--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: If it’s a pure expression of yourself no…" description: "\"If it’s a pure expression of yourself no matter what it is or what medium, it’s going to shine. It’s going to resonate. You could look inside of yourse..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4d1/rainn-wilson-4323_artist_if-it-s-a-pure-expression-of-yourself-no_1052872.png" --- # If it’s a pure expression of yourself no matter what it is… ![“If it’s a pure expression of yourself no matter what it is or what medium, it’s going to shine. It’s going to resonate. You could look inside of yourself and you could have a canvas and you could paint a dot in it, but if that is where your creative purpose is taking you then it needs to be that…” quote by Rainn Wilson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4d1/rainn-wilson-4323_artist_if-it-s-a-pure-expression-of-yourself-no_1052872.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4d1/rainn-wilson-4323_artist_if-it-s-a-pure-expression-of-yourself-no_1052872.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4d1/rainn-wilson-4323_artist_if-it-s-a-pure-expression-of-yourself-no_1052872.png) > “If it’s a pure expression of yourself no matter what it is or what medium, it’s going to shine. It’s going to resonate. You could look inside of yourself and you could have a canvas and you could paint a dot in it, but if that is where your creative purpose is taking you then it needs to be that dot.” [Rainn Wilson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rainn-wilson/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Authentic self‑expression, regardless of form, creates work that shines and connects with others. **In simple terms:** Being true to yourself makes your art resonate. Key Takeaway Create from genuine inner purpose. Themes creativity authenticity expression Mood inspirational thoughtful Type philosophical motivational When to use this quote - painting - writing - music - performance - personal projects Key Concepts self‑realization artistic purpose visual metaphor Questions to Reflect On - What does your “dot” represent in your creative life? - How can you balance authenticity with audience expectations? A Different Perspective Pure expression may not always be commercially viable; authenticity can be risky. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Artist](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/artist/) [Canvas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/canvas/) [Creative](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/creative/) [Creative Purpose](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/creative-purpose-292603/) [Creativity](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/creativity/) [Dot Creative](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/dot-creative-2528421/) [Dots](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/dots/) [Expression](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/expression/) [Expression Matter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/expression-matter-2528420/) [Looks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/looks/) [Matter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/matter/) [Mediums](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/mediums/) [Needs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/needs/) [Needs Dot](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/needs-dot-2528419/) [Paint](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/paint/) [Paint Dot](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/paint-dot-2528418/) [Painting](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/painting/) [Purpose](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/purpose/) [Shining](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/shining/) ## Related quotes > [Expression is not a matter of passion mirrored on the human face or revealed by a violent gesture. When I paint a picture, its…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henri-matisse/expression-is-not-a-matter-of-passion-mirrored-on-the-human-face-or/) [Henri Matisse](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henri-matisse/) > [Money is only used for two things. One, it's to make you comfortable, and the more comfortable you are the more creative you will…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bob-proctor/money-is-only-used-for-two-things-one-it-s-to-make-you-comfortable/) [Bob Proctor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bob-proctor/) > [“Live life with creative purpose.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/truth-devour/live-life-with-creative-purpose/) [Truth Devour](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/truth-devour/) > [Writers are entirely egocentric. To them, few things in their lives have meaning or importance unless they give promise of serving some creative purpose.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/doris-grumbach/writers-are-entirely-egocentric-to-them-few-things-in-their-lives/) [Doris Grumbach](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/doris-grumbach/) > [I was an infinitely hot and dense dot.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-leyner/i-was-an-infinitely-hot-and-dense-dot/) [Mark Leyner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-leyner/) > [My life is a dot lost among thousands of other dots.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yayoi-kusama/my-life-is-a-dot-lost-among-thousands-of-other-dots/) [Yayoi Kusama](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yayoi-kusama/) > [“Zebras dream of polka-dots”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/phil-caruso/zebras-dream-of-polka-dots/) [Phil Caruso](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/phil-caruso/) > [If you're going climbing with young people, you get very, very used to seeing your climbing partner as a tiny little dot.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chris-bonington/if-you-re-going-climbing-with-young-people-you-get-very-very-used-to/) [Chris Bonington](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chris-bonington/) > [A tiny blue dot set in a sunbeam. 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Consequently when I am eighty I'll have…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hokusai/at-seventy-three-i-learned-a-little-about-the-real-structure-of/) [Hokusai](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hokusai/) > [“Make it a quest to never give up even when the dots seem as if they are difficult to connect.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charlena-jackson/make-it-a-quest-to-never-give-up-even-when-the-dots-seem-as-if-they/) [Charlena Jackson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charlena-jackson/) > [Stefan: "Indian with a dot, not a feather.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patricia-briggs/stefan-indian-with-a-dot-not-a-feather/) [Patricia Briggs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patricia-briggs/) > [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/) ## More by Rainn Wilson > ['SoulPancake' is a website that I founded with a couple of friends, and it is for exploring life's big questions.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rainn-wilson/soulpancake-is-a-website-that-i-founded-with-a-couple-of-friends-and/) [Rainn Wilson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rainn-wilson/) > [My dad was always such a frustrated artist. He always worked very hard to support his family, doing a bunch of ridiculous jobs. He…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rainn-wilson/my-dad-was-always-such-a-frustrated-artist-he-always-worked-very-hard/) [Rainn Wilson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rainn-wilson/) > [My dad wanted to name me after Rainier Maria Rilke, the poet.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rainn-wilson/my-dad-wanted-to-name-me-after-rainier-maria-rilke-the-poet/) [Rainn Wilson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rainn-wilson/) > [Ralph Waldo Emerson would definitely be my homeboy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rainn-wilson/ralph-waldo-emerson-would-definitely-be-my-homeboy/) [Rainn Wilson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rainn-wilson/) > [A guy may wear a suit and have a high-paying job and appear very mature, but essentially, he's a 14-year-old boy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rainn-wilson/a-guy-may-wear-a-suit-and-have-a-high-paying-job-and-appear-very/) [Rainn Wilson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rainn-wilson/) > [“7. SUSHI IS ABOUT THE FISH, IDIOTS Sushi is raw fish, Fresh, oily, fatty, delicate, slightly cool, thinly sliced or expertly cubed sections of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rainn-wilson/7-sushi-is-about-the-fish-idiots-sushi-is-raw-fish-fresh-oily-fatty/) [Rainn Wilson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rainn-wilson/) > [I think that doing comedy and playing Dwight is a service. Not to get grandiose about it, but I have a talent for playing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rainn-wilson/i-think-that-doing-comedy-and-playing-dwight-is-a-service-not-to-get/) [Rainn Wilson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rainn-wilson/) > [The great challenge working on this show for me is wearing polyester all day long and having the worst haircut known to man at…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rainn-wilson/the-great-challenge-working-on-this-show-for-me-is-wearing-polyester/) [Rainn Wilson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rainn-wilson/) > [The camera adds ten pounds and ten thousand dollars.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rainn-wilson/the-camera-adds-ten-pounds-and-ten-thousand-dollars/) [Rainn Wilson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rainn-wilson/) > [Music is universal too. Even deaf people like to dance, love rhythm, and can kind of pick it up.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rainn-wilson/music-is-universal-too-even-deaf-people-like-to-dance-love-rhythm-and/) [Rainn Wilson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rainn-wilson/) > [I know what I look like - a weird, sad clown puppet. I'm fine with that.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rainn-wilson/i-know-what-i-look-like-a-weird-sad-clown-puppet-i-m-fine-with-that/) [Rainn Wilson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rainn-wilson/) > [My body has been making women laugh for the last 20 years and I'm happy to continue to oblige.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rainn-wilson/my-body-has-been-making-women-laugh-for-the-last-20-years-and-i-m/) [Rainn Wilson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rainn-wilson/) > [We live in a really racist culture and it's got to be addressed.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rainn-wilson/we-live-in-a-really-racist-culture-and-it-s-got-to-be-addressed/) [Rainn Wilson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rainn-wilson/) > [You meet people in Hollywood that are famous, and you're not sure what they got famous for.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rainn-wilson/you-meet-people-in-hollywood-that-are-famous-and-you-re-not-sure-what/) [Rainn Wilson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rainn-wilson/) > [If we're going to sustain 22 episodes a year for the next 10 years, we need that ensemble to fill out the office.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rainn-wilson/if-we-re-going-to-sustain-22-episodes-a-year-for-the-next-10-years-we/) [Rainn Wilson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rainn-wilson/) [Explore all 112 Rainn Wilson quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rainn-wilson/) ## 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. 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 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/) > [Designers shouldn’t design for museums any more than mummies should die for them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ralph-caplan/designers-shouldn-t-design-for-museums-any-more-than-mummies-should/) [Ralph Caplan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ralph-caplan/) > [I don't believe in competitions between artists. 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": "If it’s a pure expression of yourself no matter what it is or what medium, it’s going to shine. It’s going to resonate. 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