--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: There is always shame in the creation of…" description: "\"There is always shame in the creation of an expressive work, whether it's a book or a clay pot. Every artist worries about how they will be seen by oth..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/80c/rachel-cusk-3482_art_there-is-always-shame-in-the-creation-of_1206501.jpg" --- # There is always shame in the creation of an expressive… ![“There is always shame in the creation of an expressive work, whether it's a book or a clay pot. Every artist worries about how they will be seen by others through their work. When you create, you aspire to do justice to yourself, to remake yourself, and there is always the fear that you will…” quote by Rachel Cusk](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/80c/rachel-cusk-3482_art_there-is-always-shame-in-the-creation-of_1206501.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/80c/rachel-cusk-3482_art_there-is-always-shame-in-the-creation-of_1206501.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/80c/rachel-cusk-3482_art_there-is-always-shame-in-the-creation-of_1206501.jpg) > “There is always shame in the creation of an expressive work, whether it's a book or a clay pot. Every artist worries about how they will be seen by others through their work. When you create, you aspire to do justice to yourself, to remake yourself, and there is always the fear that you will expose the very thing that you hoped to transform.” [Rachel Cusk](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rachel-cusk/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Artists fear exposure; creating reveals personal truths, risking judgment while seeking self‑renewal. **In simple terms:** Creating art can feel like exposing your soul, which is scary. Key Takeaway Create authentically, accept vulnerability. Themes art self‑expression fear authenticity growth Mood reflective introspective cautious Type philosophical inspirational psychological When to use this quote - painting - writing - sculpture - public performance - personal journaling Key Concepts vulnerability self‑identity creative risk Questions to Reflect On - What part of yourself are you most afraid to reveal? - How can you turn that fear into creative fuel? A Different Perspective The fear of exposure can paralyze some creators. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Art](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/art/) [Artist](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/artist/) [Artist Worries](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/artist-worries-726178/) [Aspire](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/aspire/) [Book](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/book/) [Books](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/books/) [Clay](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/clay/) [Creation](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/creation/) [Creation Expressive](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/creation-expressive-3639833/) [Expressive](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/expressive/) [Expressive Work](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/expressive-work-3639835/) [Fear](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/fear/) [Justice](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/justice/) [Pot](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/pot/) [Remakes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/remakes/) [Shame](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/shame/) [Shame Creation](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/shame-creation-3639834/) [Work](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/work/) [Worry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/worry/) ## Related quotes > [There is always shame in the creation of an object for the public gaze.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rachel-cusk/there-is-always-shame-in-the-creation-of-an-object-for-the-public-gaze/) [Rachel Cusk](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rachel-cusk/) > [What an artist worries about as he plans his pictures, makes his sketches, or wonders whether he has completed his canvas, is something much…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ernst-gombrich/what-an-artist-worries-about-as-he-plans-his-pictures-makes-his/) [Ernst Gombrich](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ernst-gombrich/) > [If the creative artist worries if he will still be free tomorrow, then he will not be free today.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/salman-rushdie/if-the-creative-artist-worries-if-he-will-still-be-free-tomorrow-then/) [Salman Rushdie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/salman-rushdie/) > [What an artist worries about when he plans his pictures, is something... difficult to put into words. Perhaps he would say he worries about…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ernst-gombrich/what-an-artist-worries-about-when-he-plans-his-pictures-is-something/) [Ernst Gombrich](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ernst-gombrich/) > [The writing you allude to is a form of dissent, but it's also expressive of the need to evolve beyond what is turgid and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rachel-cusk/the-writing-you-allude-to-is-a-form-of-dissent-but-it-s-also/) [Rachel Cusk](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rachel-cusk/) > [The 'good' mother, with her fixed smile, her rigidity, her goody-goody outlook, her obsession with unnecessary hygiene, is in fact a fool. It is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rachel-cusk/the-good-mother-with-her-fixed-smile-her-rigidity-her-goody-goody/) [Rachel Cusk](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rachel-cusk/) > [I think there's an element in Milady where she sees her own innocence in D'Artagnan. 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I was basically a marionette.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leif-garrett/they-had-me-doing-beach-boys-remakes-and-all-that-i-was-basically-a/) [Leif Garrett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leif-garrett/) > [The next generation will remake the world in a way that allows us to live in a more sustainable way, both personally and globally.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arianna-huffington/the-next-generation-will-remake-the-world-in-a-way-that-allows-us-to/) [Arianna Huffington](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arianna-huffington/) > [It takes little or nothing to undo reputations, the merest trifle makes and remakes them, it is simply a question of finding the best…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jos-saramago/it-takes-little-or-nothing-to-undo-reputations-the-merest-trifle/) [Jose Saramago](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jos-saramago/) > [I wish you a wrestling match with your Creative Muse that will last a lifetime. ... I wish craziness and foolishness and madness upon…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ray-bradbury/i-wish-you-a-wrestling-match-with-your-creative-muse-that-will-last-a/) [Ray Bradbury](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ray-bradbury/) > [The Pink Panther wasn't shown to the press for reasons that soon became apparent when I saw it at a public performance. Two people…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philip-french/the-pink-panther-wasn-t-shown-to-the-press-for-reasons-that-soon/) [Philip French](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philip-french/) ## More by Rachel Cusk > [A creative writing workshop will contain students whose ambitions and abilities, whose conceptions of literature itself, are so diverse that what they have in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rachel-cusk/a-creative-writing-workshop-will-contain-students-whose-ambitions-and/) [Rachel Cusk](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rachel-cusk/) > [“If a man had a nasty side to his character, she wanted to get to it immediately and confront it. She didn’t want it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rachel-cusk/if-a-man-had-a-nasty-side-to-his-character-she-wanted-to-get-to-it/) [Rachel Cusk](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rachel-cusk/) > [If I know somebody is coming 'round, it is incredibly difficult for me to work because I'm waiting for this interruption - even the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rachel-cusk/if-i-know-somebody-is-coming-round-it-is-incredibly-difficult-for-me/) [Rachel Cusk](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rachel-cusk/) > [I felt that I could swim for miles, out into the ocean: a desire for freedom, an impulse to move, tugged at me as…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rachel-cusk/i-felt-that-i-could-swim-for-miles-out-into-the-ocean-a-desire-for/) [Rachel Cusk](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rachel-cusk/) > [The creativity of childhood was often surrendered amid feelings of unworthiness. So the idea that others are demanding to be given it back -…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rachel-cusk/the-creativity-of-childhood-was-often-surrendered-amid-feelings-of/) [Rachel Cusk](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rachel-cusk/) > [A neighbor is something that belongs to the stable world of home life, the thing that lives next door to you.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rachel-cusk/a-neighbor-is-something-that-belongs-to-the-stable-world-of-home-life/) [Rachel Cusk](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rachel-cusk/) > [Help is dangerous because it exists outside the human economy: the only payment for help is gratitude.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rachel-cusk/help-is-dangerous-because-it-exists-outside-the-human-economy-the/) [Rachel Cusk](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rachel-cusk/) > [A feminist man is a bit like a vegetarian: it's the humanitarian principle he's defending, I suppose.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rachel-cusk/a-feminist-man-is-a-bit-like-a-vegetarian-it-s-the-humanitarian/) [Rachel Cusk](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rachel-cusk/) > [Feminism remains something that needs to be explained to people.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rachel-cusk/feminism-remains-something-that-needs-to-be-explained-to-people/) [Rachel Cusk](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rachel-cusk/) > [“At the time, he had got rid of her so efficiently and so suavely that she had felt almost reassured even as she was…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rachel-cusk/at-the-time-he-had-got-rid-of-her-so-efficiently-and-so-suavely-that/) [Rachel Cusk](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rachel-cusk/) > [“From the distance of England the Italian cuisine seems to be all things to all people. It does not expect you to bend to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rachel-cusk/from-the-distance-of-england-the-italian-cuisine-seems-to-be-all/) [Rachel Cusk](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rachel-cusk/) > [You could time a suburban story by your watch: it lasts as long as it takes a small furry animal that's lonely to find…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rachel-cusk/you-could-time-a-suburban-story-by-your-watch-it-lasts-as-long-as-it/) [Rachel Cusk](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rachel-cusk/) > [It is expected that a children's story will raise a difficulty and then resolve it: increasingly, this resolution is so prompt and so resounding…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rachel-cusk/it-is-expected-that-a-children-s-story-will-raise-a-difficulty-and/) [Rachel Cusk](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rachel-cusk/) > [Human beings have a need, generally, to destroy things. The Freudian principle of civilisation is correct. There's always, always a difference between the family…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rachel-cusk/human-beings-have-a-need-generally-to-destroy-things-the-freudian/) [Rachel Cusk](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rachel-cusk/) > [I don't think I knew that you could be a novelist. I think a lot of my students are in the same condition. I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rachel-cusk/i-don-t-think-i-knew-that-you-could-be-a-novelist-i-think-a-lot-of-my/) [Rachel Cusk](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rachel-cusk/) [Explore all 128 Rachel Cusk quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rachel-cusk/) ## 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. 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