--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Art is challenging and frustrating but I…" description: "\"Art is challenging and frustrating but I don't linger in it. I work on five paintings at a time so if I'm frustrated I put one down and begin another.\"..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8e5/robert-bateman-23821_art_art-is-challenging-and-frustrating-but-i_3066287.jpg" --- # Art is challenging and frustrating but I don't linger in… ![“Art is challenging and frustrating but I don't linger in it. I work on five paintings at a time so if I'm frustrated I put one down and begin another.” quote by Robert Bateman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8e5/robert-bateman-23821_art_art-is-challenging-and-frustrating-but-i_3066287.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8e5/robert-bateman-23821_art_art-is-challenging-and-frustrating-but-i_3066287.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8e5/robert-bateman-23821_art_art-is-challenging-and-frustrating-but-i_3066287.jpg) > “Art is challenging and frustrating but I don't linger in it. I work on five paintings at a time so if I'm frustrated I put one down and begin another.” [Robert Bateman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-bateman/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Balancing multiple projects prevents stagnation and eases frustration by allowing a shift in focus. **In simple terms:** Working on several pieces at once reduces frustration. Key Takeaway Switch tasks when blocked. Themes creativity frustration productivity Mood reflective determined Type advice process When to use this quote - studio work - personal projects - creative blocks Key Concepts flow task switching emotional regulation Questions to Reflect On - How do you decide which painting to pause? - What criteria guide starting a new piece? A Different Perspective May dilute depth of each work. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Art](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/art/) [Art Challenging](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/art-challenging-5165791/) [Art is](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/art-is/) [Artist](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/artist/) [Challenges](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/challenges/) [Challenging](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/challenging/) [Challenging Frustrating](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/challenging-frustrating-5165792/) [Down and](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/down-and/) [Five](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/five/) [Frustrated](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/frustrated/) [Frustrating](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/frustrating/) [Frustration](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/frustration/) [Ifs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ifs/) [Painting](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/painting/) [Paintings Time](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/paintings-time-737696/) [Time](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/time/) [Work Paintings](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/work-paintings-1411663/) ## Related quotes > [“the first rule—he calls it the rule of rules—is the art of challenging what is appealing.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-hitchens/the-first-rule-he-calls-it-the-rule-of-rules-is-the-art-of/) [Christopher Hitchens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-hitchens/) > [I just like art. I get pure pleasure from it. I have a lot of wonderful paintings, and every time I look at them…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jack-nicholson/i-just-like-art-i-get-pure-pleasure-from-it-i-have-a-lot-of-wonderful/) [Jack Nicholson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jack-nicholson/) > [If I physically made every work myself, I would get only one or two paintings done a year, if that.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeff-koons/if-i-physically-made-every-work-myself-i-would-get-only-one-or-two/) [Jeff Koons](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeff-koons/) > [You get a painting idea, and you go do that. You get a cinema idea, and you go in to do that. The difference…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-lynch/you-get-a-painting-idea-and-you-go-do-that-you-get-a-cinema-idea-and/) [David Lynch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-lynch/) > [Lot's and lot's I am a proud man having so many fans of my work: (Paintings and films)](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-six/lot-s-and-lot-s-i-am-a-proud-man-having-so-many-fans-of-my-work/) [Tom Six](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-six/) > [I think 'Les Demoiselles D'Avignon' is one of the most transfixing paintings of all time. And it was made by a monster of a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bari-weiss/i-think-les-demoiselles-d-avignon-is-one-of-the-most-transfixing/) [Bari Weiss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bari-weiss/) > [I love the art history ones because it's so little work for me. There's so many paintings that when I look at them, the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mallory-ortberg/i-love-the-art-history-ones-because-it-s-so-little-work-for-me-there/) [Mallory Ortberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mallory-ortberg/) > [I can't imagine anything more debilitating, anything more challenging, anything more thrilling than to get on a stage and do any kind of play.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michelle-monaghan/i-can-t-imagine-anything-more-debilitating-anything-more-challenging/) [Michelle Monaghan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michelle-monaghan/) > [I must say, I don't think there's any more challenging music out there in jazz than what we're doing.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patricia-barber/i-must-say-i-don-t-think-there-s-any-more-challenging-music-out-there/) [Patricia Barber](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patricia-barber/) > [Sci-Fi is incredibly challenging and has its own language. I have to speak its language; it's not going to learn mine.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/victoria-mahoney/sci-fi-is-incredibly-challenging-and-has-its-own-language-i-have-to/) [Victoria Mahoney](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/victoria-mahoney/) > [Ultimately the most challenging thing, always, is to just be convincing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/guy-pearce/ultimately-the-most-challenging-thing-always-is-to-just-be-convincing/) [Guy Pearce](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/guy-pearce/) > [As the generalization goes about the art industry, people can be really challenging and thought-provoking in their thinking and questioning the status quo, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lily-cole/as-the-generalization-goes-about-the-art-industry-people-can-be/) [Lily Cole](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lily-cole/) > [There is a comfort zone of knowing where things are going and having characters in place, but the action gets more and more dramatic…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jerry-b-jenkins/there-is-a-comfort-zone-of-knowing-where-things-are-going-and-having/) [Jerry B. Jenkins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jerry-b-jenkins/) > [I like to play people that are real, a real person, and then something that's interesting with that person. I think it's a lot…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/devon-bostick/i-like-to-play-people-that-are-real-a-real-person-and-then-something/) [Devon Bostick](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/devon-bostick/) > [Anytime I get the chance to sing or work with Michael John, it is such an incredibly fertile and incredibly creative and safe and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/audra-mcdonald/anytime-i-get-the-chance-to-sing-or-work-with-michael-john-it-is-such/) [Audra McDonald](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/audra-mcdonald/) ## More by Robert Bateman > [Nature is not a free lunch, but we treat it as a free lunch.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-bateman/nature-is-not-a-free-lunch-but-we-treat-it-as-a-free-lunch/) [Robert Bateman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-bateman/) > [To me the most important thing in a piece of art is the thought. Technique is totally secondary.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-bateman/to-me-the-most-important-thing-in-a-piece-of-art-is-the-thought/) [Robert Bateman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-bateman/) > [In art and science we are now in a delta, at the end of the long flow of progress. In a delta there is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-bateman/in-art-and-science-we-are-now-in-a-delta-at-the-end-of-the-long-flow/) [Robert Bateman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-bateman/) > [If I ever have a conflict between art and nature, I let art win.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-bateman/if-i-ever-have-a-conflict-between-art-and-nature-i-let-art-win/) [Robert Bateman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-bateman/) > [Children don't play outside enough. For hundreds of thousands of years young people spent time outside - until 15 years ago.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-bateman/children-don-t-play-outside-enough-for-hundreds-of-thousands-of-years/) [Robert Bateman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-bateman/) > [Aldo Leopold, the early 20th century's Henry David Thoreau, said that we should think like a mountain, with a sense of permanence and a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-bateman/aldo-leopold-the-early-20th-century-s-henry-david-thoreau-said-that/) [Robert Bateman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-bateman/) > [A muse comes down from Mount Olympus and changes my attitude, cheering me up - it's an inner intuition, suddenly giving a breakthrough to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-bateman/a-muse-comes-down-from-mount-olympus-and-changes-my-attitude-cheering/) [Robert Bateman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-bateman/) > [I prefer to hike in nature, give lectures, or be with family when not working.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-bateman/i-prefer-to-hike-in-nature-give-lectures-or-be-with-family-when-not/) [Robert Bateman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-bateman/) > [I take two walks up hills each day, and bike ride each morning. I also have an exercise bike to increase my heart rate.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-bateman/i-take-two-walks-up-hills-each-day-and-bike-ride-each-morning-i-also/) [Robert Bateman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-bateman/) > [My art collection is dominated by tribal art from Nigeria where I taught school, from New Guinea where we've travelled, and by Canadian Haida…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-bateman/my-art-collection-is-dominated-by-tribal-art-from-nigeria-where-i/) [Robert Bateman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-bateman/) > [If you find yourself worrying, go outside, take three breaths, address a tree and quietly say, 'Thank you.' If you can't find a tree,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-bateman/if-you-find-yourself-worrying-go-outside-take-three-breaths-address-a/) [Robert Bateman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-bateman/) > [The most important question facing the planet is: Is it worth it?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-bateman/the-most-important-question-facing-the-planet-is-is-it-worth-it/) [Robert Bateman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-bateman/) > [I am a possibilist. I believe that humanity is master of its own fate... Before we can change direction, we have to question many…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-bateman/i-am-a-possibilist-i-believe-that-humanity-is-master-of-its-own-fate/) [Robert Bateman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-bateman/) > [I got serious about painting at 12, when most people give up.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-bateman/i-got-serious-about-painting-at-12-when-most-people-give-up/) [Robert Bateman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-bateman/) > [When you get to be my age, you begin to count how many Mays you have left - the best time of year for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-bateman/when-you-get-to-be-my-age-you-begin-to-count-how-many-mays-you-have/) [Robert Bateman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-bateman/) [Explore all 25 Robert Bateman quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-bateman/) ## 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. 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": "Art is challenging and frustrating but I don't linger in it. 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