--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: You know, I'm incredibly blessed to be…" description: "\"You know, I'm incredibly blessed to be able to have this level of choice as an artist today. In this economy, it's something that I, you know, pinch my..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/390/kehinde-wiley-1194_able_you-know-i-m-incredibly-blessed-to-be-ab_3024158.jpg" --- # You know, I'm incredibly blessed to be able to have this… ![“You know, I'm incredibly blessed to be able to have this level of choice as an artist today. In this economy, it's something that I, you know, pinch myself at constantly, just thinking about how I could wake up tomorrow and decide I'm going to start painting this or that. So it's good.” quote by Kehinde Wiley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/390/kehinde-wiley-1194_able_you-know-i-m-incredibly-blessed-to-be-ab_3024158.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/390/kehinde-wiley-1194_able_you-know-i-m-incredibly-blessed-to-be-ab_3024158.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/390/kehinde-wiley-1194_able_you-know-i-m-incredibly-blessed-to-be-ab_3024158.jpg) > “You know, I'm incredibly blessed to be able to have this level of choice as an artist today. In this economy, it's something that I, you know, pinch myself at constantly, just thinking about how I could wake up tomorrow and decide I'm going to start painting this or that. So it's good.” [Kehinde Wiley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kehinde-wiley/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Having abundant creative choices is a rare privilege that fuels gratitude and artistic exploration. **In simple terms:** Freedom to choose inspires gratitude. Key Takeaway Cherish and use your creative freedom. Themes gratitude creativity choice artist abundance Mood reflective hopeful Type philosophical inspirational When to use this quote - career planning - artistic projects - personal development - budgeting for art Key Concepts self‑determination economic context mindset Questions to Reflect On - How do you stay grateful during scarcity? - What choices can you make with limited resources? A Different Perspective Economic constraints can limit perceived freedom. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Able](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/able/) [Art](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/art/) [Artist](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/artist/) [Artist Today](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/artist-today-558877/) [Blessed](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/blessed/) [Choice Artist](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/choice-artist-282628/) [Choices](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/choices/) [Economics](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/economics/) [Economy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/economy/) [Knows](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/knows/) [Levels](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/levels/) [Painting](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/painting/) [Painting Good](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/painting-good-392817/) [Start Painting](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/start-painting-460056/) [Thinking](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/thinking/) [Today](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/today/) [Tomorrow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/tomorrow/) [Wake up](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/wake-up/) ## Related quotes > [I don't think you make a choice to be an artist. There was no decision for me. I've been expressing myself this way since…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yoko-ono/i-don-t-think-you-make-a-choice-to-be-an-artist-there-was-no-decision/) [Yoko Ono](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yoko-ono/) > [The first choice an artist makes is precisely to be an artist, and if he chooses to be an artist it is in consideration…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/albert-camus/the-first-choice-an-artist-makes-is-precisely-to-be-an-artist-and-if/) [Albert Camus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/albert-camus/) > [Art lies in the fine choice. The artist does not teach us to see facts: he teaches us to feel harmonies.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arthur-wesley-dow/art-lies-in-the-fine-choice-the-artist-does-not-teach-us-to-see-facts/) [Arthur Wesley Dow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arthur-wesley-dow/) > [I am a great lover of art, in many forms: paintings, objets, textiles. I don't have the talent for painting, but I have a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jacqueline-bisset/i-am-a-great-lover-of-art-in-many-forms-paintings-objets-textiles-i/) [Jacqueline Bisset](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jacqueline-bisset/) > [“But it's been a wonderful change. I've found myself. I am stronger than I have ever been. I am painting, and I'm good at…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/m-j-rose/but-it-s-been-a-wonderful-change-i-ve-found-myself-i-am-stronger-than/) [M.J. Rose](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/m-j-rose/) > [I was not out to paint beautiful pictures; even painting good pictures was not important to me. I wanted only to help the truth…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/i-was-not-out-to-paint-beautiful-pictures-even-painting-good-pictures-2/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [I have a pretty big range of interests. I love art; I love going to the museums. I dabble in painting, and although I'm…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mira-sorvino/i-have-a-pretty-big-range-of-interests-i-love-art-i-love-going-to-the/) [Mira Sorvino](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mira-sorvino/) > [Objective painting is not good painting unless it is good in the abstract sense. A hill or tree cannot make a good painting just…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/georgia-o-keeffe/objective-painting-is-not-good-painting-unless-it-is-good-in-the-2/) [Georgia O'Keeffe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/georgia-o-keeffe/) > [“There is often as much sincerity, labour, and thought in bad painting as in good.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-baldwin-ross/there-is-often-as-much-sincerity-labour-and-thought-in-bad-painting/) [Robert Baldwin Ross](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-baldwin-ross/) > [I think a good painting or a good work of art does many things it wants, I mean, maybe 15 or 20 or 100.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-salle/i-think-a-good-painting-or-a-good-work-of-art-does-many-things-it/) [David Salle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-salle/) > [...if photos can reproduce the world more perfectly than any painter, can capture an instant, a look, a gesture, then what makes a painting…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-byrne/if-photos-can-reproduce-the-world-more-perfectly-than-any-painter-can/) [David Byrne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-byrne/) > [You have to live in a state of thinking your painting is good, or you couldn't do it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roger-de-grey/you-have-to-live-in-a-state-of-thinking-your-painting-is-good-or-you/) [Roger de Grey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roger-de-grey/) > [Objective painting is not good painting unless it is good in the abstract sense.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/georgia-o-keeffe/objective-painting-is-not-good-painting-unless-it-is-good-in-the/) [Georgia O'Keeffe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/georgia-o-keeffe/) > [“You paint from your subject, not what you see…I rarely paint anything I don’t know very well. It was surprising to me to see…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/georgia-o-keeffe/you-paint-from-your-subject-not-what-you-see-i-rarely-paint-anything/) [Georgia O'Keeffe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/georgia-o-keeffe/) > [The artist is today and has been for many years, despite his absence of merit, simply a spoiled child. So many honors, so much…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-baudelaire/the-artist-is-today-and-has-been-for-many-years-despite-his-absence/) [Charles Baudelaire](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-baudelaire/) ## More by Kehinde Wiley > [Much like teaching art to young art students age 10 to 15 or so on, you have to break it down into bite-sized pieces,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kehinde-wiley/much-like-teaching-art-to-young-art-students-age-10-to-15-or-so-on/) [Kehinde Wiley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kehinde-wiley/) > [The erotic and the art historical imagination is something that gets very little play when people talk about my work, and when they rarely…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kehinde-wiley/the-erotic-and-the-art-historical-imagination-is-something-that-gets/) [Kehinde Wiley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kehinde-wiley/) > [One of the weirdest things that happened to artists and art criticism was this moment when everyone got cynical and stopped believing in the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kehinde-wiley/one-of-the-weirdest-things-that-happened-to-artists-and-art-criticism/) [Kehinde Wiley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kehinde-wiley/) > [At its best, what art does is, it points to who we as human beings and what we as human beings value. And if…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kehinde-wiley/at-its-best-what-art-does-is-it-points-to-who-we-as-human-beings-and/) [Kehinde Wiley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kehinde-wiley/) > [My style is in the 21st century. If you look at the process, it goes from photography through Photoshop, where certain features are heightened,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kehinde-wiley/my-style-is-in-the-21st-century-if-you-look-at-the-process-it-goes/) [Kehinde Wiley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kehinde-wiley/) > [I think the world that I grew up in was like being in this sort of magical artistic garden.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kehinde-wiley/i-think-the-world-that-i-grew-up-in-was-like-being-in-this-sort-of/) [Kehinde Wiley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kehinde-wiley/) > [It was something that came sort of matter-of-factually. Because there - it's like really - real honest engagement with the people around me and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kehinde-wiley/it-was-something-that-came-sort-of-matter-of-factually-because-there/) [Kehinde Wiley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kehinde-wiley/) > [We're wired to be empathetic and to care about the needs of others, but also to be curious about others. And I think that's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kehinde-wiley/we-re-wired-to-be-empathetic-and-to-care-about-the-needs-of-others/) [Kehinde Wiley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kehinde-wiley/) > [Painting is situational. And my particular situation exists within gender, race, class, sexuality, nation.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kehinde-wiley/painting-is-situational-and-my-particular-situation-exists-within/) [Kehinde Wiley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kehinde-wiley/) > [There were certain expectations that were assumed of me as a young black American 20th-century - then 20th-century artist.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kehinde-wiley/there-were-certain-expectations-that-were-assumed-of-me-as-a-young/) [Kehinde Wiley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kehinde-wiley/) > [I think, something that you might be able to locate in the work that I'm creating today: the ability to look at a black…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kehinde-wiley/i-think-something-that-you-might-be-able-to-locate-in-the-work-that-i/) [Kehinde Wiley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kehinde-wiley/) > [I remember the first time I went to the Los Angeles County Museum of Art and saw a Kerry James Marshall painting with black…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kehinde-wiley/i-remember-the-first-time-i-went-to-the-los-angeles-county-museum-of/) [Kehinde Wiley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kehinde-wiley/) > [I believe that artists should be part of the culture. I think that my work clearly bears that out.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kehinde-wiley/i-believe-that-artists-should-be-part-of-the-culture-i-think-that-my/) [Kehinde Wiley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kehinde-wiley/) > [I guess art is in the eye of the beholder.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kehinde-wiley/i-guess-art-is-in-the-eye-of-the-beholder/) [Kehinde Wiley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kehinde-wiley/) > [Just physically, if you looked at the house that I grew up in, my mother created this greenhouse. And surrounded the entire property. And…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kehinde-wiley/just-physically-if-you-looked-at-the-house-that-i-grew-up-in-my/) [Kehinde Wiley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kehinde-wiley/) [Explore all 275 Kehinde Wiley quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kehinde-wiley/) ## More Able quotes > [I am certain that children always know more than they are able to tell, and that makes the big difference between them and adults,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jacques-lusseyran/i-am-certain-that-children-always-know-more-than-they-are-able-to/) [Jacques Lusseyran](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jacques-lusseyran/) > [I have observed this in my experience of slavery, - that whenever my condition was improved, instead of its increasing my contentment, it only…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frederick-douglass/i-have-observed-this-in-my-experience-of-slavery-that-whenever-my/) [Frederick Douglass](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frederick-douglass/) > [There is something about the South that accepts the supernatural. If you don't accept it and you're having a conversation with someone who does,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alice-englert/there-is-something-about-the-south-that-accepts-the-supernatural-if/) [Alice Englert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alice-englert/) > [In the '80s, the way radio was programmed, if you didn't have a hit record you weren't going to be able to make any…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/huey-lewis/in-the-80s-the-way-radio-was-programmed-if-you-didn-t-have-a-hit/) [Huey Lewis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/huey-lewis/) > [I think I've had the longest career of strength, focus, and still being able to sell records. I think I'm that guy. I'm still…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nas/i-think-i-ve-had-the-longest-career-of-strength-focus-and-still-being/) [Nas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nas/) > [I have that need in me, I want everyone to love me, but I'm embarrassed by that need, so I wanted to cover it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anthony-jeselnik/i-have-that-need-in-me-i-want-everyone-to-love-me-but-i-m-embarrassed/) [Anthony Jeselnik](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anthony-jeselnik/) > [Thinking about the things that happened, I don't know any other ball player would could have done what he (Jackie Robinson) did. To be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pee-wee-reese/thinking-about-the-things-that-happened-i-don-t-know-any-other-ball/) [Pee Wee Reese](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pee-wee-reese/) > [I wanted to remember in order to be able to return.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anais-nin/i-wanted-to-remember-in-order-to-be-able-to-return/) [Anais Nin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anais-nin/) > [Government schools, with your tax money, now discourage the teaching of multiplication tables by rote memorization but teach reading by the 'look-and-say' method which…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/greg-perry/government-schools-with-your-tax-money-now-discourage-the-teaching-of/) [Greg Perry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/greg-perry/) > [I don't know if I would qualify as mainstream. I think I have managed to function pretty successfully on the fringes of the music…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pat-metheny/i-don-t-know-if-i-would-qualify-as-mainstream-i-think-i-have-managed/) [Pat Metheny](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pat-metheny/) > [What we're supposed to do as actors is be able to portray real human beings and emotions. 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