--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I used to think [Shoji] Hamada never…" description: "\"I used to think [Shoji] Hamada never drew, until there was a book by Bernard [Leach] published about his work [Hamada: Potter, Tokyo; New York: Harper ..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/cb5/warren-mackenzie-4654_book_i-used-to-think-shoji-hamada-never-drew_3123577.jpg" --- # I used to think \[Shoji\] Hamada never drew, until there was… ![“I used to think [Shoji] Hamada never drew, until there was a book by Bernard [Leach] published about his work [Hamada: Potter, Tokyo; New York: Harper & Row, 1975] and at the rear of the book were a number of wonderful little sketches, but they were not drawings like Bernard made.” quote by Warren MacKenzie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/cb5/warren-mackenzie-4654_book_i-used-to-think-shoji-hamada-never-drew_3123577.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/cb5/warren-mackenzie-4654_book_i-used-to-think-shoji-hamada-never-drew_3123577.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/cb5/warren-mackenzie-4654_book_i-used-to-think-shoji-hamada-never-drew_3123577.jpg) > “I used to think \[Shoji\] Hamada never drew, until there was a book by Bernard \[Leach\] published about his work \[Hamada: Potter, Tokyo; New York: Harper & Row, 1975\] and at the rear of the book were a number of wonderful little sketches, but they were not drawings like Bernard made.” [Warren MacKenzie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/warren-mackenzie/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. People often assume artists only work in one medium, but many explore multiple forms, revealing hidden talents. **In simple terms:** Artists can have hidden skills beyond their main work. Key Takeaway Explore other creative outlets. Themes creativity assumptions artistic versatility Mood curious inquisitive Type observational inspirational When to use this quote - museum curation - art education - personal creative practice - gallery exhibitions Key Concepts multidisciplinary practice hidden talent Questions to Reflect On - What other skills might you be overlooking? - How can you uncover hidden abilities in yourself? A Different Perspective Not all hidden talents are easily discoverable without deliberate research. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Book](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/book/) [Books](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/books/) [Drawing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/drawing/) [Drawings](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/drawings/) [Hamada Drew](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/hamada-drew-5495067/) [Hamada Potter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/hamada-potter-5495068/) [Harper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/harper/) [Littles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/littles/) [Made](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/made/) [New york](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/new-york/) [Numbers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/numbers/) [Potters](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/potters/) [Sketches](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/sketches/) [Sketches Drawings](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/sketches-drawings-3173036/) [Thinking](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/thinking/) [Tokyo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/tokyo/) [Used](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/used/) [Wonderful](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/wonderful/) ## Related quotes > [I don't work from drawings. I don't make sketches and drawings and color sketches into a final painting.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jackson-pollock/i-don-t-work-from-drawings-i-don-t-make-sketches-and-drawings-and/) [Jackson Pollock](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jackson-pollock/) > [I have a very dear friend, a great painter, called me up very upset, the work wasn’t going well… He asked me to come…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/morton-feldman/i-have-a-very-dear-friend-a-great-painter-called-me-up-very-upset-the/) [Morton Feldman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/morton-feldman/) > [Unlike the photography and prints, I never catalogued, kept track of or exhibited the sketches. I sold some occasionally, but never saw myself as…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gerhard-richter/unlike-the-photography-and-prints-i-never-catalogued-kept-track-of-or/) [Gerhard Richter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gerhard-richter/) > [Preliminary drawings or sketches in oil or pastel often have an immediacy and emotional appeal far greater than the final canvas.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-mellon/preliminary-drawings-or-sketches-in-oil-or-pastel-often-have-an/) [Paul Mellon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-mellon/) > [Those early sketches looked too cartoony; I really wanted to do detailed drawings - I was taking anatomy classes - but unfortunately I wasn't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joe-shuster/those-early-sketches-looked-too-cartoony-i-really-wanted-to-do/) [Joe Shuster](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joe-shuster/) > [In middle school, I started to draw, and my pencil sketches were huge. They were these 4ft by 3ft drawings, and I got a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeff-kinney/in-middle-school-i-started-to-draw-and-my-pencil-sketches-were-huge/) [Jeff Kinney](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeff-kinney/) > [“The stranger drew the curtains round the bed, took up the light, and inspected the apartment. The walls of both rooms were hung with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-bulwer-lytton/the-stranger-drew-the-curtains-round-the-bed-took-up-the-light-and/) [Edward Bulwer-Lytton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-bulwer-lytton/) > [ Bernard's \[Leach\] drawings delineated every little accent on the pot, every subtle curve and change of angle and proportion and all. ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/warren-mackenzie/bernard-s-leach-drawings-delineated-every-little-accent-on-the-pot/) [Warren MacKenzie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/warren-mackenzie/) > [ \[Shoji\] Hamada's \[drawings\] were little one-line notations of something he wanted to remember about a pot or a piece of furniture or a landscape… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/warren-mackenzie/shoji-hamada-s-drawings-were-little-one-line-notations-of-something/) [Warren MacKenzie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/warren-mackenzie/) > [ \[Bernard Leach\] was an incredible draftsman, and at the end of breakfast time, for instance, he would push his plate back, and he'd pull… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/warren-mackenzie/bernard-leach-was-an-incredible-draftsman-and-at-the-end-of-breakfast/) [Warren MacKenzie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/warren-mackenzie/) > [“Her (Beverly Powers) face was round and sweet, but her eyes were another matter. Whatever sport she’d played, this woman had been a ferocious…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charlaine-harris/her-beverly-powers-face-was-round-and-sweet-but-her-eyes-were-another/) [Charlaine Harris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charlaine-harris/) > [Schools were designed by Horace Mann and Barnard Sears and Harper of the University of Chicago and Thorndyke of Columbia Teachers College and some…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-taylor-gatto/schools-were-designed-by-horace-mann-and-barnard-sears-and-harper-of/) [John Taylor Gatto](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-taylor-gatto/) > [I started out as a fashion photographer. One cannot say that I was successful but there was enough work to keep me busy. I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/saul-leiter/i-started-out-as-a-fashion-photographer-one-cannot-say-that-i-was/) [Saul Leiter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/saul-leiter/) > [After the second chapter of Days of Obligation, which is about the death of a friend of mine from AIDS, was published in Harper's,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-rodriguez/after-the-second-chapter-of-days-of-obligation-which-is-about-the/) [Richard Rodriguez](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-rodriguez/) > [I remember reading To Kill A Mockingbird when I was 12. What I liked about it is that it was all seen through a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mara-wilson/i-remember-reading-to-kill-a-mockingbird-when-i-was-12-what-i-liked/) [Mara Wilson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mara-wilson/) ## More by Warren MacKenzie > [ \[Kathleen Blackshear\] just said, "Have you thought of looking at this?" and so on and so on and so on. And it was a… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/warren-mackenzie/kathleen-blackshear-just-said-have-you-thought-of-looking-at-this-and/) [Warren MacKenzie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/warren-mackenzie/) > [ Some years ago I was working on some forms which were vase forms with a fairly narrow base, and it was after \[Hans\] Coper… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/warren-mackenzie/some-years-ago-i-was-working-on-some-forms-which-were-vase-forms-with/) [Warren MacKenzie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/warren-mackenzie/) > [I found out later on that was not true, that life drawing tells you a great deal about rhythm, about the structure of a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/warren-mackenzie/i-found-out-later-on-that-was-not-true-that-life-drawing-tells-you-a/) [Warren MacKenzie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/warren-mackenzie/) > [Remember, this is back in the '40s, and the idea of a museum being a place where interested people could come in direct contact…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/warren-mackenzie/remember-this-is-back-in-the-40s-and-the-idea-of-a-museum-being-a/) [Warren MacKenzie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/warren-mackenzie/) > [ At the end of that two weeks Bernard \[Leach\] asked us if we would like to sit with him tending the kiln, the big… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/warren-mackenzie/at-the-end-of-that-two-weeks-bernard-leach-asked-us-if-we-would-like/) [Warren MacKenzie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/warren-mackenzie/) > [I got drafted into the army and by pure chance was pushed into a silk-screen shop at this camp where I was, because they…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/warren-mackenzie/i-got-drafted-into-the-army-and-by-pure-chance-was-pushed-into-a-silk/) [Warren MacKenzie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/warren-mackenzie/) > [ \[In the Field Museum of Natural History\] we could see very simple, primitive, hand-built pottery from Babylonia and ancient Egypt and so forth, Greece.… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/warren-mackenzie/in-the-field-museum-of-natural-history-we-could-see-very-simple/) [Warren MacKenzie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/warren-mackenzie/) > [Chicago is a wonderful area because it's blessed with a tremendous number of museums of various sorts, not only the Art Institute of Chicago…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/warren-mackenzie/chicago-is-a-wonderful-area-because-it-s-blessed-with-a-tremendous/) [Warren MacKenzie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/warren-mackenzie/) > [ It was a wonderful opportunity. And so for two and a half years we lived with \[Bernard\] Leach. ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/warren-mackenzie/it-was-a-wonderful-opportunity-and-so-for-two-and-a-half-years-we/) [Warren MacKenzie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/warren-mackenzie/) > [ We thought \[with Alix MacKenzie\], if those are the kinds of pots from every culture that interest us, why would we think that it… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/warren-mackenzie/we-thought-with-alix-mackenzie-if-those-are-the-kinds-of-pots-from/) [Warren MacKenzie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/warren-mackenzie/) > [I went to the Chicago Art Institute, which was the best painting school in the area at that time. And I took painting classes…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/warren-mackenzie/i-went-to-the-chicago-art-institute-which-was-the-best-painting/) [Warren MacKenzie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/warren-mackenzie/) > [It was there that we really first came in contact with the work of Shoji Hamada, who was Bernard's best friend from Japan, who…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/warren-mackenzie/it-was-there-that-we-really-first-came-in-contact-with-the-work-of/) [Warren MacKenzie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/warren-mackenzie/) > [ Bernard \[Leach\] was making pots which were duplicates of his drawing, and that was a difference of approach, which I think is quite critical… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/warren-mackenzie/bernard-leach-was-making-pots-which-were-duplicates-of-his-drawing/) [Warren MacKenzie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/warren-mackenzie/) > [I don't know, it's very difficult if you're in a strange country to just barge in and say, "Hello, I'm Warren MacKenzie, and aren't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/warren-mackenzie/i-don-t-know-it-s-very-difficult-if-you-re-in-a-strange-country-to/) [Warren MacKenzie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/warren-mackenzie/) > [ \[Shoji\] Hamada seldom drew an exact drawing of a pot that he was going to make. ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/warren-mackenzie/shoji-hamada-seldom-drew-an-exact-drawing-of-a-pot-that-he-was-going/) [Warren MacKenzie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/warren-mackenzie/) [Explore all 108 Warren MacKenzie quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/warren-mackenzie/) ## More Book quotes > [I think a new world will arise out of the religious mists when we approach our Bible with the idea that it is not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aiden-wilson-tozer/i-think-a-new-world-will-arise-out-of-the-religious-mists-when-we/) [Aiden Wilson Tozer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aiden-wilson-tozer/) > [If I had a dollar for every time I couldn’t sleep, I could buy a billion locks and finally read a book in peace.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aesop-rock/if-i-had-a-dollar-for-every-time-i-couldn-t-sleep-i-could-buy-a/) [Aesop Rock](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aesop-rock/) > [Young men, especially in America, write to me and ask me to recommend “a course of reading.” Distrust a course of reading! People who…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrew-lang/young-men-especially-in-america-write-to-me-and-ask-me-to-recommend-a/) [Andrew Lang](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrew-lang/) > [The Rosary is the book of the blind.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fulton-j-sheen/the-rosary-is-the-book-of-the-blind/) [Fulton J. Sheen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fulton-j-sheen/) > [I have many who keep me going, I am very fortunate in this sense. There is nothing like a child who knows more about…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/floyd-cooper/i-have-many-who-keep-me-going-i-am-very-fortunate-in-this-sense-there/) [Floyd Cooper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/floyd-cooper/) > [I think books in which people are really happy and things are going well are probably the most challenging novels there are to write,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anna-quindlen/i-think-books-in-which-people-are-really-happy-and-things-are-going/) [Anna Quindlen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anna-quindlen/) > [It's like the query letter problem that I just mentioned, magnified a hundredfold. You might be good at telling a story, but that doesn't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patrick-rothfuss/it-s-like-the-query-letter-problem-that-i-just-mentioned-magnified-a/) [Patrick Rothfuss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patrick-rothfuss/) > [I don't think I have made as much of my life as I should have. I should have written more books.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arthur-m-schlesinger-jr/i-don-t-think-i-have-made-as-much-of-my-life-as-i-should-have-i/) [Arthur M. Schlesinger, Jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arthur-m-schlesinger-jr/) > [Some books are not read in the right way because they have skipped a stage of opinion, assume a crystallization of information in society…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/doris-lessing/some-books-are-not-read-in-the-right-way-because-they-have-skipped-a/) [Doris Lessing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/doris-lessing/) > [“People talk about books that write themselves, and it's a lie. Books don't write themselves. It takes thought and research and a backache and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neil-gaiman/people-talk-about-books-that-write-themselves-and-it-s-a-lie-books/) [Neil Gaiman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neil-gaiman/) > [There are great books in this world and great worlds in books.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-bronte/there-are-great-books-in-this-world-and-great-worlds-in-books/) [Anne Bronte](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-bronte/) > [The purpose of this book is to supply, in the form suitable for laymen, guidance in the adoption and execution of an investment policy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/benjamin-graham/the-purpose-of-this-book-is-to-supply-in-the-form-suitable-for-laymen/) [Benjamin Graham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/benjamin-graham/) > [But I think that of all the literature that I studied, the book that did more than any other to fire my enthusiasm was…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kwame-nkrumah/but-i-think-that-of-all-the-literature-that-i-studied-the-book-that/) [Kwame Nkrumah](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kwame-nkrumah/) > [It's amazing to see things that are suggested in the book fully developed and so brilliantly realized through the artistry of the designers.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/suzanne-collins/it-s-amazing-to-see-things-that-are-suggested-in-the-book-fully/) [Suzanne Collins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/suzanne-collins/) > [“But I’ve developed a great reputation for wisdom by ordering more books than I ever had time to read, and reading more books, by…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marilynne-robinson/but-i-ve-developed-a-great-reputation-for-wisdom-by-ordering-more/) [Marilynne Robinson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marilynne-robinson/) [Browse all 29,378 Book quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/book/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "I used to think [Shoji] Hamada never drew, until there was a book by Bernard [Leach] published about his work [Hamada: Potter, Tokyo; New York: Harper & Row, 1975] and at the rear of the book were a number of wonderful little sketches, but they were not drawings like Bernard made.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Warren MacKenzie" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/warren-mackenzie/i-used-to-think-shoji-hamada-never-drew-until-there-was-a-book-by/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Book" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/warren-mackenzie/i-used-to-think-shoji-hamada-never-drew-until-there-was-a-book-by/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/cb5/warren-mackenzie-4654_book_i-used-to-think-shoji-hamada-never-drew_3123577.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/cb5/warren-mackenzie-4654_book_i-used-to-think-shoji-hamada-never-drew_3123577.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/cb5/warren-mackenzie-4654_book_i-used-to-think-shoji-hamada-never-drew_3123577.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“I used to think [Shoji] Hamada never drew, until there was a book by Bernard [Leach] published about his…” — Warren MacKenzie", "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": "Warren MacKenzie", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/warren-mackenzie/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "I used to think [Shoji] Hamada...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/warren-mackenzie/i-used-to-think-shoji-hamada-never-drew-until-there-was-a-book-by/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/warren-mackenzie/i-used-to-think-shoji-hamada-never-drew-until-there-was-a-book-by/#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 } } ] } ```