--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Talent is cheap, you have to be possessed…" description: "\"Talent is cheap, you have to be possessed or obsessed, rather. You really have to feel like you cannot not do art, and that is something you can't will..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5cc/john-baldessari-16840_art_talent-is-cheap-you-have-to-be-possessed_172975.png" --- # Talent is cheap, you have to be possessed or obsessed… ![“Talent is cheap, you have to be possessed or obsessed, rather. You really have to feel like you cannot not do art, and that is something you can't will.” quote by John Baldessari](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5cc/john-baldessari-16840_art_talent-is-cheap-you-have-to-be-possessed_172975.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5cc/john-baldessari-16840_art_talent-is-cheap-you-have-to-be-possessed_172975.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5cc/john-baldessari-16840_art_talent-is-cheap-you-have-to-be-possessed_172975.png) > “Talent is cheap, you have to be possessed or obsessed, rather. You really have to feel like you cannot not do art, and that is something you can't will.” [John Baldessari](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-baldessari/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Talent is easy, but true artistic drive requires obsession; a compulsion you cannot control. **In simple terms:** Obsession fuels genuine art beyond talent. Key Takeaway Cultivate relentless passion for creation. Themes creativity obsession talent drive willpower Mood inspired intense Type motivational philosophical When to use this quote - painting - writing - music - performance - entrepreneurship Key Concepts psychology artistic motivation Questions to Reflect On - What drives your creative compulsion? - Can talent thrive without obsession? A Different Perspective Obsession may lead to burnout. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Art](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/art/) [Artist](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/artist/) [Talent](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/talent/) ## Related quotes > [“Talent is cheap. What matters is discipline.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andre-dubus/talent-is-cheap-what-matters-is-discipline/) [Andre Dubus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andre-dubus/) > [Talent is cheap. What really matters is discipline.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andre-dubus/talent-is-cheap-what-really-matters-is-discipline/) [Andre Dubus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andre-dubus/) > [Talent is cheap; dedication is expensive. It will cost you your life.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/irving-stone/talent-is-cheap-dedication-is-expensive-it-will-cost-you-your-life/) [Irving Stone](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/irving-stone/) > [Once upon a time men were possessed by devils. Now they are not less obsessed by ideas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carl-jung/once-upon-a-time-men-were-possessed-by-devils-now-they-are-not-less/) [Carl Jung](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carl-jung/) > [My art career often feels less like an art career and more like a career in educating, usually by using my body.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vivek-shraya/my-art-career-often-feels-less-like-an-art-career-and-more-like-a/) [Vivek Shraya](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vivek-shraya/) > [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/) > [Good new art may not look like art. Inspiration doesn't follow style, it creates it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/walter-darby-bannard/good-new-art-may-not-look-like-art-inspiration-doesn-t-follow-style/) [Walter Darby Bannard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/walter-darby-bannard/) > [I think what we like about music - and what we like about art in general…is that enterprise that stops our minds from spinning.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leonard-cohen/i-think-what-we-like-about-music-and-what-we-like-about-art-in/) [Leonard Cohen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leonard-cohen/) > [Technology, like art, is a soaring exercise of the human imagination.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-bell/technology-like-art-is-a-soaring-exercise-of-the-human-imagination/) [Daniel Bell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-bell/) > [I like that the art world isn't regulated.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jerry-saltz/i-like-that-the-art-world-isn-t-regulated/) [Jerry Saltz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jerry-saltz/) > [To change your phrase somewhat, I know that I like an art where disparate elements form an entity.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-schuyler/to-change-your-phrase-somewhat-i-know-that-i-like-an-art-where/) [James Schuyler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-schuyler/) > [When I was younger I was very opinionated about art. And then, I realized that I kind of recognized this pattern where the things…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joe-bradley/when-i-was-younger-i-was-very-opinionated-about-art-and-then-i/) [Joe Bradley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joe-bradley/) > [“Like art, love is an act of creation, but love far surpasses art as a cure for emotional suffering.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-e-valliant/like-art-love-is-an-act-of-creation-but-love-far-surpasses-art-as-a/) George E. Valliant > [“It's like art, you know? Picasso had to prove to the world he can paint the right way, before he goes putting both eyes…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neal-shusterman/it-s-like-art-you-know-picasso-had-to-prove-to-the-world-he-can-paint/) [Neal Shusterman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neal-shusterman/) > [I like art that trusts its audience, that's written for readers who like to work hard. I like art that knows its readers are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joshua-mohr/i-like-art-that-trusts-its-audience-that-s-written-for-readers-who/) [Joshua Mohr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joshua-mohr/) ## More by John Baldessari > [It's human desire to be understood. And we always feel we're not understood.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-baldessari/it-s-human-desire-to-be-understood-and-we-always-feel-we-re-not/) [John Baldessari](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-baldessari/) > [The idea of vaudeville clowns and court jesters is always to show the flaw, to point out what's not working and why it's not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-baldessari/the-idea-of-vaudeville-clowns-and-court-jesters-is-always-to-show-the/) [John Baldessari](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-baldessari/) > [I will not make anymore boring art.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-baldessari/i-will-not-make-anymore-boring-art/) [John Baldessari](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-baldessari/) > [Writing helped me understand what I was thinking about.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-baldessari/writing-helped-me-understand-what-i-was-thinking-about/) [John Baldessari](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-baldessari/) > [Probably one of the worst things that happened to photography is that cameras have viewfinders.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-baldessari/probably-one-of-the-worst-things-that-happened-to-photography-is-that/) [John Baldessari](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-baldessari/) > [There's no such thing as a bad photograph.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-baldessari/there-s-no-such-thing-as-a-bad-photograph/) [John Baldessari](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-baldessari/) > [I think I live such a boring life. But I can't imagine any other kind of life, so I guess it's the life I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-baldessari/i-think-i-live-such-a-boring-life-but-i-can-t-imagine-any-other-kind/) [John Baldessari](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-baldessari/) > [I was teaching live drawing in a community college and students started zoning in on the face and spending a couple of hours on…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-baldessari/i-was-teaching-live-drawing-in-a-community-college-and-students/) [John Baldessari](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-baldessari/) > [Ideally I would like the work to be a hybrid between painting and photography.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-baldessari/ideally-i-would-like-the-work-to-be-a-hybrid-between-painting-and/) [John Baldessari](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-baldessari/) > [Most of my friends are women. I think women are more interesting to talk to.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-baldessari/most-of-my-friends-are-women-i-think-women-are-more-interesting-to/) [John Baldessari](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-baldessari/) > [The idea was to take fine art and put it into the location of the movie scripts. The script itself is collage - some…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-baldessari/the-idea-was-to-take-fine-art-and-put-it-into-the-location-of-the/) [John Baldessari](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-baldessari/) > [If I saw the art around me that I liked, then I wouldn't do art.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-baldessari/if-i-saw-the-art-around-me-that-i-liked-then-i-wouldn-t-do-art/) [John Baldessari](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-baldessari/) > [I could never figure out why photography and art had separate histories. So I decided to explore both.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-baldessari/i-could-never-figure-out-why-photography-and-art-had-separate/) [John Baldessari](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-baldessari/) > [I go back and forth between wanting to be abundantly simple and maddeningly complex.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-baldessari/i-go-back-and-forth-between-wanting-to-be-abundantly-simple-and/) [John Baldessari](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-baldessari/) > [If you're smart, you abandon the things that didn't work out so well, and you enlarge upon the things that seem to be successful.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-baldessari/if-you-re-smart-you-abandon-the-things-that-didn-t-work-out-so-well/) [John Baldessari](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-baldessari/) [Explore all 38 John Baldessari quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-baldessari/) ## 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 > [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": "Talent is cheap, you have to be possessed or obsessed, rather. 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