one-of-these-people-who-tends-to-think-that-the-ordinary-people/) [Matt Lauer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matt-lauer/) > [I think that those of us who are ordinary disappear easily into the backdrop of life and we take things for granted. We often…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chris-abani/i-think-that-those-of-us-who-are-ordinary-disappear-easily-into-the/) [Chris Abani](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chris-abani/) > [I think of myself as a very ordinary person. I like writing about the juxtaposition between people: the beauty of them at times and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rachel-joyce/i-think-of-myself-as-a-very-ordinary-person-i-like-writing-about-the/) [Rachel Joyce](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rachel-joyce/) > [I used to think I was ordinary and just like everybody else, and I am, but there is something about being in a band.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chrissie-hynde/i-used-to-think-i-was-ordinary-and-just-like-everybody-else-and-i-am/) [Chrissie Hynde](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chrissie-hynde/) > [I think the most ordinary romance is showing your partner the way you are and leaving behind the things that we cannot understand.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gong-hyo-jin/i-think-the-most-ordinary-romance-is-showing-your-partner-the-way-you/) [Gong Hyo-jin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gong-hyo-jin/) ## More by Georgia O'Keeffe > [Singing has always seemed to me the most perfect means of expression. It is so spontaneous. And after singing, I think the violin. Since…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/georgia-o-keeffe/singing-has-always-seemed-to-me-the-most-perfect-means-of-expression/) [Georgia O'Keeffe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/georgia-o-keeffe/) > [When I think of death, I only regret that I will not be able to see this beautiful country anymore unless the Indians are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/georgia-o-keeffe/when-i-think-of-death-i-only-regret-that-i-will-not-be-able-to-see/) [Georgia O'Keeffe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/georgia-o-keeffe/) > [Sometimes I start in a very realistic fashion, and as I go on from one painting to another of the same kind, it becomes…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/georgia-o-keeffe/sometimes-i-start-in-a-very-realistic-fashion-and-as-i-go-on-from-one/) [Georgia O'Keeffe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/georgia-o-keeffe/) > [I have a single track mind. I work on an idea for a long time. It's like getting acquainted with a person, and I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/georgia-o-keeffe/i-have-a-single-track-mind-i-work-on-an-idea-for-a-long-time-it-s/) [Georgia O'Keeffe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/georgia-o-keeffe/) > [You get whatever accomplishment you are willing to declare.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/georgia-o-keeffe/you-get-whatever-accomplishment-you-are-willing-to-declare/) [Georgia O'Keeffe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/georgia-o-keeffe/) > [“I said to myself 'I have things in my head that are not like what anyone has taught me--shapes and idea so near to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/georgia-o-keeffe/i-said-to-myself-i-have-things-in-my-head-that-are-not-like-what/) [Georgia O'Keeffe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/georgia-o-keeffe/) > [I'd been taught to paint like other people, and I thought, what's the use? I couldn't do any better than they, or even as…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/georgia-o-keeffe/i-d-been-taught-to-paint-like-other-people-and-i-thought-what-s-the/) [Georgia O'Keeffe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/georgia-o-keeffe/) > [I believe an artist is the last person in the world who can afford to be affected.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/georgia-o-keeffe/i-believe-an-artist-is-the-last-person-in-the-world-who-can-afford-to/) [Georgia O'Keeffe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/georgia-o-keeffe/) > [My first memory is of the brightness of light ... light all around. I was sitting among pillows on a quilt on the ground…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/georgia-o-keeffe/my-first-memory-is-of-the-brightness-of-light-light-all-around-i-was/) [Georgia O'Keeffe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/georgia-o-keeffe/) > [Before I put brush to canvas, I question, 'Is this mine? ...Is it influenced by some idea which I have acquired from some man?…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/georgia-o-keeffe/before-i-put-brush-to-canvas-i-question-is-this-mine-is-it-influenced/) [Georgia O'Keeffe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/georgia-o-keeffe/) > [I decided to start anew-to strip away what I had been taught, to accept as true my own thinking. This was one of the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/georgia-o-keeffe/i-decided-to-start-anew-to-strip-away-what-i-had-been-taught-to/) [Georgia O'Keeffe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/georgia-o-keeffe/) > [“I decided I was a very stupid fool not to at least paint as I wanted to ... I found that I could say…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/georgia-o-keeffe/i-decided-i-was-a-very-stupid-fool-not-to-at-least-paint-as-i-wanted/) [Georgia O'Keeffe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/georgia-o-keeffe/) > [My painting is what I have to give back to the world for what the world gives to me.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/georgia-o-keeffe/my-painting-is-what-i-have-to-give-back-to-the-world-for-what-the/) [Georgia O'Keeffe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/georgia-o-keeffe/) > [He wanted head and hands and arms on a pillow - in many different positions. I was asked to move my hands in many…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/georgia-o-keeffe/he-wanted-head-and-hands-and-arms-on-a-pillow-in-many-different/) [Georgia O'Keeffe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/georgia-o-keeffe/) > [I feel there is something unexplored about woman that only a woman can explore.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/georgia-o-keeffe/i-feel-there-is-something-unexplored-about-woman-that-only-a-woman/) [Georgia O'Keeffe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/georgia-o-keeffe/) [Explore all 151 Georgia O'Keeffe quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/georgia-o-keeffe/) ## More Artist quotes > [One is a painter because one wants so-called freedom; one doesn't want to go to the office every morning.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marcel-duchamp/one-is-a-painter-because-one-wants-so-called-freedom-one-doesn-t-want/) [Marcel Duchamp](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marcel-duchamp/) > [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/) > [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/) > [“People in coats and ties were milling around the Talley gallery, and on the wall were the minimally rendered still lifes by Giorgio Morandi,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steve-martin/people-in-coats-and-ties-were-milling-around-the-talley-gallery-and/) [Steve Martin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steve-martin/) > [The prophet who fails to present a bearable alternative and yet preaches doom is part of the trap that he postulates. Not only does…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-mead/the-prophet-who-fails-to-present-a-bearable-alternative-and-yet/) [Margaret Mead](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-mead/) > [“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 > [From as long as I can remember, I was always fond of drawing.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/st-lucia/from-as-long-as-i-can-remember-i-was-always-fond-of-drawing/) [St. Lucia](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/st-lucia/) > [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 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/) > [Designers shouldn’t design for museums any more than mummies should die for them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ralph-caplan/designers-shouldn-t-design-for-museums-any-more-than-mummies-should/) [Ralph Caplan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ralph-caplan/) > [I don't believe in competitions between artists. This is insane. Who has the authority to say someone is better?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-arkin/i-don-t-believe-in-competitions-between-artists-this-is-insane-who/) [Alan Arkin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-arkin/) > [I am not the avant-garde. I am the artist who comes after the advancing guard. I am more concerned with continuity of ideas and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nathan-oliveira/i-am-not-the-avant-garde-i-am-the-artist-who-comes-after-the/) [Nathan Oliveira](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nathan-oliveira/) > [I am a horrible visual artist. I can't fix a car, sew, knit, cook, etc. Statistically, there is more I don't do than do.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carrie-brownstein/i-am-a-horrible-visual-artist-i-can-t-fix-a-car-sew-knit-cook-etc/) [Carrie Brownstein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carrie-brownstein/) [Browse all 32,600 Artist quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/artist/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "Now and then when I get an idea for a picture, I think, how ordinary. Why paint that old rock? Why not go for a walk instead? 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