---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: An artist paints, dances, draws, writes…"
description: "\"An artist paints, dances, draws, writes, designs, or acts at the expanding edge of consciousness. We press into the unknown rather than the known. This..."
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c3b/julia-cameron-830_art_an-artist-paints-dances-draws-writes-des_625739.png"
---

#  An artist paints, dances, draws, writes, designs, or acts…

![“An artist paints, dances, draws, writes, designs, or acts at the expanding edge of consciousness. We press into the unknown rather than the known. This makes life lovely and lively.” quote by Julia Cameron](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c3b/julia-cameron-830_art_an-artist-paints-dances-draws-writes-des_625739.png)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c3b/julia-cameron-830_art_an-artist-paints-dances-draws-writes-des_625739.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c3b/julia-cameron-830_art_an-artist-paints-dances-draws-writes-des_625739.png)

> “An artist paints, dances, draws, writes, designs, or acts at the expanding edge of consciousness. We press into the unknown rather than the known. This makes life lovely and lively.”

[Julia Cameron](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/julia-cameron/)

## About This Quote

This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation.

Artists work at the frontier of awareness, exploring unknown realms rather than staying within familiar limits.

**In simple terms:** Artists explore the unknown.

Key Takeaway

Embrace uncertainty in creative work.

Themes

creativity exploration awareness

Mood

encouraging hopeful

Type

inspirational practical

When to use this quote

- artistic projects
- innovation workshops
- personal journaling
- educational curricula

Key Concepts

psychology of creativity flow state

Questions to Reflect On

- What unknown area could you explore today?
- How do you handle discomfort when pushing creative boundaries?

A Different Perspective

Risk of venturing into unknown can cause fear or failure.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Art](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/art/) [Artist](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/artist/) [Artist Paints](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/artist-paints-346890/) [Consciousness](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/consciousness/) [Creativity](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/creativity/) [Creativity and innovation](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/creativity-and-innovation/) [Dances Draws](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/dances-draws-5054282/) [Design](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/design/) [Draws](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/draws/) [Draws Writes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/draws-writes-5054280/) [Edge Consciousness](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/edge-consciousness-521179/) [Edges](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/edges/) [Expanding](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/expanding/) [Known](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/known/) [Life Love](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/life-love/) [Lively](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/lively/) [Love &amp; life](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/love-life-2/) [Lovely](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/lovely/) [Paint](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/paint/) [Paints Dances](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/paints-dances-5054281/) [Philosophy of Mind](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/philosophy-of-mind/) [Presses](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/presses/) [Writing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writing/)

## Related quotes

> [Chance does not speak essentially through words nor can it be seen in their convolution. It is the eruption of language, its sudden appearance.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michel-foucault/chance-does-not-speak-essentially-through-words-nor-can-it-be-seen-in/)

[Michel Foucault](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michel-foucault/)

> [The poet is at the edge of our consciousness of the world, finding beyond the suspected nothingness which we imagine limits our perception another…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/guy-davenport/the-poet-is-at-the-edge-of-our-consciousness-of-the-world-finding/)

[Guy Davenport](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/guy-davenport/)

> [Under the thinning fog the surf curled and creamed, almost without sound, like a thought trying to form inself on the edge of consciousness.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/raymond-chandler/under-the-thinning-fog-the-surf-curled-and-creamed-almost-without/)

[Raymond Chandler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/raymond-chandler/)

> [I am closest of all to happiness—although I won’t attempt to define just what it is—when I turn away from the window and am…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/victor-pelevin/i-am-closest-of-all-to-happiness-although-i-won-t-attempt-to-define/)

[Victor Pelevin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/victor-pelevin/)

> [An artist paints his own reality.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ernie-barnes/an-artist-paints-his-own-reality/)

[Ernie Barnes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ernie-barnes/)

> [“My supernatural gift might reside not in my mind instead in my heart. The heart is an artist that paints over what profoundly disturbs…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dean-koontz/my-supernatural-gift-might-reside-not-in-my-mind-instead-in-my-heart/)

[Dean Koontz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dean-koontz/)

> [When an artist paints a picture he does not want you to consider his personality as represented in that picture - he wants you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jiddu-krishnamurti/when-an-artist-paints-a-picture-he-does-not-want-you-to-consider-his/)

[Jiddu Krishnamurti](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jiddu-krishnamurti/)

> [The artist who paints the emotions creates an enclosed world... the picture... which, like a book, has the same interest no matter where it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pierre-bonnard/the-artist-who-paints-the-emotions-creates-an-enclosed-world-the/)

[Pierre Bonnard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pierre-bonnard/)

> [Painting is self-discovery. Every good artist paints what he is.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jackson-pollock/painting-is-self-discovery-every-good-artist-paints-what-he-is/)

[Jackson Pollock](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jackson-pollock/)

> [“every good artist paints what he is”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jackson-pollock/every-good-artist-paints-what-he-is/)

[Jackson Pollock](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jackson-pollock/)

> [You can do one of two things: You can be the artist that paints the picture, or you can be in the picture. Once…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tracy-morgan/you-can-do-one-of-two-things-you-can-be-the-artist-that-paints-the/)

[Tracy Morgan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tracy-morgan/)

> [The real artist while he paints does not think of the sale, only of the need to make a beautiful living thing.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/irving-stone/the-real-artist-while-he-paints-does-not-think-of-the-sale-only-of/)

[Irving Stone](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/irving-stone/)

> [“An author is an artist who paints a picture in the imagination of the reader.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/darrell-case/an-author-is-an-artist-who-paints-a-picture-in-the-imagination-of-the/)

[Darrell Case](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/darrell-case/)

> [The canvas upon which the artist paints is the spectator's mind.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/okakura-kakuzo/the-canvas-upon-which-the-artist-paints-is-the-spectator-s-mind/)

[Okakura Kakuzo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/okakura-kakuzo/)

> [An artist is someone who paints and is creative, but they are not necessarily using their brains too much. And it's the same in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/keeley-hazell/an-artist-is-someone-who-paints-and-is-creative-but-they-are-not/)

[Keeley Hazell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/keeley-hazell/)

## More by Julia Cameron

> [All too often, it is audacity and not talent that moves an artist to center stage.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/julia-cameron/all-too-often-it-is-audacity-and-not-talent-that-moves-an-artist-to/)

[Julia Cameron](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/julia-cameron/)

> [Fatigue can make it hard to have faith. Too much busyness can make it hard to have faith. Too much of too little solitude…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/julia-cameron/fatigue-can-make-it-hard-to-have-faith-too-much-busyness-can-make-it/)

[Julia Cameron](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/julia-cameron/)

> [We are not accustomed to thinking that God's will for us and our own inner dreams can coincide.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/julia-cameron/we-are-not-accustomed-to-thinking-that-god-s-will-for-us-and-our-own/)

[Julia Cameron](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/julia-cameron/)

> [What we really want to do is what we are really meant to do.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/julia-cameron/what-we-really-want-to-do-is-what-we-are-really-meant-to-do/)

[Julia Cameron](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/julia-cameron/)

> [The need to be a great artist makes it hard to be an artist. The need to produce a great work of art makes…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/julia-cameron/the-need-to-be-a-great-artist-makes-it-hard-to-be-an-artist-the-need/)

[Julia Cameron](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/julia-cameron/)

> [All of us contain a divine, expressive spark, a creative candle intended to light our path and that of our fellows.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/julia-cameron/all-of-us-contain-a-divine-expressive-spark-a-creative-candle/)

[Julia Cameron](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/julia-cameron/)

> [Possibility is far more frightening than impossibility.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/julia-cameron/possibility-is-far-more-frightening-than-impossibility/)

[Julia Cameron](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/julia-cameron/)

> [Creativity is our true nature; blocks are an unnatural thwarting of a process at once as normal and as miraculous as the blossoming of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/julia-cameron/creativity-is-our-true-nature-blocks-are-an-unnatural-thwarting-of-a/)

[Julia Cameron](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/julia-cameron/)

> [Just as a good rain clears the air, a good writing day clears the psyche.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/julia-cameron/just-as-a-good-rain-clears-the-air-a-good-writing-day-clears-the/)

[Julia Cameron](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/julia-cameron/)

> [Survival lies in sanity, and sanity lies in paying attention...the capacity for delight is the gift of paying attention.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/julia-cameron/survival-lies-in-sanity-and-sanity-lies-in-paying-attention-the/)

[Julia Cameron](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/julia-cameron/)

> [Technology teaches passivity. Absorbed in our devices - at any age - we are absorbed in someone else's perspective.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/julia-cameron/technology-teaches-passivity-absorbed-in-our-devices-at-any-age-we/)

[Julia Cameron](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/julia-cameron/)

> [There's this mythology that parents are supposed to be parents 24/7 and are supposed to be completely fulfilled by their kids. That's not the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/julia-cameron/there-s-this-mythology-that-parents-are-supposed-to-be-parents-24-7/)

[Julia Cameron](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/julia-cameron/)

> [Perfectionism is not a quest for the best. It is a pursuit of the worst in ourselves, the part that tells us that nothing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/julia-cameron/perfectionism-is-not-a-quest-for-the-best-it-is-a-pursuit-of-the/)

[Julia Cameron](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/julia-cameron/)

> [I am compassionate. I allow my heart and imagination to embrace the difficulties and concerns of others. While maintaining my own balance, I find…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/julia-cameron/i-am-compassionate-i-allow-my-heart-and-imagination-to-embrace-the/)

[Julia Cameron](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/julia-cameron/)

> [All change can be expansive in potential. The choice is ours.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/julia-cameron/all-change-can-be-expansive-in-potential-the-choice-is-ours/)

[Julia Cameron](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/julia-cameron/)

[Explore all 358 Julia Cameron quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/julia-cameron/)

## 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": "An artist paints, dances, draws, writes, designs, or acts at the expanding edge of consciousness. We press into the unknown rather than the known. This makes life lovely and lively.",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Julia Cameron"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/julia-cameron/an-artist-paints-dances-draws-writes-designs-or-acts-at-the-expanding/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Art"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/julia-cameron/an-artist-paints-dances-draws-writes-designs-or-acts-at-the-expanding/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c3b/julia-cameron-830_art_an-artist-paints-dances-draws-writes-des_625739.png",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c3b/julia-cameron-830_art_an-artist-paints-dances-draws-writes-des_625739.png",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c3b/julia-cameron-830_art_an-artist-paints-dances-draws-writes-des_625739.png",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“An artist paints, dances, draws, writes, designs, or acts at the expanding edge of consciousness. We press…” — Julia Cameron",
                "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": "Julia Cameron",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/julia-cameron/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "An artist paints, dances, draws, writes,...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/julia-cameron/an-artist-paints-dances-draws-writes-designs-or-acts-at-the-expanding/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/julia-cameron/an-artist-paints-dances-draws-writes-designs-or-acts-at-the-expanding/#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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
