--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I can't make things I don't feel…" description: "\"I can't make things I don't feel passionately about. I've never been able to. Years ago when I was going through college, I was trying to earn some ext..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c7f/michael-c-mcmillen-17032_artist_i-can-t-make-things-i-don-t-feel-passion_1627564.jpg" --- # I can't make things I don't feel passionately about. I've… ![“I can't make things I don't feel passionately about. I've never been able to. Years ago when I was going through college, I was trying to earn some extra money by making motel paintings and it was the hardest work I've ever done in my life, psychically. It was just torture.” quote by Michael C. McMillen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c7f/michael-c-mcmillen-17032_artist_i-can-t-make-things-i-don-t-feel-passion_1627564.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c7f/michael-c-mcmillen-17032_artist_i-can-t-make-things-i-don-t-feel-passion_1627564.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c7f/michael-c-mcmillen-17032_artist_i-can-t-make-things-i-don-t-feel-passion_1627564.jpg) > “I can't make things I don't feel passionately about. I've never been able to. Years ago when I was going through college, I was trying to earn some extra money by making motel paintings and it was the hardest work I've ever done in my life, psychically. It was just torture.” [Michael C. McMillen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-c-mcmillen/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Passion drives quality; work without genuine interest feels torturous and unproductive. **In simple terms:** Work without passion feels like torture. Key Takeaway Seek work that aligns with your passion. Themes motivation authenticity work satisfaction Mood frustrated reflective Type advice personal growth When to use this quote - career choice - freelance projects - creative endeavors - entrepreneurial ventures Key Concepts psychological strain intrinsic motivation creative fulfillment Questions to Reflect On - Can you identify tasks that ignite your enthusiasm? - How might you balance passion with practicality? A Different Perspective Passion alone may not guarantee financial stability; practical constraints exist. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Artist](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/artist/) [College](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/college/) [Done](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/done/) [Extras](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/extras/) [Feel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/feel/) [Feel Passionately](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/feel-passionately-355538/) [Making Motel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/making-motel-355541/) [Money](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/money/) [Motel Paintings](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/motel-paintings-355540/) [Painting](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/painting/) [Paintings Hardest](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/paintings-hardest-355539/) [Torture](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/torture/) [Trying](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/trying/) [Years ago](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/years-ago/) ## Related quotes > [I feel passionately about how I express myself. Language is the greatest motivating force. You can phrase something positively and inspire people to do…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frances-hesselbein/i-feel-passionately-about-how-i-express-myself-language-is-the/) [Frances Hesselbein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frances-hesselbein/) > [Canadians feel very passionately about our healthcare system.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leslyn-lewis/canadians-feel-very-passionately-about-our-healthcare-system/) [Leslyn Lewis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leslyn-lewis/) > [I feel passionately about issues, and I don't hide my emotions from people. I am not a focus group-tested, blow-dried candidate or governor. Now…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chris-christie/i-feel-passionately-about-issues-and-i-don-t-hide-my-emotions-from/) [Chris Christie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chris-christie/) > [I feel passionately that the opportunities I have had should be available to everyone.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/faye-marsay/i-feel-passionately-that-the-opportunities-i-have-had-should-be/) [Faye Marsay](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/faye-marsay/) > [Here is an affirmation for today: I feel passionately about my life, and this passion fills me with excitement and energy!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wayne-dyer/here-is-an-affirmation-for-today-i-feel-passionately-about-my-life/) [Wayne Dyer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wayne-dyer/) > [I feel very passionately that we need to take care of the planet and everything on it. Whether it's saving the Amazon or just…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/olivia-newton-john/i-feel-very-passionately-that-we-need-to-take-care-of-the-planet-and/) [Olivia Newton-John](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/olivia-newton-john/) > [I just feel passionately about the horses and I will until it's no longer a tradition in New York.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kim-basinger/i-just-feel-passionately-about-the-horses-and-i-will-until-it-s-no/) [Kim Basinger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kim-basinger/) > [I feel passionately about measurement - about how difficult it is, about how much theory and conceptualization is involved in measurement, and indeed, how…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/angus-deaton/i-feel-passionately-about-measurement-about-how-difficult-it-is-about/) [Angus Deaton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/angus-deaton/) > [I feel passionately that we need more space on TV for sketch shows for character actors to experiment.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/natasia-demetriou/i-feel-passionately-that-we-need-more-space-on-tv-for-sketch-shows/) [Natasia Demetriou](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/natasia-demetriou/) > [I just feel passionately about a few things and particularly about helping artists get off the ground.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jane-badler/i-just-feel-passionately-about-a-few-things-and-particularly-about/) [Jane Badler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jane-badler/) > [“I feel more passionately about the importance of healing from our abuse issues. I feel more passionately. I’ve become more spontaneous, embraced my femininity,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/melody-beattie/i-feel-more-passionately-about-the-importance-of-healing-from-our/) [Melody Beattie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/melody-beattie/) > [As a person in the public eye, I have always felt that if I have the good fortune of being able to shed a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/scarlett-johansson/as-a-person-in-the-public-eye-i-have-always-felt-that-if-i-have-the/) [Scarlett Johansson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/scarlett-johansson/) > [With my history, unfortunately, with my family suffering through gun violence, it's something that I feel passionately about, that even though the odds are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carolyn-mccarthy/with-my-history-unfortunately-with-my-family-suffering-through-gun/) [Carolyn McCarthy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carolyn-mccarthy/) > [Marriage is a series of desperate arguments people feel passionately about.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/katharine-hepburn/marriage-is-a-series-of-desperate-arguments-people-feel-passionately/) [Katharine Hepburn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/katharine-hepburn/) > [The best reason to make a film is that you feel passionately about it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jodie-foster/the-best-reason-to-make-a-film-is-that-you-feel-passionately-about-it/) [Jodie Foster](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jodie-foster/) ## More by Michael C. McMillen > [I think good art has good concept behind it. Nothing can always articulate fully the way a Ph.D. candidate can articulate their thesis, because…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-c-mcmillen/i-think-good-art-has-good-concept-behind-it-nothing-can-always/) [Michael C. McMillen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-c-mcmillen/) > [I want to create objects that will stimulate the viewer in ways that I am stimulated by these objects. Now that's an ideal situation…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-c-mcmillen/i-want-to-create-objects-that-will-stimulate-the-viewer-in-ways-that/) [Michael C. McMillen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-c-mcmillen/) > [I love the idea of engaging the object, whether it be architecture or a piece of good graphic design, or a good painting, or…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-c-mcmillen/i-love-the-idea-of-engaging-the-object-whether-it-be-architecture-or/) [Michael C. 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McMillen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-c-mcmillen/) > [I always thought that art that is produced somehow has to reflect the zeitgeist or the ambiance and the time and the history in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-c-mcmillen/i-always-thought-that-art-that-is-produced-somehow-has-to-reflect-the/) [Michael C. McMillen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-c-mcmillen/) > [In a lot of ways, L.A. has always been kind of colonized or marginalized by New York. It still goes on to this day,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-c-mcmillen/in-a-lot-of-ways-l-a-has-always-been-kind-of-colonized-or/) [Michael C. McMillen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-c-mcmillen/) > [As a kid, I wanted to be an inventor and realizing that being an artist is like being an inventor because you create problems…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-c-mcmillen/as-a-kid-i-wanted-to-be-an-inventor-and-realizing-that-being-an/) [Michael C. McMillen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-c-mcmillen/) > [I happen to like regionalism, whatever that means. I like the idea of art that somehow specifically reflects some aspect of a community or…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-c-mcmillen/i-happen-to-like-regionalism-whatever-that-means-i-like-the-idea-of/) [Michael C. McMillen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-c-mcmillen/) > [That's what I like about the idea of the aesthetic experience, the idea of both enjoying looking at works of art and how they…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-c-mcmillen/that-s-what-i-like-about-the-idea-of-the-aesthetic-experience-the/) [Michael C. McMillen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-c-mcmillen/) > [For me, my work is pretty much a lot of my identity. I mean I live to work, basically. With money I'm able to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-c-mcmillen/for-me-my-work-is-pretty-much-a-lot-of-my-identity-i-mean-i-live-to/) [Michael C. McMillen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-c-mcmillen/) > [I've always seen L.A. as a giant kind of laboratory for ideas in a caldron for concepts where you can try anything you want…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-c-mcmillen/i-ve-always-seen-l-a-as-a-giant-kind-of-laboratory-for-ideas-in-a/) [Michael C. McMillen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-c-mcmillen/) > [I don't refer to myself as a sculptor, but I use the word "visual artist." I prefer that, because that leaves the medium wide…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-c-mcmillen/i-don-t-refer-to-myself-as-a-sculptor-but-i-use-the-word-visual/) [Michael C. McMillen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-c-mcmillen/) > [L.A. has a lot of tackiness to it, but at the same time, in that funny kind of fantasy pretentiousness, it's unpretentious because it's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-c-mcmillen/l-a-has-a-lot-of-tackiness-to-it-but-at-the-same-time-in-that-funny/) [Michael C. McMillen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-c-mcmillen/) [Explore all 38 Michael C. McMillen quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-c-mcmillen/) ## More Artist quotes > [One is a painter because one wants so-called freedom; one doesn't want to go to the office every morning.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marcel-duchamp/one-is-a-painter-because-one-wants-so-called-freedom-one-doesn-t-want/) [Marcel Duchamp](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marcel-duchamp/) > [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/) > [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/) > [“People in coats and ties were milling around the Talley gallery, and on the wall were the minimally rendered still lifes by Giorgio Morandi,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steve-martin/people-in-coats-and-ties-were-milling-around-the-talley-gallery-and/) [Steve Martin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steve-martin/) > [The prophet who fails to present a bearable alternative and yet preaches doom is part of the trap that he postulates. Not only does…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-mead/the-prophet-who-fails-to-present-a-bearable-alternative-and-yet/) [Margaret Mead](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-mead/) > [“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/) > [From as long as I can remember, I was always fond of drawing.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/st-lucia/from-as-long-as-i-can-remember-i-was-always-fond-of-drawing/) [St. Lucia](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/st-lucia/) > [I think a business guy is different from an artist. 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This is insane. Who has the authority to say someone is better?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-arkin/i-don-t-believe-in-competitions-between-artists-this-is-insane-who/) [Alan Arkin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-arkin/) > [I am not the avant-garde. I am the artist who comes after the advancing guard. I am more concerned with continuity of ideas and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nathan-oliveira/i-am-not-the-avant-garde-i-am-the-artist-who-comes-after-the/) [Nathan Oliveira](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nathan-oliveira/) > [I am a horrible visual artist. I can't fix a car, sew, knit, cook, etc. Statistically, there is more I don't do than do.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carrie-brownstein/i-am-a-horrible-visual-artist-i-can-t-fix-a-car-sew-knit-cook-etc/) [Carrie Brownstein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carrie-brownstein/) [Browse all 32,600 Artist quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/artist/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "I can't make things I don't feel passionately about. I've never been able to. Years ago when I was going through college, I was trying to earn some extra money by making motel paintings and it was the hardest work I've ever done in my life, psychically. It was just torture.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Michael C. 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