--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I create work, and I devote myself to the…" description: "\"I create work, and I devote myself to the creative process, and I try to stay pure in that process and be worthy of the messages that I receive. You ca..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/df5/john-zorn-11273_composition_i-create-work-and-i-devote-myself-to-the_2210379.jpg" --- # I create work, and I devote myself to the creative… ![“I create work, and I devote myself to the creative process, and I try to stay pure in that process and be worthy of the messages that I receive. You can't sit down and write 300 compositions in a three-month period and think that you're doing it all by yourself.” quote by John Zorn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/df5/john-zorn-11273_composition_i-create-work-and-i-devote-myself-to-the_2210379.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/df5/john-zorn-11273_composition_i-create-work-and-i-devote-myself-to-the_2210379.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/df5/john-zorn-11273_composition_i-create-work-and-i-devote-myself-to-the_2210379.jpg) > “I create work, and I devote myself to the creative process, and I try to stay pure in that process and be worthy of the messages that I receive. You can't sit down and write 300 compositions in a three-month period and think that you're doing it all by yourself.” [John Zorn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-zorn/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Creative work requires dedication, purity, and humility, recognizing that inspiration comes from beyond oneself. **In simple terms:** Stay pure and humble in creation. Key Takeaway Create with humility and openness. Themes creativity humility dedication inspiration Mood reflective inspirational Type artistic philosophical When to use this quote - music composition - writing - visual arts - collaborative projects Key Concepts artistic integrity collaborative spirit self-awareness Questions to Reflect On - How do you maintain purity under deadlines? - What role does community play in your creative process? A Different Perspective The pressure to produce quickly can dilute authenticity. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [300 Compositions](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/300-compositions-1491970/) [Composition](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/composition/) [Compositions Month](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/compositions-month-1491971/) [Create Work](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/create-work-251452/) [Creative](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/creative/) [Creative process](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/creative-process/) [Creativity](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/creativity/) [Devote Creative](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/devote-creative-3833804/) [Down and](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/down-and/) [Messages](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/messages/) [Months](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/months/) [Periods](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/periods/) [Process](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/process/) [Pure](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/pure/) [Thinking](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/thinking/) [Three](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/three/) [Three months](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/three-months/) [Trying](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/trying/) [Worthy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/worthy/) [Writing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writing/) ## Related quotes > [You can't sit down and write 300 compositions in a three-month period and think that you're doing it all by yourself. Obviously, there's something…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-zorn/you-can-t-sit-down-and-write-300-compositions-in-a-three-month-period/) [John Zorn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-zorn/) > [I create work, and I devote myself to the creative process, and I try to, you know, stay pure in that process and be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-zorn/i-create-work-and-i-devote-myself-to-the-creative-process-and-i-try/) [John Zorn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-zorn/) > [While it may feel natural to devote yourself to your creative work and succumb to feelings of separation and alienation, it nevertheless isn't a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eric-maisel/while-it-may-feel-natural-to-devote-yourself-to-your-creative-work/) [Eric Maisel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eric-maisel/) > [Nothing convinces an artist more of the arbitrariness of the means to which he resorts to attain a goal - however permanent it may…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-brodsky/nothing-convinces-an-artist-more-of-the-arbitrariness-of-the-means-to/) [Joseph Brodsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-brodsky/) > [My business partner Warren Adams and I formed our company WalkRunFly as part of what felt like a logical progression: if you want to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brandon-victor-dixon/my-business-partner-warren-adams-and-i-formed-our-company-walkrunfly/) [Brandon Victor Dixon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brandon-victor-dixon/) > [I always wanted to create this community that would come and tell their own story, shoot it - and watch them. The idea is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michel-gondry/i-always-wanted-to-create-this-community-that-would-come-and-tell/) [Michel Gondry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michel-gondry/) > [I am not really interested in only showcasing my life or work but plan to produce, write and create work that is solely my…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/saba-qamar/i-am-not-really-interested-in-only-showcasing-my-life-or-work-but/) [Saba Qamar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/saba-qamar/) > [What all of us artists are doing is using our pain as material to create our work.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yoko-ono/what-all-of-us-artists-are-doing-is-using-our-pain-as-material-to/) [Yoko Ono](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yoko-ono/) > [I definitely intend to create my own work in the future so that we don't have to keep saying, We don't have work for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lupita-nyong-o/i-definitely-intend-to-create-my-own-work-in-the-future-so-that-we/) [Lupita Nyong'o](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lupita-nyong-o/) > [It's much harder to work for yourself, by yourself, than to create work for a gallery, because there are no limits and you can…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-lachapelle/it-s-much-harder-to-work-for-yourself-by-yourself-than-to-create-work/) [David LaChapelle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-lachapelle/) > [“Writers create themselves as they create their work. Or perhaps they create their work in order to create themselves.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/orson-scott-card/writers-create-themselves-as-they-create-their-work-or-perhaps-they/) [Orson Scott Card](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/orson-scott-card/) > [You create a work of art. You do not know whether it will get public sanction. Sometimes outstanding films do no business, and sometimes…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dev-anand/you-create-a-work-of-art-you-do-not-know-whether-it-will-get-public/) [Dev Anand](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dev-anand/) > [There's not some idea I'm going to create a work that's going to change everybody's consciousness.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eckhart-tolle/there-s-not-some-idea-i-m-going-to-create-a-work-that-s-going-to/) [Eckhart Tolle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eckhart-tolle/) > [To create a work of art, great or small, is work, hard work, and work requires discipline and order.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/madeleine-l-engle/to-create-a-work-of-art-great-or-small-is-work-hard-work-and-work/) [Madeleine L'Engle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/madeleine-l-engle/) > [You know how writers are... they create themselves as they create their work. Or perhaps they create their work in order to create themselves.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/orson-scott-card/you-know-how-writers-are-they-create-themselves-as-they-create-their/) [Orson Scott Card](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/orson-scott-card/) ## More by John Zorn > [I have no doubts. I know what gets in the way and I know what encourages me to do more work.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-zorn/i-have-no-doubts-i-know-what-gets-in-the-way-and-i-know-what/) [John Zorn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-zorn/) > [I was always an outsider, proud of being an outsider. I always reveled in the outsiders.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-zorn/i-was-always-an-outsider-proud-of-being-an-outsider-i-always-reveled/) [John Zorn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-zorn/) > [I have art. I have music. I have the history, this legacy behind me that I can look up to. This is what I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-zorn/i-have-art-i-have-music-i-have-the-history-this-legacy-behind-me-that/) [John Zorn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-zorn/) > [You can't sit down and write 300 compositions in a three-month period and think that you're doing it all by yourself. Obviously, there's something…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-zorn/you-can-t-sit-down-and-write-300-compositions-in-a-three-month-period/) [John Zorn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-zorn/) > [One of the reasons I started Tzadik, which is my own label, is to keep things in print. I got tired of labels dropping…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-zorn/one-of-the-reasons-i-started-tzadik-which-is-my-own-label-is-to-keep/) [John Zorn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-zorn/) > [That is a lot of the reason I do what I do, to really spread the word and spread information and turn people onto…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-zorn/that-is-a-lot-of-the-reason-i-do-what-i-do-to-really-spread-the-word/) [John Zorn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-zorn/) > [People sometimes have a very hard time accepting change.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-zorn/people-sometimes-have-a-very-hard-time-accepting-change/) [John Zorn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-zorn/) > [I feel like there are messages. I feel like there are angels. I feel that there is a legacy and an energy. And I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-zorn/i-feel-like-there-are-messages-i-feel-like-there-are-angels-i-feel/) [John Zorn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-zorn/) > [It's a matter of keeping people on a spontaneous edge.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-zorn/it-s-a-matter-of-keeping-people-on-a-spontaneous-edge/) [John Zorn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-zorn/) > [I don't ascribe to the idea of the ivory tower composer who sits alone in a room composing his masterpieces and then comes down…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-zorn/i-don-t-ascribe-to-the-idea-of-the-ivory-tower-composer-who-sits/) [John Zorn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-zorn/) > [Well, in Japan, I have got a group of musicians that I have worked with a lot, that concentrate just on the hardcore stuff,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-zorn/well-in-japan-i-have-got-a-group-of-musicians-that-i-have-worked-with/) [John Zorn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-zorn/) > [I have wit in my work and a sense of humor, but I do not use irony in any way](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-zorn/i-have-wit-in-my-work-and-a-sense-of-humor-but-i-do-not-use-irony-in/) [John Zorn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-zorn/) > [I don't control it at all. It's all up to the musicians in the group. They control it. They make all the cues, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-zorn/i-don-t-control-it-at-all-it-s-all-up-to-the-musicians-in-the-group/) [John Zorn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-zorn/) > [I'm constantly tortured, and that's why I say happiness is irrelevant. Happiness is for children and yuppies.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-zorn/i-m-constantly-tortured-and-that-s-why-i-say-happiness-is-irrelevant/) [John Zorn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-zorn/) > [I'm not a practicing kabbalist. I'm not a spiritual master. I'm not a rabbi. I don't - but it's part of who I am.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-zorn/i-m-not-a-practicing-kabbalist-i-m-not-a-spiritual-master-i-m-not-a/) [John Zorn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-zorn/) [Explore all 60 John Zorn quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-zorn/) ## More Composition quotes > [I put myself in the student's place and remember the frustrations, doubts, determination, and desires I felt when I was going through the initial…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ted-martinez/i-put-myself-in-the-student-s-place-and-remember-the-frustrations/) [Ted Martinez](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ted-martinez/) > [“The composition of Shakespeare is a forest, in which oaks extend in the air, interspersed sometimes with weeds and brambles, and sometimes giving shelting…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/samuel-johnson/the-composition-of-shakespeare-is-a-forest-in-which-oaks-extend-in/) [Samuel Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/samuel-johnson/) > [At the risk of some oversimplification, if the skill composition of our work force meshed fully with the needs of our increasingly complex capital-stock,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-greenspan/at-the-risk-of-some-oversimplification-if-the-skill-composition-of/) [Alan Greenspan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-greenspan/) > [Writers and musicians know well the importance of extensive reading for successful writing or extensive listening for musical composition. Likewise, visual artists... understand that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-laseau/writers-and-musicians-know-well-the-importance-of-extensive-reading/) [Paul Laseau](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-laseau/) > [A composition is always more than the sum of its parts. In other words, a really good piece of music is more than itself.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yo-yo-ma/a-composition-is-always-more-than-the-sum-of-its-parts-in-other-words/) [Yo-Yo Ma](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yo-yo-ma/) > [When I start writing a new imaginary future, I have no idea what it is. The characters arrive first. They help me figure out…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-gibson/when-i-start-writing-a-new-imaginary-future-i-have-no-idea-what-it-is/) [William Gibson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-gibson/) > [Though I cannot claim to be a Christian in the sectarian sense, the example of Jesus suffering is a factor in the composition of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mahatma-gandhi/though-i-cannot-claim-to-be-a-christian-in-the-sectarian-sense-the/) [Mahatma Gandhi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mahatma-gandhi/) > [I always look at money not as a motivating factor but as an element in the composition. You can't ignore it, but you've got…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/damien-hirst/i-always-look-at-money-not-as-a-motivating-factor-but-as-an-element/) [Damien Hirst](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/damien-hirst/) > [The unary Photograph has every reason to be banal, 'unity' of composition being the first rule of vulgar (and notably, of academic) rhetoric: 'The…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roland-barthes/the-unary-photograph-has-every-reason-to-be-banal-unity-of/) [Roland Barthes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roland-barthes/) > [Musical compositions, it should be remembered, do not inhabit certain countries, certain museums, like paintings and statues. The Mozart Quintet is not shut up…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henri-rabaud/musical-compositions-it-should-be-remembered-do-not-inhabit-certain/) [Henri Rabaud](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henri-rabaud/) > [Science does not enter a chaotic society to put order into it anymore, to simplify its composition, and to put an end to controversies.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bruno-latour/science-does-not-enter-a-chaotic-society-to-put-order-into-it-anymore/) [Bruno Latour](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bruno-latour/) > [If measure and symmetry are absent from any composition in any degree, ruin awaits both the ingredients and the composition... Measure and symmetry are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/socrates/if-measure-and-symmetry-are-absent-from-any-composition-in-any-degree/) [Socrates](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/socrates/) > [If you really want to be a good archaeologist, you have to understand ancient DNA; you have to understand chemical analysis to figure out…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-parcak/if-you-really-want-to-be-a-good-archaeologist-you-have-to-understand/) [Sarah Parcak](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-parcak/) > [Oil companies are radical because they're willing to alter the chemical composition of the atmosphere.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-mckibben/oil-companies-are-radical-because-they-re-willing-to-alter-the/) [Bill McKibben](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-mckibben/) > [Composition is definitely what I'm born to do, and it came last.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-friedman/composition-is-definitely-what-i-m-born-to-do-and-it-came-last/) [David Friedman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-friedman/) [Browse all 766 Composition quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/composition/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "I create work, and I devote myself to the creative process, and I try to stay pure in that process and be worthy of the messages that I receive. You can't sit down and write 300 compositions in a three-month period and think that you're doing it all by yourself.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "John Zorn" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-zorn/i-create-work-and-i-devote-myself-to-the-creative-process-and-i-try-2/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Composition" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-zorn/i-create-work-and-i-devote-myself-to-the-creative-process-and-i-try-2/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/df5/john-zorn-11273_composition_i-create-work-and-i-devote-myself-to-the_2210379.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/df5/john-zorn-11273_composition_i-create-work-and-i-devote-myself-to-the_2210379.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/df5/john-zorn-11273_composition_i-create-work-and-i-devote-myself-to-the_2210379.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“I create work, and I devote myself to the creative process, and I try to stay pure in that process and be…” — John Zorn", "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": "John Zorn", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-zorn/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "I create work, and I devote...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-zorn/i-create-work-and-i-devote-myself-to-the-creative-process-and-i-try-2/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-zorn/i-create-work-and-i-devote-myself-to-the-creative-process-and-i-try-2/#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 } } ] } ```