--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: As an artist, it is central to be…" description: "\"As an artist, it is central to be unsatisfied.\" — Lawrence Calcagno" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/37b/lawrence-calcagno-255694_art_as-an-artist-it-is-central-to-be-unsatis_1105479.png" --- # As an artist, it is central to be unsatisfied. ![“As an artist, it is central to be unsatisfied.” quote by Lawrence Calcagno](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/37b/lawrence-calcagno-255694_art_as-an-artist-it-is-central-to-be-unsatis_1105479.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/37b/lawrence-calcagno-255694_art_as-an-artist-it-is-central-to-be-unsatis_1105479.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/37b/lawrence-calcagno-255694_art_as-an-artist-it-is-central-to-be-unsatis_1105479.png) > “As an artist, it is central to be unsatisfied.” [Lawrence Calcagno](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lawrence-calcagno/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Unsatisfaction drives artistic creation, pushing the artist toward continual growth. **In simple terms:** Discontent fuels artistic progress. Key Takeaway Embrace constructive dissatisfaction. Themes Art creativity growth unsatisfaction Mood motivational introspective Type artistic philosophical When to use this quote - Creative practice - artistic development - self‑evaluation Key Concepts Motivation self‑critique innovation Questions to Reflect On - How can dissatisfaction be balanced? - What drives your creative urge? A Different Perspective Constant dissatisfaction may cause burnout. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Art](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/art/) [Artist](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/artist/) [Artist Central](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/artist-central-2919436/) [Central](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/central/) [Central Unsatisfied](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/central-unsatisfied-2919435/) [Conformity](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/conformity/) [Non conformity](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/non-conformity/) [Unsatisfied](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/unsatisfied/) ## Related quotes > [Every artist has a central story to tell, and the difficulty, the impossible task, is trying to present that story in pictures](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gregory-crewdson/every-artist-has-a-central-story-to-tell-and-the-difficulty-the/) [Gregory Crewdson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gregory-crewdson/) > [“I feel very strongly that every artist has one central story to tell. The struggle is to tell and retell that story over and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gregory-crewdson/i-feel-very-strongly-that-every-artist-has-one-central-story-to-tell/) [Gregory Crewdson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gregory-crewdson/) > [There are a lot of things in this world that are more important than being popular. Being true to yourself is one of them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-landon/there-are-a-lot-of-things-in-this-world-that-are-more-important-than/) [Michael Landon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-landon/) > [Woe to him inside a non-conformist clique who does not conform to non-conformity.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eric-hoffer/woe-to-him-inside-a-non-conformist-clique-who-does-not-conform-to-non/) [Eric Hoffer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eric-hoffer/) > [There is a light seed grain inside. You fill it with yourself, or it dies.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rumi/there-is-a-light-seed-grain-inside-you-fill-it-with-yourself-or-it/) [Rumi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rumi/) > [To be original, or different, is felt to be "dangerous."](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carl-rogers/to-be-original-or-different-is-felt-to-be-dangerous/) [Carl Rogers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carl-rogers/) > [One must never forbid oneself anything. One must also be able to go back, one must always be able to change...](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hans-hartung/one-must-never-forbid-oneself-anything-one-must-also-be-able-to-go/) [Hans Hartung](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hans-hartung/) > [All my work keeps going like a pendulum; it seems to swing back to something I was involved with earlier, or it moves between…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lee-krasner/all-my-work-keeps-going-like-a-pendulum-it-seems-to-swing-back-to/) [Lee Krasner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lee-krasner/) > [I like him. I have a weakness for losers. Invalids, foreigners, the fat boy of the class, the ones nobody ever wants to dance…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-h-eg/i-like-him-i-have-a-weakness-for-losers-invalids-foreigners-the-fat/) [Peter Høeg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-h-eg/) > [Had I not created my whole world, I would certainly have died in other people’s.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anais-nin/had-i-not-created-my-whole-world-i-would-certainly-have-died-in-other/) [Anais Nin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anais-nin/) > [... I stare into the fridge. Like a mirrored image of myself. Cold and empty, and the lights come on only when you open…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hallgr-mur-helgason/i-stare-into-the-fridge-like-a-mirrored-image-of-myself-cold-and/) [Hallgrimur Helgason](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hallgr-mur-helgason/) > [One day you're there and then all of a sudden, there's less of you. And you wonder where that part went. If it's living…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elisabeth-moss/one-day-you-re-there-and-then-all-of-a-sudden-there-s-less-of-you-and/) [Elisabeth Moss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elisabeth-moss/) > [Non-conformity is the only real passion worth being ruled by.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/julian-assange/non-conformity-is-the-only-real-passion-worth-being-ruled-by/) [Julian Assange](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/julian-assange/) > [The American people...have a stake in non-conformity. For they know that the American genius is non-conformist.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-steele-commager/the-american-people-have-a-stake-in-non-conformity-for-they-know-that/) [Henry Steele Commager](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-steele-commager/) > [A self is a frightening thing to waste, it's the lens through which one's whole life is viewed, and few people are willing to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/diane-ackerman/a-self-is-a-frightening-thing-to-waste-it-s-the-lens-through-which/) [Diane Ackerman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/diane-ackerman/) ## 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. 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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": "As an artist, it is central to be unsatisfied.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Lawrence Calcagno" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lawrence-calcagno/as-an-artist-it-is-central-to-be-unsatisfied/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Art" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lawrence-calcagno/as-an-artist-it-is-central-to-be-unsatisfied/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/37b/lawrence-calcagno-255694_art_as-an-artist-it-is-central-to-be-unsatis_1105479.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/37b/lawrence-calcagno-255694_art_as-an-artist-it-is-central-to-be-unsatis_1105479.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/37b/lawrence-calcagno-255694_art_as-an-artist-it-is-central-to-be-unsatis_1105479.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“As an artist, it is central to be unsatisfied.” — Lawrence Calcagno", "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": "Lawrence Calcagno", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lawrence-calcagno/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "As an artist, it is central...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lawrence-calcagno/as-an-artist-it-is-central-to-be-unsatisfied/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lawrence-calcagno/as-an-artist-it-is-central-to-be-unsatisfied/#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 } } ] } ```