--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Art originates in play - in…" description: "\"Art originates in play - in improvisation, experiment, and fantasy; it remains forever, in its deepest instincts, playful and spontaneous, an exercise ..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/511/joyce-carol-oates-344_art_art-originates-in-play-in-improvisation_1544377.png" --- # Art originates in play - in improvisation, experiment, and… ![“Art originates in play - in improvisation, experiment, and fantasy; it remains forever, in its deepest instincts, playful and spontaneous, an exercise of the imagination analogous to the exercising of the physical body to no purpose other than ecstatic release.” quote by Joyce Carol Oates](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/511/joyce-carol-oates-344_art_art-originates-in-play-in-improvisation_1544377.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/511/joyce-carol-oates-344_art_art-originates-in-play-in-improvisation_1544377.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/511/joyce-carol-oates-344_art_art-originates-in-play-in-improvisation_1544377.png) > “Art originates in play - in improvisation, experiment, and fantasy; it remains forever, in its deepest instincts, playful and spontaneous, an exercise of the imagination analogous to the exercising of the physical body to no purpose other than ecstatic release.” [Joyce Carol Oates](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joyce-carol-oates/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Art thrives when it is playful, experimental, and imaginative, serving as a release akin to physical exercise for joy. **In simple terms:** Playful, experimental art is a joyful release. Key Takeaway Embrace play and experimentation in creativity. Themes creativity play imagination joy Mood enthusiastic inspired Type philosophical motivational When to use this quote - painting - dance - writing - improv theater - musical jam sessions Key Concepts psychology artistic expression freedom Questions to Reflect On - What does play bring to your work? - How can you balance spontaneity with purpose? A Different Perspective Not all art needs to be purposeless; some serves functional goals. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Art](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/art/) [Art Originates](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/art-originates-1883635/) [Body](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/body/) [Ecstatic](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ecstatic/) [Exercise](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/exercise/) [Experiments](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/experiments/) [Fantasy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/fantasy/) [Fitness](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/fitness/) [Forever](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/forever/) [Imagination](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/imagination/) [Improvisation](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/improvisation/) [Instinct](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/instinct/) [Instincts Playful](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/instincts-playful-5758262/) [Originates Play](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/originates-play-5758260/) [Physical body](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/physical-body/) [Play](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/play/) [Play Improvisation](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/play-improvisation-5758261/) [Playful](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/playful/) [Purpose](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/purpose/) [Release](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/release/) [Remains](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/remains/) [Spontaneous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/spontaneous/) ## Related quotes > [“Because each work of art originates in the mind and feelings of a human being, it reaches its destination in the mind and feelings…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-heard-hamilton/because-each-work-of-art-originates-in-the-mind-and-feelings-of-a/) [George Heard Hamilton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-heard-hamilton/) > [All great art originates from the innocent child within us expressing itself through the wisdom, experience and skill of an adult.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-schmid/all-great-art-originates-from-the-innocent-child-within-us-expressing/) [Richard Schmid](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-schmid/) > [“It follows from Schopenhauer’s analysis that evert genuine work of art must have its origin in direct perception; that is to say it does…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bryan-magee/it-follows-from-schopenhauer-s-analysis-that-evert-genuine-work-of/) [Bryan Magee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bryan-magee/) > [I'm ecstatic to be known as pad man, as it makes a difference to women's lives.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arunachalam-muruganantham/i-m-ecstatic-to-be-known-as-pad-man-as-it-makes-a-difference-to-women/) [Arunachalam Muruganantham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arunachalam-muruganantham/) > [I have always postulated that we have to find a new way to deal with reality. It's not so much facts that interest me,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/werner-herzog/i-have-always-postulated-that-we-have-to-find-a-new-way-to-deal-with/) [Werner Herzog](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/werner-herzog/) > [I am absolutely ecstatic to be here at Chelsea. It is not easy to become part of such a big team so I am…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jorginho/i-am-absolutely-ecstatic-to-be-here-at-chelsea-it-is-not-easy-to/) [Jorginho](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jorginho/) > [Rhythmic motion has become the carrier and creator of almost every ecstatic mood of any significance in human life.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/curt-sachs/rhythmic-motion-has-become-the-carrier-and-creator-of-almost-every/) [Curt Sachs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/curt-sachs/) > [If your heart takes more pleasure in reading novels, or watching TV, or going to the movies, or talking to friends, rather than just…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/keith-green/if-your-heart-takes-more-pleasure-in-reading-novels-or-watching-tv-or/) [Keith Green](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/keith-green/) > [Avoid the ecstatic adjectives that occupy such disproportionate space in every critic's quiver - words like "enthralling" and "luminous."](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-zinsser/avoid-the-ecstatic-adjectives-that-occupy-such-disproportionate-space/) [William Zinsser](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-zinsser/) > [The perfect mystic is not an ecstatic devotee lost in contemplation of Oneness, nor a saintly recluse shunning all commerce with mankind, but "the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/abu-sa-id-abul-khayr/the-perfect-mystic-is-not-an-ecstatic-devotee-lost-in-contemplation/) [Abu-Sa'id Abul-Khayr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/abu-sa-id-abul-khayr/) > [My nominee for Best Picture of the year - maybe the best picture ever, because it's essentially made up of and is an ecstatic…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jerry-saltz/my-nominee-for-best-picture-of-the-year-maybe-the-best-picture-ever/) [Jerry Saltz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jerry-saltz/) > [Ours was such a delicious risk. My being abruptly and altogether Ecstatic and be-stilled.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/scott-hastie/ours-was-such-a-delicious-risk-my-being-abruptly-and-altogether/) [Scott Hastie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/scott-hastie/) > [It looks like half the enjoyment is just having Heaven in our hearts and Heaven in our Homes, feeling Heaven in our bodies in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-berg/it-looks-like-half-the-enjoyment-is-just-having-heaven-in-our-hearts/) [David Berg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-berg/) > [We run when we're scared, we run when we're ecstatic, we run away from our problems and run around for a good time.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-mcdougall/we-run-when-we-re-scared-we-run-when-we-re-ecstatic-we-run-away-from/) [Christopher McDougall](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-mcdougall/) > [I think we all have a core that's ecstatic, that knows and that looks up in wonder. We all know that there are marvelous…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/coleman-barks/i-think-we-all-have-a-core-that-s-ecstatic-that-knows-and-that-looks/) [Coleman Barks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/coleman-barks/) ## More by Joyce Carol Oates > [“A woman who has lost her husband is invalid, thus an invalid. In”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joyce-carol-oates/a-woman-who-has-lost-her-husband-is-invalid-thus-an-invalid-in/) [Joyce Carol Oates](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joyce-carol-oates/) > [Running! If there's any activity happier, more exhilarating, more nourishing to the imagination, I can't think of what it might be.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joyce-carol-oates/running-if-there-s-any-activity-happier-more-exhilarating-more/) [Joyce Carol Oates](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joyce-carol-oates/) > [You need so much energy and encouragement to write that if someone says something negative, some of that energy goes.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joyce-carol-oates/you-need-so-much-energy-and-encouragement-to-write-that-if-someone/) [Joyce Carol Oates](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joyce-carol-oates/) > [I learned long ago that being Lewis Carroll was infinitely more exciting than being Alice.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joyce-carol-oates/i-learned-long-ago-that-being-lewis-carroll-was-infinitely-more/) [Joyce Carol Oates](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joyce-carol-oates/) > [Paradox: how do we know what we have failed to see because we have no language to express it, thus we cannot know that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joyce-carol-oates/paradox-how-do-we-know-what-we-have-failed-to-see-because-we-have-no/) [Joyce Carol Oates](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joyce-carol-oates/) > [At all crucial moments in our lives we want to speak without knowing what to say.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joyce-carol-oates/at-all-crucial-moments-in-our-lives-we-want-to-speak-without-knowing/) [Joyce Carol Oates](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joyce-carol-oates/) > [A writer’s life is in his work, and that is the place to find him.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joyce-carol-oates/a-writer-s-life-is-in-his-work-and-that-is-the-place-to-find-him/) [Joyce Carol Oates](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joyce-carol-oates/) > [The challenge is to resist circumstances. Any idiot can be happy in a happy place, but moral courage is required to be happy in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joyce-carol-oates/the-challenge-is-to-resist-circumstances-any-idiot-can-be-happy-in-a/) [Joyce Carol Oates](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joyce-carol-oates/) > [The first sentence cant be written until the final sentence is written.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joyce-carol-oates/the-first-sentence-cant-be-written-until-the-final-sentence-is-written/) [Joyce Carol Oates](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joyce-carol-oates/) > [“Did you know, Marianne: how by breaking the code that day, you broke it forever? For us all?”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joyce-carol-oates/did-you-know-marianne-how-by-breaking-the-code-that-day-you-broke-it/) [Joyce Carol Oates](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joyce-carol-oates/) > ['The Accursed' is very much a novel about social injustice as the consequence of the terrible, tragic division of classes - the exploitation not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joyce-carol-oates/the-accursed-is-very-much-a-novel-about-social-injustice-as-the/) [Joyce Carol Oates](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joyce-carol-oates/) > [Keep a light, hopeful heart. But expect the worst.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joyce-carol-oates/keep-a-light-hopeful-heart-but-expect-the-worst/) [Joyce Carol Oates](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joyce-carol-oates/) > [And this is the forbidden truth, the unspeakable taboo - that evil is not always repellent but frequently attractive; that it has the power…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joyce-carol-oates/and-this-is-the-forbidden-truth-the-unspeakable-taboo-that-evil-is/) [Joyce Carol Oates](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joyce-carol-oates/) > [I don't think that writer's block exists really. I think that when you're trying to do something prematurely, it just won't come. Certain subjects…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joyce-carol-oates/i-don-t-think-that-writer-s-block-exists-really-i-think-that-when-you/) [Joyce Carol Oates](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joyce-carol-oates/) > [... such speculation is like staring into the hot white sun. you know the sun is there but you can't see a thing.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joyce-carol-oates/such-speculation-is-like-staring-into-the-hot-white-sun-you-know-the/) [Joyce Carol Oates](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joyce-carol-oates/) [Explore all 658 Joyce Carol Oates quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joyce-carol-oates/) ## 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](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/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": "Art originates in play - in improvisation, experiment, and fantasy; it remains forever, in its deepest instincts, playful and spontaneous, an exercise of the imagination analogous to the exercising of the physical body to no purpose other than ecstatic release.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Joyce Carol Oates" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joyce-carol-oates/art-originates-in-play-in-improvisation-experiment-and-fantasy-it/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Art" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joyce-carol-oates/art-originates-in-play-in-improvisation-experiment-and-fantasy-it/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/511/joyce-carol-oates-344_art_art-originates-in-play-in-improvisation_1544377.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/511/joyce-carol-oates-344_art_art-originates-in-play-in-improvisation_1544377.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/511/joyce-carol-oates-344_art_art-originates-in-play-in-improvisation_1544377.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“Art originates in play - in improvisation, experiment, and fantasy; it remains forever, in its deepest…” — Joyce Carol Oates", "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": "Joyce Carol Oates", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joyce-carol-oates/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "Art originates in play - in...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joyce-carol-oates/art-originates-in-play-in-improvisation-experiment-and-fantasy-it/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joyce-carol-oates/art-originates-in-play-in-improvisation-experiment-and-fantasy-it/#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 } } ] } ```