--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: In order to be creative, you have to know…" description: "\"In order to be creative, you have to know how to prepare to be creative.\" — Twyla Tharp" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c65/twyla-tharp-1069_be-creative_in-order-to-be-creative-you-have-to-know_1134950.png" --- # In order to be creative, you have to know how to prepare… ![“In order to be creative, you have to know how to prepare to be creative.” quote by Twyla Tharp](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c65/twyla-tharp-1069_be-creative_in-order-to-be-creative-you-have-to-know_1134950.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c65/twyla-tharp-1069_be-creative_in-order-to-be-creative-you-have-to-know_1134950.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c65/twyla-tharp-1069_be-creative_in-order-to-be-creative-you-have-to-know_1134950.png) > “In order to be creative, you have to know how to prepare to be creative.” [Twyla Tharp](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/twyla-tharp/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Creativity requires deliberate preparation and mindset before ideas can emerge. **In simple terms:** Being ready is essential for creative work. Key Takeaway Prepare your mind and environment for creativity. Themes creativity preparation mindset Mood motivational practical Type instructional inspirational When to use this quote - artist studio - writing session - problem solving - team brainstorming Key Concepts creative process habit formation Questions to Reflect On - How do you prepare for creative tasks? - What habits boost your creative flow? A Different Perspective Preparation alone may not guarantee originality. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Creative](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/creative/) [Creativity](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/creativity/) [Inspirational](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/inspirational/) [Order](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/order/) ## Related quotes > [Creativity is a habit, and the best creativity is a result of good work habits. That's it in a nutshell ... In order to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/twyla-tharp/creativity-is-a-habit-and-the-best-creativity-is-a-result-of-good-2/) [Twyla Tharp](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/twyla-tharp/) > [In order to be creative, you have to know how to prepare to be creative…A lot of habitually creative people have preparation rituals linked…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/twyla-tharp/in-order-to-be-creative-you-have-to-know-how-to-prepare-to-be/) [Twyla Tharp](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/twyla-tharp/) > [Now, I don't mean to say that being wrong is the same thing as being creative. What we do know is, if you're not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ken-robinson/now-i-don-t-mean-to-say-that-being-wrong-is-the-same-thing-as-being/) [Ken Robinson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ken-robinson/) > [I know how to prepare my head.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/danny-bautista/i-know-how-to-prepare-my-head/) [Danny Bautista](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/danny-bautista/) > [I don't think it does the audience any good to know what I do to prepare. It keeps it more of a surprise. I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-arkin/i-don-t-think-it-does-the-audience-any-good-to-know-what-i-do-to/) [Alan Arkin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-arkin/) > [Even for an area I know well, I prepare a shooting list of subjects I need.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nigel-dennis/even-for-an-area-i-know-well-i-prepare-a-shooting-list-of-subjects-i/) [Nigel Dennis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nigel-dennis/) > [One of the biggest things I learned was not to tell myself 'no' before someone else. As someone who's creative, I know the inner…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/natasha-rothwell/one-of-the-biggest-things-i-learned-was-not-to-tell-myself-no-before/) [Natasha Rothwell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/natasha-rothwell/) > [The wise learn from the experience of others, and the creative know how to make a crumb of experience go a long way.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eric-hoffer/the-wise-learn-from-the-experience-of-others-and-the-creative-know/) [Eric Hoffer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eric-hoffer/) > [As a creative person, you want to be creative, you know? You don't want to constantly wait around - a lot of movies fall…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/franka-potente/as-a-creative-person-you-want-to-be-creative-you-know-you-don-t-want/) [Franka Potente](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/franka-potente/) > [After so many years, I've learned that being creative is a full-time job with its own daily patterns. That's why writers, for example, like…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/twyla-tharp/after-so-many-years-i-ve-learned-that-being-creative-is-a-full-time-2/) [Twyla Tharp](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/twyla-tharp/) > [Women need a space to be creative -- creativity thrives in solitude.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sark/women-need-a-space-to-be-creative-creativity-thrives-in-solitude/) [Sark](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sark/) > ['Born This Way' is shaping up to be creative ecstasy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laurieann-gibson/born-this-way-is-shaping-up-to-be-creative-ecstasy/) [Laurieann Gibson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laurieann-gibson/) > [Attempt to be creative for the joy it brings… Select something like music, dance, sculpture, or poetry. Being creative will help you enjoy life.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-g-scott/attempt-to-be-creative-for-the-joy-it-brings-select-something-like/) [Richard G. Scott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-g-scott/) > [To be creative means to connect. It's to abolish the gap between the body, the mind and the soul, between science and art, between…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nawal-el-saadawi/to-be-creative-means-to-connect-it-s-to-abolish-the-gap-between-the/) [Nawal El Saadawi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nawal-el-saadawi/) > [Beware of self-indulgence. The romance surrounding the writing profession carries several myths: that one must suffer in order to be creative; that one must…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-brin/beware-of-self-indulgence-the-romance-surrounding-the-writing/) [David Brin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-brin/) ## More by Twyla Tharp > [“A lot of habitually creative people have preparation rituals linked to the setting in which they choose to start their day. By putting themselves…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/twyla-tharp/a-lot-of-habitually-creative-people-have-preparation-rituals-linked/) [Twyla Tharp](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/twyla-tharp/) > [I have learned over the years that you should never save for two meetings what you can accomplish in one.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/twyla-tharp/i-have-learned-over-the-years-that-you-should-never-save-for-two/) [Twyla Tharp](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/twyla-tharp/) > [I always find that the best collaborations are when you work with people that know what they're doing, and you leave them alone to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/twyla-tharp/i-always-find-that-the-best-collaborations-are-when-you-work-with/) [Twyla Tharp](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/twyla-tharp/) > [I don't mean this, but I'm going to say it anyway. I don't really think of pop art and serious art as being that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/twyla-tharp/i-don-t-mean-this-but-i-m-going-to-say-it-anyway-i-don-t-really-think/) [Twyla Tharp](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/twyla-tharp/) > [The art of these Fifties movies was in sustaining forever the moment before sex.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/twyla-tharp/the-art-of-these-fifties-movies-was-in-sustaining-forever-the-moment/) [Twyla Tharp](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/twyla-tharp/) > [This is not a pleasant route for many young people to consider. You have to be either hopelessly passionate, or very stupid.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/twyla-tharp/this-is-not-a-pleasant-route-for-many-young-people-to-consider-you/) [Twyla Tharp](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/twyla-tharp/) > [I often say that in making dances I can make a world where I think things are done morally, done democratically, done honestly.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/twyla-tharp/i-often-say-that-in-making-dances-i-can-make-a-world-where-i-think/) [Twyla Tharp](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/twyla-tharp/) > [I had received my first establishment grants in response to applications filed the year before. To the pages of baffling forms I had simply…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/twyla-tharp/i-had-received-my-first-establishment-grants-in-response-to/) [Twyla Tharp](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/twyla-tharp/) > [I find the aesthetics of the 20th century hopelessly barren.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/twyla-tharp/i-find-the-aesthetics-of-the-20th-century-hopelessly-barren/) [Twyla Tharp](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/twyla-tharp/) > [I don't think that scheduling is uncreative. I think that structure is required for creativity.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/twyla-tharp/i-don-t-think-that-scheduling-is-uncreative-i-think-that-structure-is/) [Twyla Tharp](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/twyla-tharp/) > [I have always felt one of the things dance should do - its business being so clearly physical - is challenge the culture's gender…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/twyla-tharp/i-have-always-felt-one-of-the-things-dance-should-do-its-business/) [Twyla Tharp](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/twyla-tharp/) > [There really is nothing I ever had access to that I didn't appreciate.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/twyla-tharp/there-really-is-nothing-i-ever-had-access-to-that-i-didn-t-appreciate/) [Twyla Tharp](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/twyla-tharp/) > [Destiny, quite often, is a determined parent. Mozart was hardly some naive prodigy who sat down at the keyboard and, with God whispering in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/twyla-tharp/destiny-quite-often-is-a-determined-parent-mozart-was-hardly-some/) [Twyla Tharp](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/twyla-tharp/) > [When it all comes together, a creative life has the nourishing power we normally associate with food, love and faith.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/twyla-tharp/when-it-all-comes-together-a-creative-life-has-the-nourishing-power/) [Twyla Tharp](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/twyla-tharp/) > [Things change all the time, so why do people make such a philosophical to-do that things are constantly in transition?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/twyla-tharp/things-change-all-the-time-so-why-do-people-make-such-a-philosophical/) [Twyla Tharp](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/twyla-tharp/) [Explore all 298 Twyla Tharp quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/twyla-tharp/) ## More Be creative quotes > [Beware of self-indulgence. The romance surrounding the writing profession carries several myths: that one must suffer in order to be creative; that one must…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-brin/beware-of-self-indulgence-the-romance-surrounding-the-writing/) [David Brin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-brin/) > [To be creative means to connect. It's to abolish the gap between the body, the mind and the soul, between science and art, between…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nawal-el-saadawi/to-be-creative-means-to-connect-it-s-to-abolish-the-gap-between-the/) [Nawal El Saadawi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nawal-el-saadawi/) > [Attempt to be creative for the joy it brings… Select something like music, dance, sculpture, or poetry. Being creative will help you enjoy life.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-g-scott/attempt-to-be-creative-for-the-joy-it-brings-select-something-like/) [Richard G. Scott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-g-scott/) > ['Born This Way' is shaping up to be creative ecstasy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laurieann-gibson/born-this-way-is-shaping-up-to-be-creative-ecstasy/) [Laurieann Gibson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laurieann-gibson/) > [Women need a space to be creative -- creativity thrives in solitude.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sark/women-need-a-space-to-be-creative-creativity-thrives-in-solitude/) [Sark](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sark/) > [Held in the palms of thousands of disgruntled people over the centuries have been ideas worth millions - if they only had taken the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-m-hayes/held-in-the-palms-of-thousands-of-disgruntled-people-over-the/) Robert M. Hayes > [To lose your everyday life of surfing and being creative on waves, enjoying the ocean - that's scary to me. It was essential to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bethany-hamilton/to-lose-your-everyday-life-of-surfing-and-being-creative-on-waves/) [Bethany Hamilton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bethany-hamilton/) > [Trusting people to be creative and constructive when given more freedom does not imply an overly optimistic belief in the perfectibility of human nature.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-senge/trusting-people-to-be-creative-and-constructive-when-given-more/) [Peter Senge](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-senge/) > [I do like to be creative and I'm very lucky that I've been given different areas in which I'm able to do that -…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-o-brien/i-do-like-to-be-creative-and-i-m-very-lucky-that-i-ve-been-given/) [Richard O'Brien](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-o-brien/) > [I miss the city Bret and I live in, Wellington. It's a good place to be creative, in the same way New York is.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jemaine-clement/i-miss-the-city-bret-and-i-live-in-wellington-it-s-a-good-place-to-be/) [Jemaine Clement](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jemaine-clement/) > [I do explore the emotion every once in a while. I'd like to think you don't stop being creative once you get happy. My…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/taylor-swift/i-do-explore-the-emotion-every-once-in-a-while-i-d-like-to-think-you/) [Taylor Swift](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/taylor-swift/) > [I stopped doing comics because I found the pressure really high to nail it every time. It's really difficult to be creative all the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kate-beaton/i-stopped-doing-comics-because-i-found-the-pressure-really-high-to/) [Kate Beaton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kate-beaton/) > [If you never venture outside the box, you will probably not be creative. But if you never get inside the box, you will certainly…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-peterson/if-you-never-venture-outside-the-box-you-will-probably-not-be/) [Christopher Peterson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-peterson/) > [I got into acting because I wanted to act and I love acting. That's my true north: to be creative and to be challenged…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-ruffalo/i-got-into-acting-because-i-wanted-to-act-and-i-love-acting-that-s-my/) [Mark Ruffalo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-ruffalo/) > [ I don't know that Brandy \[Burre\] would ever categorize herself as being trapped, but I felt like I saw her being trapped. When she's… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-greene/i-don-t-know-that-brandy-burre-would-ever-categorize-herself-as-being/) [Robert Greene](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-greene/) Browse all 489 Be creative quotes ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "In order to be creative, you have to know how to prepare to be creative.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Twyla Tharp" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/twyla-tharp/in-order-to-be-creative-you-have-to-know-how-to-prepare-to-be-creative/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Be creative" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/twyla-tharp/in-order-to-be-creative-you-have-to-know-how-to-prepare-to-be-creative/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c65/twyla-tharp-1069_be-creative_in-order-to-be-creative-you-have-to-know_1134950.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c65/twyla-tharp-1069_be-creative_in-order-to-be-creative-you-have-to-know_1134950.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c65/twyla-tharp-1069_be-creative_in-order-to-be-creative-you-have-to-know_1134950.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“In order to be creative, you have to know how to prepare to be creative.” — Twyla Tharp", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } }, { "@type": "BreadcrumbList", "itemListElement": [ { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 1, "name": "Home", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 2, "name": "Quotes", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 3, "name": "Twyla Tharp", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/twyla-tharp/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "In order to be creative, you...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/twyla-tharp/in-order-to-be-creative-you-have-to-know-how-to-prepare-to-be-creative/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/twyla-tharp/in-order-to-be-creative-you-have-to-know-how-to-prepare-to-be-creative/#breadcrumb" }, { "@type": "WebSite", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "publisher": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } }, { "@type": "Organization", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "logo": { "@type": "ImageObject", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png", "width": 512, "height": 512 } } ] } ```