--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Mostly, drawings are things I make for…" description: "\"Mostly, drawings are things I make for myself - I do them in sketchbooks. They are mental experiments - private inner thoughts when I'm not sure what w..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8cb/sigmar-polke-26523_artist_mostly-drawings-are-things-i-make-for-my_760068.jpg" --- # Mostly, drawings are things I make for myself - I do them… ![“Mostly, drawings are things I make for myself - I do them in sketchbooks. They are mental experiments - private inner thoughts when I'm not sure what will come out.” quote by Sigmar Polke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8cb/sigmar-polke-26523_artist_mostly-drawings-are-things-i-make-for-my_760068.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8cb/sigmar-polke-26523_artist_mostly-drawings-are-things-i-make-for-my_760068.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8cb/sigmar-polke-26523_artist_mostly-drawings-are-things-i-make-for-my_760068.jpg) > “Mostly, drawings are things I make for myself - I do them in sketchbooks. They are mental experiments - private inner thoughts when I'm not sure what will come out.” [Sigmar Polke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sigmar-polke/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Sketches serve as private laboratories where the artist explores ideas before committing to finished works. **In simple terms:** Sketchbooks are private idea labs. Key Takeaway Use sketching to test concepts. Themes creativity exploration process Mood introspective curious Type artistic reflective When to use this quote - design brainstorming - personal journaling - creative problem solving - educational workshops Key Concepts artistic experimentation visual thinking Questions to Reflect On - What ideas do you keep private? - How does private work influence public output? A Different Perspective Sketches may never become public, limiting feedback. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Artist](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/artist/) [Drawing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/drawing/) [Drawings](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/drawings/) [Drawings Things](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/drawings-things-351034/) [Experiments](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/experiments/) [Make Sketchbooks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/make-sketchbooks-5895590/) [Not sure](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/not-sure/) [Psychology](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/psychology/) [Sketchbooks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/sketchbooks/) [Sketchbooks Mental](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/sketchbooks-mental-5895589/) ## Related quotes > [One time I covered a wall with 8.5×11 pages of drawings, which made things feel a little bit different in the room.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jason-polan/one-time-i-covered-a-wall-with-8-5-11-pages-of-drawings-which-made/) [Jason Polan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jason-polan/) > [My father was a painter, so I was encouraged to take a sketchbook everywhere. 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My parents were really great about any gift-giving holiday - birthdays, Hanukkah, Christmas - it was…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/abbi-jacobson/i-drew-a-lot-i-always-had-sketchbooks-my-parents-were-really-great/) [Abbi Jacobson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/abbi-jacobson/) > [“Sketchbooks and journals are the street lamps that illuminate the artist's journey.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neil-waldman/sketchbooks-and-journals-are-the-street-lamps-that-illuminate-the/) [Neil Waldman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neil-waldman/) > [For me, the sketchbooks are more like a secret and wholly spontaneous jeu d'esprit and some of them I like as much as anything…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-motherwell/for-me-the-sketchbooks-are-more-like-a-secret-and-wholly-spontaneous/) [Robert Motherwell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-motherwell/) > [ Now he's \[Cinna\] arranging things around my living room: Clothing, fabrics, and sketchbooks with designs he's drawn. I pick one up and examine one… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/suzanne-collins/now-he-s-cinna-arranging-things-around-my-living-room-clothing/) [Suzanne Collins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/suzanne-collins/) > [When I was either 7 or 8 years old, I did a sketch every day of my teacher and what she wore. At the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alber-elbaz/when-i-was-either-7-or-8-years-old-i-did-a-sketch-every-day-of-my/) [Alber Elbaz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alber-elbaz/) > [When I was young I drew constantly in my sketchbooks to learn to see things. My first teacher in school, Gilbert Stone, taught me…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/douglas-florian/when-i-was-young-i-drew-constantly-in-my-sketchbooks-to-learn-to-see/) [Douglas Florian](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/douglas-florian/) > [Ever since I was very young, as far back as I can remember, I have loved making pictures. I knew even as a child…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eric-carle/ever-since-i-was-very-young-as-far-back-as-i-can-remember-i-have/) [Eric Carle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eric-carle/) > [She was a Jew feeder without a question in the world on that man's first night in Molching. She was an arm reacher, deep…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/markus-zusak/she-was-a-jew-feeder-without-a-question-in-the-world-on-that-man-s/) [Markus Zusak](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/markus-zusak/) > [ Learn how to draw. It's the basis of what we \[animation directors\] do. Keep a sketchbook. Try making a very simple little film. Try… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-musker/learn-how-to-draw-it-s-the-basis-of-what-we-animation-directors-do/) [John Musker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-musker/) > [The sketch hunter moves through life as he finds it, not passing negligently the things he loves, but stopping to know them, and to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-henri/the-sketch-hunter-moves-through-life-as-he-finds-it-not-passing/) [Robert Henri](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-henri/) > [When I see someone with an immaculate sketchbook, I don't trust that person.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kody-chamberlain/when-i-see-someone-with-an-immaculate-sketchbook-i-don-t-trust-that/) [Kody Chamberlain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kody-chamberlain/) ## More by Sigmar Polke > [There has to be an element of risk-taking for me in my work.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sigmar-polke/there-has-to-be-an-element-of-risk-taking-for-me-in-my-work/) [Sigmar Polke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sigmar-polke/) > [A negative is never finished.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sigmar-polke/a-negative-is-never-finished/) [Sigmar Polke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sigmar-polke/) > [When I was young, I was interested in Renaissance art.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sigmar-polke/when-i-was-young-i-was-interested-in-renaissance-art/) [Sigmar Polke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sigmar-polke/) > [We were very poor and my family lost everything during the war - our home and our identity. But I'm a believer in luck…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sigmar-polke/we-were-very-poor-and-my-family-lost-everything-during-the-war-our/) [Sigmar Polke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sigmar-polke/) > [People expect things from art that are horrible for us who make it! They put the things we make in these restrictive places called…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sigmar-polke/people-expect-things-from-art-that-are-horrible-for-us-who-make-it/) [Sigmar Polke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sigmar-polke/) > [The conventional definition of reality, and the idea of 'normal life', mean nothing.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sigmar-polke/the-conventional-definition-of-reality-and-the-idea-of-normal-life/) [Sigmar Polke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sigmar-polke/) > [As a child, I copied Duerer drawings and Bruegel.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sigmar-polke/as-a-child-i-copied-duerer-drawings-and-bruegel/) [Sigmar Polke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sigmar-polke/) > [What interests me is the unforeseeable.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sigmar-polke/what-interests-me-is-the-unforeseeable/) [Sigmar Polke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sigmar-polke/) > [By making pictures, you learn the many different properties of photography. I use those properties differently than, say, an advertising agency would, but we're…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sigmar-polke/by-making-pictures-you-learn-the-many-different-properties-of/) [Sigmar Polke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sigmar-polke/) > [I’m a believer in luck and think the social conditions you’re born into provide the opportunity for you to prove your luck. And I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sigmar-polke/i-m-a-believer-in-luck-and-think-the-social-conditions-you-re-born/) [Sigmar Polke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sigmar-polke/) > [I've never been interested in philosophy, but some of Jung's ideas seem useful in helping people understand pictures and so forth.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sigmar-polke/i-ve-never-been-interested-in-philosophy-but-some-of-jung-s-ideas/) [Sigmar Polke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sigmar-polke/) > [Picabia is a very old painter who some people try to connect me to, but I refuse such comparisons very well.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sigmar-polke/picabia-is-a-very-old-painter-who-some-people-try-to-connect-me-to/) [Sigmar Polke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sigmar-polke/) > [When I came to the West, I saw many, many things for the first time. But I also saw the prosperity of the West…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sigmar-polke/when-i-came-to-the-west-i-saw-many-many-things-for-the-first-time-but/) [Sigmar Polke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sigmar-polke/) > [Yes, my works... are enshrined in museums, but I don't care if the pieces fall apart in 20 years.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sigmar-polke/yes-my-works-are-enshrined-in-museums-but-i-don-t-care-if-the-pieces/) [Sigmar Polke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sigmar-polke/) > [I love all dots. I am married to many of them. I want all dots to be happy. Dots are my brothers. I am…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sigmar-polke/i-love-all-dots-i-am-married-to-many-of-them-i-want-all-dots-to-be/) [Sigmar Polke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sigmar-polke/) [Explore all 21 Sigmar Polke quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sigmar-polke/) ## 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": "Mostly, drawings are things I make for myself - I do them in sketchbooks. 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