The best piece of advice you ever recieved...

[Summer Pudding]

Art, or life in general. I left college with two decent pearls of wisdom.

1: there's nothing more daunting than a blank canvas. Fill it in quickly. Worry about the detail later.

2: expect the unexpected when analysing the colour of your subject.

They don't look like much on paper, but my art Ben Kenobi is always whispering these principles in my ear while I work.

what about youz lot?

Spuddles

[Lingmerth]

One of the best advices I know is written in my signature :)

[Mort]

"dont put that fork in your eye."
and "most chicks do it for free anyways"

[Dallas]

When asking a older experienced friend of mine when I was 18 or so: "what's the best way of making it in art, effects, videogames, whatever"?

He said: "just make something TOTALLY cool"!

I guess it means that you have to do something that you yourself think is totally cool, wich ensures that you spend maximum energy on it.

It has worked thus far, and I take it quite seriously even though it might sound lame. :)

-Dallas

[pogonip]

" Work to live , don't live to work "

That's what my dad said years ago and I think it's so true . It takes so much hard work especially as an artist these days to keep in the game . Sometimes it's hard to see past the canvasse and look at the forest for the trees . Ha , I guess I just wish I was biking in the mountains somewhere or jogging on the beach today :teeth:

[creatix]

"Trying to be great or outstanding in art can be an overwhelming thought. Just try and suck a bit less each day."

"It is better to regret what you did than to regret what you didn't do."

[DavePalumbo]

a quote from Hunter Thompson that's still with me: "we were past the point of debating the wisdom of this move. it was already done, and our only hope was to get to the other side"

keeps me focused when I need to be

[Elwell]

"It's time to take the student work out of your portfolio."
-an assistant AD at Simon and Schuster

[sve]

Great quotes, guys, I'm really enjoying reading your thoughts.

here is mine, a little funny story. Sorry, it is a bit long.

One man was always unhappy with his life, was nagging the God, complaining about his life being hard, empty and sad.
Finally God lost his cool, took the guy upstairs and said him: "Here you can go and choose the cross you will carry for the rest of your life, take any one you want".

So guy went and wandered for long time between crosses, big and small, richly embellished and ugly looking. So finally he chose one, not heavy looking, suited to his taste and said to God: "This is the one. I want this one".

And God smiled at him and said: It's the same one you had before."

Sveta

[Ilaekae]

From painter Abe Weiner...

"Everybody sucks. Just try to suck less than everybody else and you'll make it. And don't get paint on the rug..."

[Carnifex]

"don't eat yellow snow."


on a serious note,one by coro on drawing:
"stay light,stay loose.always."
(although he didn't say it exactly like this)

edit: oh,and another one by him(which i absolutely love):
"what do you mean,you don't have access to life drawing classes? if you have internet,just go to google and type "big tits ass xxx" or something and you should get millions of reference!"

[Interceptor]

"Talent is a word that people who have'nt tried hard enough use to make up for why others are better than them."

"Shut up and draw"

[skerre]

Hi! This is more like a story. But if you have read some books from Paulo Coelho you may know this one.

A man was guiding a hunter to a corn field out from the villiage. This man knew every road like the scares in his palm. On this field the guide but a can in the middle of it and walked back to the hunter. He then took a blindfold....

uhum...Sorry of my english is the worst, but I don't know all the words.. anyway...

He then took a blindfold and wrapt it around the hunters head, and then he said, "shoot the can."
"There is no way I can hit the can when i can't see!" he laughed.
"That dosn't matter, shoot the can." The hunter was getting angry, but fired at the can.

"Did I hit it?"
"No, you missed with several meters. Now, shoot again"
The hunter fired again, and this time he hit the can so it flew up from the ground.
"What was this for?", the hunter asked.
"I have now learnd you the most importent lesson in the world. If there is a goal in your life, you should not close your eyes from them. If we then see them clear infront of us, or road in our life comes clear."

well... its something like that, don't remeber it correctly. But I think you understand my point. And its so true! :teeth:

If you want to know the end of the story, the hunter shoots the guide in the head in an accident, right after he tells him this.

[Profil]

One for life I guess, which is very common but some people need to hear this
"Be yourself."

[darkwolfb87]

Parkinson's law: "Work expands so as to fill the time available for its completion."

So true.

[timpaatkins]

"Dont pick it, youll only make it worse."

[John]

One by Loomis: "Get all the books you can afford. Don't get just one book on a certain subject."

[Okirun]

Probably just "Draw what you see, not what you think you see". ^-^;
Oh, and "You need to get better at shading".

[Okirun]

Parkinson's law: "Work expands so as to fill the time available for its completion."

So true.
Ooh, good one. But I wish it wasn't so true.;;

[Slash]

Don't say things like "whats the worst thing that can happen" or "it cant get any worse than this."

[cotron]

George Pratt has constantly dropped nuggets of gold in my ear...
I was having one of those "what's the point" moments, and he had this to say-
"Everything in art's been done, but it hasn't been done by you."

Another is by Sterling Hundley, talking about the burden of ego-
"If you think you're the best, you're not looking at enough art history- your competition isn't just the people around you, but everyone who came before you too."

[Undefeated]

"Grab your balls and be a man about it."

[Kian]

"Amateurs practice untill they can get it right, Professionals practice so they can't get it wrong."

"Treat every job with as much enthusiasm as if it was your first, and with as much attention to detail as if it was your last."

......and basically all of Tyler Durden's rants (they keep me grounded)

Interceptor, man, yours made me look up and say "YES"

[Dead Bunny]

This isn't so much advice as much just something funny one of my old prof's used to say. It gets stuck in my head when I might be suffering through a job for the money instead of painting giant robots or big tittied women or something...

"Ey... Don't make fun o' d'ose toy trucks... d'ey paid da mortgage."

Interceptor's 2nd bit sounds about right too.

[wakizashi]

"strength to the left weans weakness to the right, strenth in the rear means weakeness in the front, strength on all sides means weakness on all sides"-sun tzu
"be as water"-bruce lee
"ive got to say what ive got to say, but i cant promise you'll enjoy the noise"-slipknot
"finish all your homework on friday so we have all weekend to party"- my buddy chris.

[dogfood]

A person's reaction to you says far more about them than it does about you.

The reverse is also true.

[timpaatkins]

"Roll with the punches"

[Profil]

"Amateurs practice untill they can get it right, Professionals practice so they can't get it wrong."

"Treat every job with as much enthusiasm as if it was your first, and with as much attention to detail as if it was your last."

......and basically all of Tyler Durden's rants (they keep me grounded)

Interceptor, man, yours made me look up and say "YES"

To ad another great one of his (you should read the book fight club if you haven't, it's great too)

"It's only after we've lost everything that we're free to do anything."

[Thunder Doom]

"You can do whatever you want son, I couldn't possibly be anymore ashamed of you than I already am."

That what my father told my when I was ten and I told him I wanted to be an artist when I grew up.

[flatliner]

A person's reaction to you says far more about them than it does about you.

The reverse is also true.

dogfood, that really is one of the best peices of advice I have ever heard, thanks :).

[AmishCommy]

George Pratt had so manny little nuggets indeed.

i've always liked "life's a journey, not a destination" It seems to aply to art and artists. and it's the excuse i use for never finishing anything.

[darth massacre]

Ilaekae dishes out some good advices in the years I got to know him. He's mostly always right. So, yeah....I can't remember them all.

[Bowlin]

A person's reaction to you says far more about them than it does about you.

The reverse is also true.

That sounds kinda like mine... "People treat you by how you react"

[DavePalumbo]

"Amateurs practice untill they can get it right, Professionals practice so they can't get it wrong."

hadn't heard that before, I like it

[evildisco]

"Think what's really important for you."

[DSillustration]

good relationship advice:

from my teacher:
"don't get a girl-friend...it'll ruin your art."

from my dad:
"if the milk is spoiled, and you put it back in the fridge...
dont expect it to be any better the next time you take it out."

[Flake]

"Everyone hates you, you are going to lose."

"It is better to regret what you did than to regret what you didn't do."

Yeah, and that one.
You'll be dead soon, no-one will care except you.

[Erilaz]

Marko's little rants always got me going:

http://www.conceptart.org/forums/showpost.php?p=463875&postcount=2
http://www.conceptart.org/forums/showpost.php?p=465002&postcount=10

[steak-tron]

I forget the guy's name who told me this but he got it from some one else...

"style is the result of your most honest efforts."

I always like to throw that one out when people start ranting about "style"..

[Summer Pudding]

A person's reaction to you says far more about them than it does about you.

The reverse is also true.

Nice.

For me, the daddy of wit and wisdom has got to be Oscar Wilde. From The Picture of Dorian Gray. Not advice as such, but a great remark all the same.

"There is only one thing in the world worse than being talked about, and that is not being talked about."

from the same book

"Every portrait that is painted with feeling is a portrait of the artist, not of the sitter."

more Wilde gems here

http://www.quotationspage.com/quotes/Oscar_Wilde/

[waronmars]

Lingmerth, isn't that from thesunscreen song (http://www.advergence.com/newspage/1999/19990620_sunscreensong.shtml) ?

John Safran took the piss out of that one quite nicely in this song (http://www.houseoflyrics.com/d/artists/safran_john/songs/not_the_sunscreen_song.html) He's Australian, hence the references to cities etc here.

The best advice I have gotten... The thing that hurts the most to hear is the truth.

Also, enjoy your education, it's an expensive way to be miserable.

The best art advice...Draw for yourself and your own enjoyment, not to impress other people.

[DavePalumbo]

oh, I just remembered another quote, I think it was Stalin:

"Quantity has a quality all it's own"

[evildisco]

oh, I just remembered another quote, I think it was Stalin:

"Quantity has a quality all it's own"


That would make sense, given the fact that they flooded the germans with so many t34s that they couldn't handle the russian front anymore.

[Summer Pudding]

oh, I just remembered another quote, I think it was Stalin:

"Quantity has a quality all it's own"

Yeah, that's Stalin.

Which reminds me of an excerpt from a pamphlet written for the frontline troops by Chuikov, the Soviet general who faced the German 6th army at Stalingrad. If it all goes tits up soon, and you and your buddies need to raid that heavily fortified WalMart for supplies, here's what you do...

"Get close to the enemy's positions: move on all fours, making use of craters and ruins; dig your trenches by night, camouflage them by day; make your build-up for the attack stealthily, without any noise; carry your tommy-gun on your shoulder; take 10 to 12 grenades. Timing and surprise will then be on your side...
"Two of you get into the house together -- you, and a grenade; both be lightly dressed -- you without a knapsack and the grenade bare; go in grenade first, you after; go through the whole house, again always with a grenade first and you fire....
"There is one strict rule now -- give yourself elbow room! At every step danger lurks. No matter - a grenade in every corner of the room, then forward! A burst from your tommy-gun around what's left; a bit further -- a grenade, then on again! Another room -- a grenade! A turning -- another grenade! Rake it with your tommy-gun! And get a move on!"


hope this helps

Pud'

[VirusArtist]

advise from my father (keeeps ringing in my ear every day):

"take your time"

"if it aint broke, dont try to fix it"

"better keep your mouth shut and be mistaken for an idiot than open it and prove that your are one"

another BIG advice actually is a whole song: "gotta kill captain stupid" by Suicidal Tendencies.. that one always gets me going when I'm in a fucked up mood (quote: "so now you say life sucks? well 99% of it is what you make of it, so if your life sucks, YOU SUCK")

the last one is from the movie "blood of heroes"... the one in my signature..

cheers,
Etienne

[GhostofMacbeth]

I am kind of paraphrasing it right now but this is what I remember it being "Draw. Don't worry about style, just draw. Your style will come with your visual shortcuts and 'mistakes' but don't try and copy someone else's shortcuts and mistakes. Just draw."

[Pixeldragoon]

But watch out for friendly fire.... That stuff is what's gonna kill ya.

[Ilaekae]

I remember two pieces of advice from my father given to me when I was a little kid...took me fifty years more or less to understand what he meant...

"Never pick a fight with a fat man." (has to do with physics...he was 5'3" and weighed 295 pounds...was like trying to punch a truck full of concrete.)

"Everything is better when you wake up sober in the morning."

[JERI]

"Don't eat yellow snow"

[romance]

"look out for number one, and don't step in number two"

- not the best, but funny to say the least

"look both ways before crossing the street"

- not only in the context of looking out for vehicles, but also in the context of observing EVERYTHING that is around you, not just what's directly in front. Damn philosophy and it's many meanings.

[DavePalumbo]

"Get close to the enemy's positions: move on all fours, making use of craters and ruins; dig your trenches by night, camouflage them by day; make your build-up for the attack stealthily, without any noise; carry your tommy-gun on your shoulder; take 10 to 12 grenades. Timing and surprise will then be on your side...
"Two of you get into the house together -- you, and a grenade; both be lightly dressed -- you without a knapsack and the grenade bare; go in grenade first, you after; go through the whole house, again always with a grenade first and you fire....
"There is one strict rule now -- give yourself elbow room! At every step danger lurks. No matter - a grenade in every corner of the room, then forward! A burst from your tommy-gun around what's left; a bit further -- a grenade, then on again! Another room -- a grenade! A turning -- another grenade! Rake it with your tommy-gun! And get a move on!"

damn, now all I need is some grenades and I'll be in business

[dogfood]

"You can do whatever you want son, I couldn't possibly be anymore ashamed of you than I already am."

That what my father told my when I was ten and I told him I wanted to be an artist when I grew up.
Thunder, that can be pretty devastating if he's not joking.

You need to read and understand the advice I posted earlier. It is far more intense when the person you're dealing with has a lower numbered version of your genes.

[bizarre]

nobody cares how much you can think outside the box, if you can't fucking color inside the goddamned lines.
-Doug Hoche

[glikster]

One of my Rabbis alays said, "Don't be STUPID!"

I think it is the single most important and most often ignored piece of advice I have ever heard.

[Joeslucher]

I'm paraphrasing Rockwell but I believe he once said "painting is like throwing a ball at a wall. It never comes back as hard as you threw it." So throw it as hard as you can.

an instructor "don't accept mistakes in your drawing early or you'll be wasting your time late. You'll be polishing a turd and it will feel that way."

John Mueller "You need to be drawing and painting 13 hours a day for the next two years to be where you want to be." That was exactly what I wanted and needed to hear while my college teachers seemed more interested in having us philosophize (is that a word?) with a little drawing in our spare time.

[Lady Medusa]

"When your hands start hurting, drop your pencil and do something useful"
Can't remember who said it... still don't take enough breaks though.

"You have to know the rules to bend the rules"
(About anatomy) can't remember who...

"Don't eat strawberries while in a driving car, spechally if the car is expensive"
Learned it the hard way... Heard it on tv some years later. (has nothing to do wit art though :/)

[glikster]

"You have to know the rules to bend the rules"
(About anatomy) can't remember who...
Loomis, Hale... just about everyone....

[CCThrom]

a few kinda paraphrased from Maruyama Sensei...

Garbage repeated 1000 times is 1000 times garbage... improve your quality. Correct is strong.

Enjoy your life, always grow.

Drink lots beer.

[Summer Pudding]

When I was an awkward teenager at school, trying my best to impress the fashionistas and cool kids, a dear friend of mine, who was herself effortlessly cool, and tremendously popular and easy on the eye, took me aside and said, "Pete, its alright to be boring."

Those words have made me the confident, errudite bedwetter I am today. ;)

[Snarfevs]

'Always do what you oughta - add the acid to the water.'

and

'Kill the brain to kill the body' (dealing with zombies)

[GNL]

Really great thread pudding

steak man you got the right idea in my opinion

I remember these two that helped me the most was one from a Ricky Nierva interview when he said he was struggling with finding a "Style" Maurice Noble said "everythings been done before, just be yourself"


and a great quote from Lord Leighton from the ARC museum


ADVICE TO YOUNG ARTISTS.
By Sir Frederic Leighton, 1893.

At the Royal Academy Banquet on the eve of the opening of the exhibition, the President gave expression to what must have been often in the minds of all artists for a considerable time past. Sir Frederic’s words were directed to young artists only, but his excellent advice might be profitably considered by every painter, old and young. After referring to what he considers to be the comprehensive catholicity of the present collection, a phrase perhaps a little over-strained, Sir Frederic continued: “Looking from a wide standpoint at this exhibition and embracing further in the field of vision the many and manifold exhibitions, especially of paintings, which each season brings forth; struck as we all must be, deeply with the vehement and almost feverish strife of conflicting theories and opinions which is rife about us, it is impossible not to feel how perplexing such a condition of things must be to the very young, who, on the outer threshold of their career, eager and still malleable, seek a secure path in such a labyrinth of contradictions. Extreme youth when it is healthy is bold and fearless, and not a little inclined to rebel against tradition, however rooted in the long assent of men. And here, gentlemen, I would not be misunderstood. Steeped as I am to my innermost marrow in reverence for the mighty men of the past to whom Art owes whatever true sublimity it boasts; convinced, unshakably, of the vital validity of the great principles on which their achievements rest, I am yet not one of those who would refuse to Art all power of evolution, or who believe that, though assuredly it will never reach more lofty summits, it may not send forth lateral green shoots fresh and delightful as only they are, indeed, nourished from the strong sap of the parent stem. In brief, I do not believe - to change the metaphor - that they who, in our time, have wedded their lives to art have clasped to their breasts a lovely but lifeless corpse. To the very young then, I would fain offer one or two matters for thought, if, perchance, they will hearken to one who has grown old in unwavering sympathy with their struggles and doubts. I would beg them to keep ever before their eyes the vital truth that sincerity is the well-spring of all lasting achievement, and that no good thing ever took root in untruth or self-deception. I would urge them to remember that if every excellent work is stamped with the personality of its author, no work can be enduring that is stamped with a borrowed stamp; and that, therefore, their first duty is to see that the thoughts, the emotions, the impressions they fix on he canvas are in very truth their own thoughts, their own emotions, their own spontaneous impressions, and not those of others: for work that does not spring from the heart has no roots, and will of certainty wither and perish. The other maxim also I would urge on them - that true genius knows no hurry, that patience is of its essence, and thoroughness its constant mark; and, lastly, I would ask them to believe that the gathered experience of past ages is a precious heritage and not an irksome load; and that nothing will fortify them better for the future, and free development, than the reverent and loving study of the past."


this, for me helped clarify all the why's what's and how's

anyway


cheers

[natsch]

mix 5 pounds of ice cream with 5 pounds of dog shit and you get 10 pounds of dog shit

[FinalOmega]

"Homefucking is killing Prostitution."

cheers

[Sepulverture]

"Die with your boots on, not on your knees" - I have no idea who said this, but i heard it somewhere, and I guess the messege implies that it is better to have tried and failed, than failed by never trying. That is something I firmly believe in, and so far it has served me fairly well. After all, nearly everything, and every experience I have now I got on my own, with a few minor exceptions.

"That which is sought after is infinitely more valuable than that which is given to you". That is something i tell myself every now and then to keep going.

"You gotta bust your ass to get what you want" Another little gem i tell myself when i fail to (get a job, draw a picture well, write a good song) in hopes of motivating myself to work harder.

[Scubasteve]

Look out!

saved my life a couple a times...

[cotron]

oh yeah, this too-

When in doubt, K.I.S.S.- keep it simple, stupid.
or just rock and roll all night and party ev-eryday, either one works...

[tensai]

One of my favourites:

Whatever you can do, or dream you can, begin it. Boldness has genius, power and magic in it. (Goethe)

[tensai]

and some others:

"Rearrangement is the mother of pure invention" (J.F. Carlson - the landscape painter)

"What I expect from any work of art is that it surprises me, that it violates my customary valuations of things and offers me other, unexpected ones."- Jean Dubuffet

and the last one is just a word,
Sprezzatura (Italian-`nonchalance, ease`) "The quality of cultivated carelessness which distinguishes a sketch."

i think sprezzetura is equaly important for finished work though.

edit - read this on a board recently
"I think marijuana is just nature's way of saying high!" :)

[rick_hershey]

If I know what I know, and I know what you know, then i'm smarter. - my grandfather (bastard)

[Erilaz]

Bruce lee always said some insightful things:

"Styles tend to not only separate men — because they have their own doctrines and then the doctrine became the gospel truth that you cannot change. But if you do not have a style, if you just say: Well, here I am as a human being, how can I express myself totally and completely? Now, that way you won't create a style, because style is a crystallization. That way, it's a process of continuing growth."

"Art is the expression of the self. The more complicated and restricted the method, the less the opportunity for expression of one's original sense of freedom. Though they play an important role in the early stage, the techniques should not be too mechanical, complex or restrictive. If we cling blindly to them, we shall eventually become bound by their limitations."

"I'm not a master, I'm a student-master, meaning that I have the knowledge of a master and the expertise of a master, but I'm still learning, So I'm a student-master. I don't believe in the word master, I consider the master as such when they close the casket."


And one of my favourites (although not related to art):
"Boards do not hit back."

[Marko Djurdjevic]

"A man who asks many questions, makes many mistakes"




Best advice ever, by one of my best friends and first Art Director.

[Tetsuo]

marko i guess im slightly confused about that one....does that mean that he learns much from his mistakes by asking question? Or that he talks to much and in his haste of questioning he forgoes what actually is needed to learn...ie paying attention and listening more? Or is it....hmmm i seem to be making many mistakes here ;)


"The great essence of swordsmanship is the willow blowing in the gentle breeze"
-Yamaoka Tesshu

and the good old nike slogan "Just Do It"

werd

[Pixeldragoon]

"It's not because things are difficult that we don't dare; It's beceause we don't Dare that things are difficult."

Seneque

"The wise man asks himself the reason of his mistakes, the fool asks others."
Chinese proverb.

Think this one is a bit too straightforward though. I think what it intends is, don't always do what people want you to do, or want you to change.

Another way of thinking about it is, If you can't tell that your piece has something off in it, than you won't learn as much from someone else telling you.

I dunno.

@Marko: That's true, but a man who asks many questions finds many answers and learns much FROM those mistakes, Correct?

[squidmonk3j]

"When the going gets weird, the weird turn pro".

- Hunter S. Thompson.

[creatix]

"You have the same amount of hours in a day as Michelangelo did. Time is no longer an excuse."

[markwagner]

The most coveted thing in the art world is not talent, it is discipline.

"Decaf, don't believe in it."
my grandmother


~M

[vigostar]

"assumptions is the mutha of all fuck-ups." (Under Siege)

[fixx]

my first art teacher "Don't study Graphic Design, study Illustration"
my second art teacher "Don't study Illustration, Study Fine Arts"

my dad "If you can afford it, do it"

[GNL]

"A man who asks many questions, makes many mistakes"



Smart stuff.


How about

"the only real mistake is the one that you dont learn from"


?

cheers

g

[Main Loop]

one word: Simplify.

[endercoskun]

an instructor of mine at university used to say(hope i could translate it well):

"the rock you throw should be worth the birds you scare away."


and a quote of galileo galilei, that i like:

"i do not feel obliged to believe that the same god who has endowed us with sense, reason, and intellect has intended us to forgo their use."

[figure2]

"A man who asks many questions, makes many mistakes"Marko,

I think you need to explain this one. The way I see it, a man who asks no questions learns nothing. The root of knowledge is curiosity.

My advice to myself: Never stop asking questions.

[Slash]

"build a man a fire, and he'll be warm for the night. Set a man on fire, and he'll be warm for the rest of his life."

[s.ketch]

"There is no spoon" This cliche is actually good for thinking outside of the box, whenever I find somthing difficult to understand I just take a deep breath, say it, and usually I can figure it out.

"You dont have to be perfect, you just have to make everyone think you are" I figured this one out from people saying how good my drawings are, when I could see all my mistakes. Im sure while we look at a awsome peice of art and think its perfect, the artist looks at it and sees its flaws.

[GriNGo]

marko's advice is simple & elegant. don't sweat it. I really don't think he wanted to make it look like people who ask questions are dumbasses (or maybe he did 8) ).

my advice:

"The body is the reflection of the mind" - my capoeira teacher, when I was braggin about my "stable" mind during highschool (but at the same time, being a lazy ass weakling nerd). He said that & I was like :bow:

Do not think that
This is all there is
More and more
Wonderful teachings exist-
The sword is unfathomable.

- Yamaoka Tesshu 8) kick ass.

"Nothing is in the intellect that was not first in the senses." 8) Thomas Aquinas - The Peripatetic Axiom

[Keng]

Here's one I just heard this week from a 10-ish year old:

"All life comes with a lifetime warranty."

They were joking, but it's true.
And then there is a quote from my favourite book of all time. Jonathan Livingston Seagull by Richard Bach.

"It's strange. The gulls who scorn perfection for the sake of travel go nowhere, slowly. Those who put aside travel for the sake of perfection, go anywhere, instantly."

I really like that one because even though we will never reach perfection, the pursuit of it will take us far.

edit: oh yea, another one I once saw in a signature which you might enjoy for it's amusment factor. I'm sure if you thought about it you could come up with some deep meaning.

"If I set you on fire, what you would want more than anything else in the world is to not be on fire."

reading Slash's build a fire quote made me remember it.

[Puck]

Winners lose more times than losers; They're winners because they kept trying until they won. Perseverance beats intensity any day.

oh and;

Assumptions make an ass out of you ... and umption. -Mr 'cool' himself; Sam Jackson

[Blue]

I can't remember it word for word.. but the general idea which i recieved with these few has done wonders.

-Everyone has their own style and unique taste to their art. Just know you'll never get there without the basics, so just draw the fruit.

-What do you want? To draw to live? Or to live to draw?

-Your ability is like a muscle. "Talent" is only a gene which lets the muscle grow faster the usual. But if you never use the muscle, it will grow weak and wither away, regardless of what special genes it has.

-Each drawing you do is but a rung on a ladder. If you become too fond of one rung, you'll never take the step to the next. Detach yourself from your work, destroy it after if you must. Do whatever it takes to understand that to progress you cannot allow anything to hold you back, expecially your previous art.

A lot of people hate the last one because it promotes destroying your own art, but it is something i have truly taken to heart. Only after finishing some amazing pieces, and forcing myself to destroy them did i get the point behind it. Not a very easy lesson, but invaluable nonetheless. And the others speak for themselves. :)

[Snarfevs]

Occam's Razor: "Do not unnecessarily multiply entities"

Hanlon's Razor: "Never attribute to malice that which can be adequately explained by stupidity."

Sturgeon's Law: "90% of everything is crap." - "...but the remaining 10% is worth dying for."

"Don't fall into the trap of being full of crap" - Sir Veto - Underneath The Burning Sun

"The most merciful thing in the world, I think, is the inability of the human mind to correlate all its contents." - H.P. Lovecraft

"Imagination will often carry us to worlds that never were. But without it we go nowhere." - Carl Sagan

"We make our world significant by the courage of our questions and by the depth of our answers." - Carl Sagan

"CREDULITY KILLS" - Carl Sagan

"Not all bits have equal value." - Carl Sagan

"Somewhere, something incredible is waiting to be known." - Carl Sagan

"We are like butterflies who flutter for a day and think it's forever." - Carl Sagan

Yeh I have a Carl Sagan fixation.

[le capitan]

great thread.

not even sure if this is a quote but:
"You have a lifetime, if its long or short, its still a lifetime."

also:
"It is better to be hated for who you are, than to be liked for who you are not."

[PerfectKayCustom]

This is like close to advice,

"It's ok, you can do it! , if not in a few months, you going into Pharmacy" *parents*

[Carnifex]

-Each drawing you do is but a rung on a ladder. If you become too fond of one rung, you'll never take the step to the next.
THAT is a GREAT thing to remember!
thanx!

[blog]

Quote:
Originally Posted by Marko Djurdjevic
"A man who asks many questions, makes many mistakes"
Marko,

I think you need to explain this one. The way I see it, a man who asks no questions learns nothing. The root of knowledge is curiosity.

My advice to myself: Never stop asking questions.

He who makes mistakes will continue to become superior, while he who doesn't will remain inferior. I'm confused, maybe I should 'simplify' :P

[Profil]

Marko,

I think you need to explain this one. The way I see it, a man who asks no questions learns nothing. The root of knowledge is curiosity.

My advice to myself: Never stop asking questions.

I think what he meant is that, if you hold a lot of concepts of things in your mind, it's harder to make up a decision of all those things. But it's also true that a wise man can hold a lot of concepts in his head and come to his own conclusion based on those concepts.

[i.am]

"Time is runnin..."

[Hookswords]

Maybe you're the problem.

[fersteger]

"Today I WILL do what others will not, so that tomorrow I CAN do what others cannot" Don't know who said it but you gotta practice yo.

[Mungus]

The parrot said to the woodpecker "Work to Live, dont Live to Work"
The nightingale went one further, "Lets skip work and live".
The woodpecker retorted with "Masterpieces are 5% inspiration, 95% perspiration".
The swallow replied, "But if it feels like work you're clearly not enjoying yourself". Magpie chirped in, (though no-one invited her)
"Life is what happens while you're planning it".
The cuckoo yawned "All mans ill's come from inability to be alone".
Then Einstein who was hiding in the loftier branches avoiding the Nazi's said,
"Imagination is more important than knowledge""
Douglas Adams, who was even further up, startled everyone with
"I'd rather be happy than right"

Mozchopz

[Brendan N]

"The secret to drawing is there is no secret."

- Michaelis Mentler.

[i.am]

"Your Fate is what you Make" - Sara Connor

"There is no room for limits in the act of creation. There is no right or wrong way, only different ways as there are different people." - Theo Parrish

[Arne S.]

"Wal, a wiser fella than m'self once said, sometimes you eat the bar and sometimes the bar, wal, he eats you."

[Wasker]

"Fail, fail again, fail better."

[k4pka]

Sometimes you are the statue, sometimes you are the pigeon.

[xxEnder]

"Just draw."

I dont know about you guys, but sometimes I just freeze up and stare at a blank/nearly blank page for a long time, one time during my first (well first and only so far) art class i wasted 40 minutes just zoning out too afraid to touch my pencil down, im slowly getting over it, but the fact is i just need to do it, and confidence will follow.

[xxEnder]

"The secret to drawing is there is no secret."

- Michaelis Mentler.
thats such a good quote, a lot of these are good but this one just struck me with its simplicity and truth.

[Crane]

Its threads like this that are worth reading.

One of my fave quotes

'Art is a passion or it is nothing' Robert Fry

[Seedling]

All of the following are paraphrased badly:

“Work big to small.” This applies to everything from painting to building dungeons for computer games to cleaning the house.

Advice given to me by a fellow in the games industry when I was still a student: “Paint dirt in the cracks.” Invaluable.

“The last five percent takes ninety percent of the time.”

“These aren’t piano lessons. They are life lessons.”

“Everybody believes they are capable of doing five things well: write, drive a car, have sex, make art, and design computer games.”

“It is better to make progress slowly then to make no progress.”


And I don’t remember where I heard this one, but I love it:

There was once a student of the violin who sought out a master to ask his advice. “O wise teacher,” he said after playing for a bit, “do I have what it takes to be a great violinist?” “No,” responded the master. “Perhaps you would be more suited to a regular career.”

Crestfallen, the student put away his violin, and turned with a sigh to a career in banking. And ultimately he became a successful and happy banker.

Many years later he met the master violinist again. The student-turned banker said to him “Because you opened my eyes to my inadequacy as a violinist, I am now wealthy and have a stable career and a good family. It frightens me to think of the life I would have led as a second-rate violinist. Thank you for warning me away from playing the violin.”

The master violinist smiled sadly at the banker, and replied: “I tell all of the students they are inadequate. It is the ones who choose not to listen to me that have the stubbornness to succeed.”

[JAG.]

your mind tells you what you need..
your heart tells you what you want..
your gut doesn't care either way,
it just tells you what you should or shouldn't do - JAG

[Brendan N]

thats such a good quote, a lot of these are good but this one just struck me with its simplicity and truth.

My exact thoughts the first time I heard (read) it. Mentler has a way of saying things so that they strike you. Read through his notes whenever you have the time - his handwriting (beautiful!) takes some getting used to, but what you get out is so rewarding.

- d.

[asoir]

Never say never!

[otis]

"All that we are
is the result of what
we have thought."

[Jabo]

This may sound a little melodramatic, but my older sister (a successful person who is probably my biggest idol) once interrupted me when I was talking about being unsure about what to do and how to go on in life:

"You can achieve whatever you want", followed by a serious and confident gaze at me.

That was one of my all-time-favourite advices. Because it's true.

[Stark]

Man...I've read some amazing things in here...I should go through and save the ones that struck a chord with me while I was reading them...

Here is what Sirio said in IRC a few minutes back:
"i've concluded that people paint their best stuff when they least expect it, and their worst when they want something good."

"The other person wants to save face for being wrong, why make an ass of yourself proving that?" - Dale Carnegie (Horribly paraphrased)

"There is no point in comparing yourselves to others. They took time to be where they are, you will do the same eventually" - HAHAHA, everyone in #conceptart

"If you never dream to fly, you'll never leave the ground." - ME (I practice this everyday to become better at anything and everything I attempt)

"Just shut up and listen. While you talk nonsense, someone else is saying something useful" - ME and probably someone else :P

"The juice is worth the squeeze" - A friend

"Great is not okay. Amazing, now that would be great" - Bender (Futurama)

Art advice to anyone out there who needs a bit of inspiration:
"Art is a passion. It is something that you hone your love and energy into. Respect it, and it will work wonders for you."

"Scars last temporarily, love is only a lifetime, but your errors and faults, those last forever."

[0shade0]

one I made out after experiencing something. paraphrased badly
"don't take unnecessary risks, risk only that of which you can learn something out"

and by someone who has similar and clashing ideals
"don't dream your life, live your dream"

and just something; "when trying to reach something, it is important to focus on your goal, just don't forget to notice the dimples ahead in the road either"

[Lohan]

"You have the same amount of hours in a day as Michelangelo did. Time is no longer an excuse."

you son of a bitch.

[Cthogua]

My Grandfather when I was a kid: "Theres always more than one way to look at something, and you should try to think of as many as you can when trying to figure something out."

One of my painting proffs, James Gadson, in College: "Work to get what you want, don't just accept what you get"

and one of my former coworkers, probably the most important bit of advice I can imagine: "The only time you can do or change ANYTHING, is RIGHT NOW, anything else is just wishful thinking and make-believe"

[0kelvin]

“Everybody believes they are capable of doing five things well: write, drive a car, have sex, make art, and design computer games.”

Hehehe, I like that. So true. It wasn't until I realised I wasn't good at any of those that I was able to learn to do at least one or two of them well.



0kelvin

[Rabid]

"It's our struggles that define us, by showing the consequence you show truth in skill..."-my little tidbit

[Rabid]

Just to let everyone know I'm copying most of these bolding the text and increasing to 48 point and printing out word sheets to adorn my studio/dorm room...keep em coming!!!!:bashful:

[i.am]

you son of a bitch.


innit?


Got a couple of "slaps in the face" when reading some of these. They all pretty much said the same thing. Which is, STOP WHINING AND GET ON WITH IT!!! Thus me picking up my pencil and drawing again :)





Though I do have more to add.


"Don't be frikkin' lazy. Laziness won't get you anywhere".

"Do or do not, there is no try" -Yoda (Not a star wars fan, but this one etched itself in my brain. Have to remind myself every now and again)

[Hyskoa]

"Fuck your life experience, life experience means adhering to life's mistakes because it was too hard at some point until it became an automation. Well you and me have different values, so what is too hard for you might not be for me and vice versa. Also all those decission you leave up to life experience can be reached through gigantic quantities of pure logical thought. So honestly, fuck your 5000 years of life experience, I rather have logic."

Me + my ego against my father when he was once again preaching that his experience dictated otherwise. Reminds me of how much of an ass I can be sometimes and tells me keep to my thoughts for myself at certain times. So kind of a self-advice.

[dfacto]

Advice given to me by a fellow in the games industry when I was still a student: “Paint dirt in the cracks.” Invaluable.

This should be stamped on the drawing hand of anyone who wants to be a texture artists. No truer words have been spoken.

And one from me: Shit happens. Never get caught without toilet paper.

There's nothing deep about this. Always keep TP handy in the bathroom, with an extra stock somewhere else in the house. That stuff can save you from shit both literal and figurative, and when it's done you flush it and your problems down the drain. Immaculate.

[Jabo]

Another one, not to be taken too seriously. But I think it's true and applies to a lot of situations:

Don't mess with an idiot. He'll pull you down to his level and then beat you with experience.

[chaosrocks]

learn to drink wihtout getting sick or making an ass of yourself.
and don't clean your brushes in your Martini.

chaos

[Seedling]

"Fuck your life experience. . .

Hmm. Generally, when people speak of life experience, they mean that they made mistakes and learned from them.

[JAG.]

"don't stick it in there.." -- a friend of mine.

-JAG

[rorke]

Check the soles of your shoes before leaving the stall.

[Dave Kendall]

"You're only as good as your last piece of work."

Stops you resting on your laurels.

Advice given to me by an illustration tutor. She was completely loopy(in a good way) Introduced me to Giger and was the only tutor who applauded when I gave up my course mid way to pursue a career in comics. Thanks Eileen. :)

[Summer Pudding]

"Just because you've won the argument, doesn't mean you're right."

I'm told that's a bona fide Ancient Chinese proverb. Not advice really, but if its truisms yer after, come and see yer Uncle Pete. :)

[Cryptorchild]

I know it was said on the last page, but KISS (Keep It Simple Stupid) is something you can live your life by.

Keep on keepin' on. -That's another one I go by.
Also I usually like to say "I'm just doin' what I do." Basically just a spin on the last one.

And Pudding, that last one is something I have run up against all my life. The Chinese are a smart people.

[Ian Mack]

"Always do more than is required of you."

"If it was easy, then you wouldn't be the only one doing it."

haha that idiot one is funny...I really liked the chinese one as well.

[Horsefly]

Some Harley Brown quotes:

"Painting many things allows you to better paint one thing. And vice-verse."

"You won't always succeed but that's one of the joys of success."

"Draw the same simple subject each day, five days in a row. Compare."

[maxetormer]

"Don't take life to seriously, it will laugh at you any ways"
form my father :P

"You can give more than that"
From an Ilustration teacher, simple but really effective.

For the movie "Salton Sea"
"Oh, shit, what is this? Am I dead? Linoleum? This must be hell. Oh no, what a cliche.
I've had some time to think about it and it's pretty simple after all. I think it's like the man said,
"Man is the measure of all things." I should know. I ran the gamut. Tom Van Allen got his revenge.
Good for Tom. And Danny Parker? He got gut-shot for being a lowlife rat. That sucks for him.
As far I'm concerned, they're both dead. So who is this guy? Tell you the truth, I still don't know.
But I like his chances. I really like his chances."

from the movie Contact
"Young Ellie: Dad, do you think there's people on other planets?
Ted Arroway: I don't know, Sparks. But I guess I'd say if it is just us... seems like an awful waste of space."
I know its not really advise more like something I like to think about at times :P

This one stroked a very deep cord in me and it still does every time
I think about it, its so simple yet it holds a truth older than time
form the Mononoke-hime movie
"Lady Eboshi: What exactly are you here for?
Prince Ashitaka: To see with eyes unclouded by hate."

"Stop worrying about presentation and start doing some great art"
from Jason Manley at the Prague workshop.

and at last form Robert A. Heinlein my fav sifi author, the first
sifi novel I ever read was The 100 lives of Lazarus Long and a lot
of my life philosophy comes form that book :D really good advise
on a cynical, fun and easy going package.

"Never underestimate the power of human stupidity"

"Don't ever become a pessimist... a pessimist is correct oftener than an optimist,
but an optimist has more fun, and neither can stop the march of events."

"I am free, no matter what rules surround me. If I find them tolerable,
I tolerate them; if I find them too obnoxious, I break them.
I am free because I know that I alone am morally responsible for everything I do."

"One man's "magic" is another man's engineering. "Supernatural" is a null word."

"They didn't want it good, they wanted it Wednesday."

"May you live as long as you wish and love as long as you live."

"A human being should be able to change a diaper, plan an invasion,
butcher a hog, conn a ship, design a building, write a sonnet,
balance accounts, build a wall, set a bone, comfort the dying,
take orders, give orders, cooperate, act alone, solve equations,
analyze a new problem, pitch manure, program a computer,
cook a tasty meal, fight efficiently, die gallantly. Specialization is for insects."

"I'm afraid of coaching, of writer's classes, of writer's magazines, of books on
how to write. They give me centipede trouble -- you know the yarn about the
centipede who was asked how he managed all his feet? He tried to answer,
stopped to think about it, and was never able to walk another step."

"George Pratt" (read on a post made by cotron some time ago)
"Everything in art's been done, but it hasn't been done by you."

"absorb what is useful, discard what is useless, and add what is essentially your own."
- Bruce Lee (read from the sig of Bojee )

"Keep it simple"

[central]

Don't mess with an idiot. He'll pull you down to his level and then beat you with experience.

LMAO brilliant !!!

off the top of my head id have to say its gotta be this one ...
"it's all in your head idiot !! "

o and yoda's full of them ..

1)"Try not. Do or do not, there is no try." - talk about tough to put into practise
2) "Adventure. Heh! Excitement. Heh! A Jedi craves not these things." - ill stick to being myself then :D ... always makes me laugh when i picture yoda sayin it with all the gestures, facial expressions ...

some beautiful lines all round ... keep pushing

[Mungus]

An idea cannot be considered an idea unless it is dangerous

[Mungus]

"A human being should be able to change a diaper, plan an invasion,
butcher a hog, conn a ship, design a building, write a sonnet,
balance accounts, build a wall, set a bone, comfort the dying,
take orders, give orders, cooperate, act alone, solve equations,
analyze a new problem, pitch manure, program a computer,
cook a tasty meal, fight efficiently, die gallantly. Specialization is for insects."

Maxetormer, i don't know where you got that phrase, but it re-inforces my efforts at being a more resourceful biped, thank you!!

[chaosrocks]

Max didn't you clean that up a little?
or did Robert write several versions....

I seem to remember "A man should be able to...... and making love to a woman was in there somewere...

and I always objected to the lack of any kinda of art on there, or music... only art is , sonnet......funny thing him being a writer and all..:P

as a checklist for artists..... one could propose something similar and decry specialization

*another heinlein fan*
chaos

[sve]

maxetormer, impressive set of wise thoughts.. I loved it.
"Don't ever become a pessimist... a pessimist is correct oftener than an optimist>
hehehe, it means he doesn't follow his own advice.


Need to add some more:
from my daughter's Chess tutor:

Albert Einshtein
'Imagination is more important than knowledge, for knowledge is limited while imagination embraces the entire world.'

and some more
We can't solve problems by using the same kind of thinking we used when we created them.

Peace cannot be kept by force. It can only be achieved by understanding.

I admit thoughts influence the body.

A person starts to live when he can live outside himself.

Education is what remains after one has forgotten everything he learned in school.

In the middle of difficulty lies opportunity.

Gravitation is not responsible for people falling in love.

Science without religion is lame. Religion without science is blind.

and for contrast ;)
A man's ethical behavior should be based effectually on sympathy, education, and social ties; no religious basis is necessary. Man would indeed be in a poor way if he had to be restrained by fear of punishment and hope of reward after death.

[NoSeRider]

A man that asks many questions......thinks.

[Stark]

We can't solve problems by using the same kind of thinking we used when we created them.

Peace cannot be kept by force. It can only be achieved by understanding.

I admit thoughts influence the body.

A person starts to live when he can live outside himself.

Education is what remains after one has forgotten everything he learned in school.

These are golden sve...thanks for enlightenment...

[JAG.]

indeed SVE. AE was a brilliant man on many levels ;)

got this one last night.. and for some reason it pleased me:

"Crazy??..Probably. But maybe that's what keeps me sane." - a friend

- JAG

[Carnifex]

"if you have to make up excuses to yourself,your doing something wrong"

[Profil]

"fortune favors the bold". Originally in latin as:
audentes fortuna iuvat

good stuff:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Latin_phrases_%28full%29

[asoir]

"fortune favors the bold". Originally in latin as:
audentes fortuna iuvat

good stuff:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Latin_phrases_%28full%29
nice! i need to take this one into account more...

[Dirty C]

Someone misquoted this earlier, and it's something that a traveler like myself lives by:

"Life is what happens to you while you're busy making other plans."
-John Lennon

The way I've always interpreted this is much along the lines as the 'smell the roses' idea. So many of the parts of your life you'll remember aren't the epic times you've strived for at all, but the stolen moments and the relationships which can kindle and die in the blink of an eye.

[blacky]

Paraphrasing ,
Freud:

- you get what you want

Einstein

-there are only two kinds of people, those that don't believe in mirracles and those for whom everything is a mirracle

[Nerahla]

I searched this thread - and was surprised to not see a single quote from either of the two men. That, or the search feature doesn't work very well :)


Here are some of my favorites from Judge Learned Hand:

“I often wonder whether we do not rest our hopes too much upon constitutions, upon laws and upon courts. These are false hopes; believe me, these are false hopes. Liberty lies in the hearts of men and women; when it dies there, no constitution, no law, no court can save it...”

“Life is made up of constant calls to action, and we seldom have time for more than hastily contrived answers.”

“You cannot raise the standard against oppression, or leap into the breach to relieve injustice, and still keep an open mind to every disconcerting fact, or an open ear to the cold voice of doubt.”


And Emerson:

“The glory of friendship is not the outstretched hand, nor the kindly smile nor the joy of companionship; it is the spiritual inspiration that comes to one when he discovers that someone else believes in him and is willing to trust him.”

"Though we travel the world over to find the beautiful, we must carry it with us or we find it not.”

“Nothing great was ever achieved without enthusiasm.”

My mom:

"What you focus on expands."

And /the/ best quote/advice/thought-provoking thing I think I've ever heard... by William Blake:

"When the windows of perception are cleansed man will see the universe as it truly is, infinite."

[Carnifex]

"live NOW"
sounds easier than it is.

[nofingers]

About art: "Define, then refine."

About procrastinating people: "Give 'em enough rope, and they'll hang themselves"

edit: and throw in something about not watching TV while trying to draw

[Brynmor]

It's only those who do nothing that make no mistakes, I suppose.

-Josef Conrad

One must work and dare if one really wants to live.

-Vincent van Gogh

I have never let my schooling interfere with my education.

- Mark Twain

Not necessarily advice I personally recieved, but good quotes nonetheless.

[Hyskoa]

I have never let my schooling interfere with my education.
- Mark Twain


This one made me laugh.
Anyway, here are some that I think about on my own as well as some additional thoughts about them.

- If you're looking for absolute horror on this planet, you need to look no further than the darkest regions of the common person.

- Saying you can't just means you don't want to spend time on it.

- Perfection in art and life is the most boring thing on earth. It's interesting faults that we must search for. For any person who has everything and no purpose or goal, will create his own problems just to stay busy.

- So designing the perfect murder is painfully easy, just give that person every single thing he or she desires and they'll wither away from existance and will keep inventing their own worst nightmare, over and over again until the day their body can't handle it anymore.

- This makes humanity a suicidal species since the one goal they're trying to evolve to, dedicate their entire lives on... will be the worst possible existance that anybody can think of.

- Ideas are the mind telling you where it wants to go today. Kind of like a pet.

- Don't underestimate your future audience, their imagination might even be better than yours, they just don't use it for drawing or painting.

- Everything has been done before, in this known universe. So just create another one and start with that.

- Thought is escapism for drawing,
drawing is escapism for learning,
learning is escapism for working,
working is escapism for living,
living is escapism for dying,
dying is escapism for reality,
reality is escapism for thinking/thought.

- Old masters were people too, so they can be surpassed and destroyed. Just takes a lot of ego, courage, ego, time, ego, skill, ego and cohones(big round ones, balloonsize).

- Concentration is best trained among a horde of trained chimps... or fellow class mates, whatever is available.

- It's not what you do, with whom and how, but how many times you did it and if it involved a pencil and paper.

- The infinite monkey theorem states that a monkey hitting keys at random on a typewriter keyboard for an infinite amount of time will almost surely type or create a particular chosen text, such as the complete works of William Shakespeare.

You only get 60-90 years, so get cracking monkey.

- Procastination is the mother of all that bought you your first pack of cigarettes and made you die of lung cancer. Twice.

- Look at the cute puppy... isn't he cuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuute... yes he is... yes he isssssssss.... OH YES HE IS.... now draw him 40.000 times... photo realistic.

I bet you'll LOVE the puppy after that.

- Look at the magnificent range of colors we have in oil paints. Now use the same 5-10 colors for every painting until you die. If you use others you will be shunned forever.

- When life gave me lemons, I learned a valuable lesson about sharing with people.

- It's always fun to talk about painting. Even when the topic is about something else entirely.

- It's extremely convenient to own a dead body and drag it behind you at all times. You can be 100% sure that way that everybody's attention will always be focussed on it, not you.

- A paint brush made out of human hair is fun to paint with, acquiring the material for one however, might not be agreeable with your fellow students.

- Imagination is a tricky thing, too much of it and you'll feel yourself becoming abstract, in more ways than one.

- Call it insane, but gosh darnit, I'll at least give it some serious thought until I die to be able to control the element of fire. Just because it would look damn cool.

- My thoughts are already there, I just need to unlock the right combinations to get the rest of me through the gates of trail.

[Stark]

I laughed a lot reading your Mel...awesome stuff.

"- It's not what you do, with whom and how, but how many times you did it and if it involved a pencil and paper."

Would secks be okay? I could do that on paper...

[Beonarri]

If at first you don't succeed, stop you'll just hurt your back trying to do that again.

But for serious advice, it would be something like.

A man who gets a job where he works on something he loves, is never really working.

Or something...

[Stephen Lo Piano]

I was listening to this radio talk show and the host made a really good statement from life experience.

He mentioned how for years he could never make anything out of a career, and found himself doing things volunteer or for little compensation. He finally did find enough economic success to make a good living. His personal point of view went something like this; You have to demand what you think you are worth for your skills and ability. If you do something for free or less than you think you are worth then people will begin to see you as worth that, little or nothing. If you cannot negotiate what you believe you are worth than do no work at all.

[QSeptember5]

"You can only be as intelligent as you are interested."
-Me

"Insanity is trying the same thing over and over again, each time expecting different results."
-I don't know where it comes from and I'm unsure of the wording.

If it's advice you're looking for you should read "Desiderata" by Max Ehrmann(sp?). It's crammed with wisdom. http://hobbes.ncsa.uiuc.edu/desiderata.html

Or, if you're looking for words to try and live by, read "Invictus" by William Ernest Henley. That cripple was hardcore. http://www.bartleby.com/103/7.html

As always, "Don't forget your penis cream.".

[Katzenminze]

my mum always says:
Dont respect someone because of his age...
everyone grows old even the dumbest donkey...
respect him because he's alive"

[Vulgar`]

"It's not a fight to stay alive, it's a fight to get live."

[Mike Dutton]

Maybe not the best advice I've ever gotten, but they're the bits I remember best, which counts for something:

"Women'll make you to jump through hoops. You'll jump through the first one fine, then they'll light the second one on fire. "

"If it has tits or tires don't trust it. "

[chaosrocks]

heheh
I gotta add

" YOU CAN'T ALWAYS GET WHAT YOU WANT.... BUT IF YOU TRY REAL HARD... YOU'LL GET WHAT YOU NEED!!!!!"

HEHEEH
thanks mick

[Dirty C]

Fear is the mind killer.

[darkwolfb87]

Take advantage of all possible resources and opportunities, no matter how obscure or publicized they may seem, and spare nothing in getting the ones you really want. Kind of goes with the "live now" mentality.

[Carnifex]

"dude,if you can't get life drawing classes,just type ' xxl' or something into google and you're set" -coro
(not necessarily the best advice,but one of the funniest)

[Stark]

"Live without regret because someone will regret that you did"

"There's no I in team, but there is in opportunity"

"Live for the now, because the past has already happened, and the future is unknown"

"When reading this, draw you bum"

This is a short conversation that me and Texahol had in IRC:

" Man, (any fave artist) is awesome. How the hell did you do that?" - Me
"I think it's because he's not as lazy as you are" - Texahol
"Thanks, I feel much better, let me go draw more" - Me
"You're welcome" - Texahol
"I was being sarcastic, now I feel like not drawing" - Me
"I know, that's the sad part" - texahol

Needless to say, I went and drew some more that night...

[Mr Man]

This is a thing something Ive made that I am trying to do more.

"Dont ask questions you already know the answer to."

Heres an explanation if your not sure what im on about. Say when your drawing, sometimes you ask people questions thinking that they have the answer to everything but if you really think about the question hard enough you already know the answer.

E.g. How do I get better at drawing faces? Answer: you practice drawing faces from life drawing and reference.

Or say

How do I get better at understanding values? Answer: Practice values.

[Ostrander]

Opinions are just like assholes, everybody's got one -confucious maybe?:D he,he

“Don’t be a second rate Frazetta, be a first rate you.” -Frank Frazetta

"Never apologize for your work". -Bernie Wrightson

[Summer Pudding]

Fear is the mind killer.

Oooo, I like that, but I prefer Roosevelt's version, when he was trying to lift America's spirits at the height of the Great Depression.

"The only thing we have to fear, is fear itself." classy

Pete

[maxetormer]

Max didn't you clean that up a little?
or did Robert write several versions....

I seem to remember "A man should be able to...... and making love to a woman was in there somewere...

and I always objected to the lack of any kinda of art on there, or music... only art is , sonnet......funny thing him being a writer and all..:P

as a checklist for artists..... one could propose something similar and decry specialization

*another heinlein fan*
chaos

He, he yeah... making love its a BIG part of the Heinlen philosophy ain't?
I think its accurate... I checked on my copy of the book, then
again iv never read a copy on its original language, and the translator
might have screwed up on some stuff :P
Your right, but then again Robert its all for free thinking, so a person
should think up a list of his-her likening depending on their abilities
and passions, he, he. its nice to know another Heinlein fan, have you
read Steel Beach by John Varley? if not, go grab a copy,
if you like Heinlein, and your open to a reinterpretation of some
his ideas you might like it :confident

Oh and Melancholie, DAM man your post made my day!! :D

[Frostblade]

Stop being harsh and pessimistic!
(Can't be happy like that)

Learn to take criticize well and you will go far.
(This improved my listening and life skills...and of course drawing skills.)

Keep it balanced.
(This is good for most things I think)

Look after your health you only have 1 chance at life.
(Yeah don't want to go blind, that would be annoying)

Be happy and free your mind when you are making art!
(my results are less shocking when I'm happy)

[pencilkiller]

"Contrast is the meaning of life. Shadow is your friend. " The best motto/advice from my SJSU instructor John Clapp.

This advice really save my life for so many ways. No matter it's for storytelling, drawing or in life matter.:)

[El_Bert]

"Face your bad luck with a smile"

And a few wise words from the industrial designers here at the faculty:

"There are no stupid questions, only stupid answers"

"The only thing you can do wrong is doing nothing"

"There are no experts, only colleagues"

[poise]

"The pony-shod, low-pug and fast-eye-gouge all cause serious pain but few fight-moves generate surprise and excitement like the bitch-slap"
Life Advice For High-Plains Drifters by Michael James Rowland


"Apologise; It can change the dynamic of the situation"
Life Advice For High-Plains Drifters by Michael James Rowland

[s.ketch]

"The task ahead of you is never as great as the power within you"

[Steph Laberis]

"I've seen some pretty horrible things happen before my eyes... but a few of them actually happened."

My Dad, giving advice on the pointlessness of worrying and 'script writing' your life. He's now retired, has a convertible and plays a lot of Dragon's Lair. I'd say the advice worked out in the end for him :P

[poise]

BuckWeisel I like that quote. :)

"It's nice to be important, but it's more important to be nice."

[sve]

hehee, it is a fun thread. everyone chooses such a different attitudes.

"If you want something to be done right, do it yourself."
But it is not a very good advice in some situations. You need to be a good manager sometimes and it means you need to distribute chores between your team wisely.
In real life it works though very often.

"Do what you need to do and then let what has to happen happens".
French proverb, eheheh, translated in English from a Russian version of it by me, ahahahah. Broken telephone game, isn't it?

"Per aspera ad astra" Latin proverb. Through thorns to stars.

[0shade0]

got the Idea of Chaos's sketchbook.
it's not really advice, but it helps when you're whining that you aren't inspired atm.
by William blake:
To see a world in a grain of sand,
And a heaven in a wild flower,
Hold infinity in the palm of your hand,
And eternity in an hour.

[Stark]

"When you don't sketch, baby angels are being shot down by terrorists."

[Carnifex]

"don't think.feel."
(bruce lee?)

[Stark]

"It's not rape, it's surprised secks." - A friend

[ElvisMcVegas]

This one isnt really art related but my step-dad told it to me "Before speaking turn your tongue in your mouth 7 times and then say it" it basically means to think before you speak. Also when I was first learning to drive, in austin its kind of hard because the roads change names and it becomes confusing so he said "fallow the signs" and so ever since then I pay attention to the big green road signs and I never get lost. Im sure to most of you thats common sense but it really helped me.

[Blahm]

"there is no such thing as a backup plan"

[Sorknes]

"Don't live to work, work to live.. -... unless your work is your passion."

"Do your own mistakes, better to regret something you did than something you didn't."

"Don't try to learn that dog to sit still when dangling pieces of sausage in front him."

[nilaffle]

nobody cares how much you can think outside the box, if you can't fucking color inside the goddamned lines.
-Doug Hoche
Hah, it was YEARS before I learned how to color inside the lines. :p

An old favorite from Woody Allen:

"Seventy percent of success in life is showing up."

This always motivates me to put myself out there, and worry about whether I'll be good enough later. :)

And my old band instructor used to tell us that practice doesn't make perfect, but "PERFECT practice makes perfect." So like previous quotes have said, don't accept mistakes in your work early on.

[Mr Man]

"don't think.feel."
(bruce lee?)

Wasnt that off Dead or Alive?

[Carnifex]

i don't know...just read it in someone's signature here on the forums - more like "don't fink,feeeewl". :D

"you are all individuals!" - monty python's life of brian
(meaning for me[mostly]there'll always be someone who disagrees with you,but you shouldn't feel bad about it,and what you like is what you like.)

[wroblewski-art]

i find perfection to be a goal not worth chasing, so "good practice makes progress." dont think its word for word, but its a quote by my "adopted father." the dad of my good friend's. the wisest man i've ever met.

it seems like a "duh" kind of quote, but it resonated with me in the fact that I sometimes (in many facets of my life) try to strive for perfection in what I do, but I should only strive to get better. that yearning for perfection only leads to disappointment. always

[FootstepsBeckon]

Never Attempt the Possible;attempt the impossible and even if you fail,you'll fall among the stars.

[Flaskpost]

"Don´t be an idiot."
best advice ever :)

[tobbA]

Why do you say life is short? It's the longest thing you'll ever experience.

- unknown

[tehmeh]

"get out of the lounge and go draw!"

[Incinerated]

how about this one
"Not every pony grows up to be a pegasus"

[Venger]

'SAVE, save, save, save, save....'

'Did you make a backup?'

Not really advice but damn useful questions

'If you never step out of your comfort zone you'll never learn new things'

[Kamber Parrk]

Never spend more than $40, total, on a first date.

[Jacob Kobryn]

Never spend more than $40, total, on a first date.

For the other person or for everyone?

[Kamber Parrk]

For the other person or for everyone?

Everyone!

[The Shadowed Sin]

The more emphasis you place on finding work you love, the more unhappy you become when you don’t love every minute of the work you have.
This kinda opened my eyes today..

[Kfeeras]

if you fail, get excited, because you just found one more way how not to do it

flip your canvas often

squint your eyes

[TASmith]

1. Do unto others as you would have them do unto you.

2. Try not to get too bent out of shape when others fall short of this. It's all too easy to get offended, but where will it get you?

3. For every ten things you want to say, censor nine of them.

4. Excellence trumps all.

This is all great advice, but I've found it very hard to live by. It all requires a great deal of patience.

[JDSart]

-"Shut up and dont say anything, if you need to explain what you did then that`s the first sign you failed. Its called visual communication for a reason, the picture has to speak for itself"

-"Draw wathever the fuck you want however the fuck you want. The important thing is to keep doing it. There`s little to loose and much to gain."

- "Go from big to small, first is the whole then the detail, everything should be a part of a solid structure and follow a purpose as a whole, not just as a sum of individual parts."

- "Art includes a vast amount of things, and different fields , different mediums and different time periods tend to feed of each other, don`t disregard anything just because is out of your particular area of expertise, influence and inspiration may come and can be translated from absolutely anywhere. "

My sister has been insisting on me that i shouldn`t give away or trow my sketches, and that i shouldnt understimate the value of stuff i draw even when it doesn`t yet match the standard i set up for myself . I`ve been giving her credit lately,as time goes by i`m believing she does has a point.

[OmenSpirits]

I'm usually the one on the giving side than receiving so I can't really say the best.

[ArtZealot]

"No excuses!"

[stabby2486]

Character is who you are when no one is looking.

[Dave_]

'Question everything'

[Jason Ross]

"Don't be an asshole."

[DamnDirtyApe]

Buy Gold and Silver bullion.

( back in 2007)

[Sejael]

A quote by William Jennings Bryan that has stayed with me:
"Destiny is not a matter of chance; but a matter of choice. It is not a thing to be waited for, It is a thing to be acheived."

[BraneDead]

Art, or life in general. I left college with two decent pearls of wisdom.

1: there's nothing more daunting than a blank canvas. Fill it in quickly. Worry about the detail later.

2: expect the unexpected when analysing the colour of your subject.

They don't look like much on paper, but my art Ben Kenobi is always whispering these principles in my ear while I work.

what about youz lot?

Spuddles

Excellent advice!
I think it depends on whether you are asking about the best advice I ever got, or the best advice I ever got that I actually followed. :)

That said, I have to go with the Nike slogan... just do it.

I often spend way too much time thinking about a project instead of just getting started. However, in 2011 I'm going to change that and get more trade show booth (http://www.pinnacledisplays.com) design projects done and under my belt! At least I hope. :)

And I'm going to make sure I spend at least half an hour outside everyday!

[jouzinka]

An advice given to me by a friend: "It all starts right in your head. If you believe that you can't achieve it, then you most certainly never will."

One for life I guess, which is very common but some people need to hear this
"Be yourself."I know it as: "Be yourself. Everybody else is already taken." ;)

[Coldaire]

"Better to be thought a fool, than to open your mouth and remove all doubt." - Unknown.

Everything by Sun Tzu.

[Baron Impossible]

Never rub another man's rhubarb.

[pixel cheetah]

Look down the road!

[Elwell]

Never rub another man's rhubarb.

I'm so disappointed, when I saw that you had posted here I thought it was going to be that portfolio critique you just got!

[TASmith]

You think you're disappointed. I just clicked on this thinking I'd get to see the best advice Tristan Elwell ever received...

[Jazz]

"Eat snacks." Good advice! ...I'm hungry right now, I keep mentioning food in posts. -_-

[BlightedArt]

"Make friends [at freshman year of university], you'll enjoy it a lot more then."

Good for someone who just moved into the city. :P

[Twan]

I have no particular talent. I am merely inquisitive.
Albert Einstein quotes

and from me, don't retain what you like, retain what you don't understand and what you judge useless

[Deepinonespersona]

If you want to be perfect, you must work hard at it. Cut down on your tv, social life, and internet. Just work on your art; if you want to be the best. - My drawing teacher

ps: I didn't exactly said his quote word for word.

[MeZergy]

http://i.imgur.com/BUZ0Q.jpg

My current wallpaper.

[Wingal]

"Stop being such a bossy know-it-all" - my great grandmother
I was one of those kids who thought they knew everything and I would even make up stuff when other kids asked questions that i didnt really know the answer to XD. Im much better now if not the other extreme. (passive knowledge sponge?)

[Angel Intheuk]

The best advice my grandma ever gave me: Waste not, Want not

The best advice my mum ever gave me: A place for everything, and everything in it's place

The best advice my dad ever gave me: Don't listen to them two, just go to pub and ave a pint!

[Chariot]

It's not how far you go, but how go you far.

[Kamber Parrk]

It's better to have it and not need it than it is to need it and not have it.

[Jamie Romoser]

Quote from Into The Wild that I like.
I read somewhere how important it is in life not necessarily to be strong. But to feel strong. –Alexander Supertramp

[CRYPT]

become "the best YOU" that you can become.DORIAN ITEN

:ilaekae:shut up and draw:ilaekae: someone

[Goog]

-- Get Drunk!

Always be drunk.
That's it!
The great imperative!
In order not to feel
Time's horrid fardel
bruise your shoulders,
grinding you into the earth,
Get drunk and stay that way.
On what?
On wine, poetry, virtue, whatever.
But get drunk.
And if you sometimes happen to wake up
on the porches of a palace,
in the green grass of a ditch,
in the dismal loneliness of your own room,
your drunkenness gone or disappearing,
ask the wind,
the wave,
the star,
the bird,
the clock,
ask everything that flees,
everything that groans
or rolls
or sings,
everything that speaks,
ask what time it is;
and the wind,
the wave,
the star,
the bird,
the clock
will answer you:
"Time to get drunk!
Don't be martyred slaves of Time,
Get drunk!
Stay drunk!
On wine, virtue, poetry, whatever!"

- Charles Baudelaire

[Ryan_B]

"Don't plant the corn too early!"

[apology]

study smarter, not harder.