Twyla Tharp - Creativity Quotes

11 Sourced Quotes

View all Twyla Tharp Quotes
There's a paradox in the notion that creativity should be a habit. We think of creativity as a way of keeping everything fresh and new, while habit implies routine and repetition. That paradox intrigues me because it occupies the place where creativity and skill rub up against each other.

Twyla Tharp
Everything that happens in my day is a transaction between the external world and my internal world. Everything is raw material. Everything is relevant. Everything is usable. Everything feeds into my creativity. But without proper preparation, I cannot see it, retain it, and use it. Without the time and effort invested in getting ready to create, you can be hit by a thunderbolt and it'll just leave you stunned.

Twyla Tharp
Creativity is an act of defiance. You're challenging the status quo. You're questioning accepted truths and principles. You're asking three universal questions that mock conventional wisdom: Why do I have to obey the rules? Why can't I be different? Why can't I do it my way?

Twyla Tharp
Creativity is a habit, and the best creativity is a result of good work habits.

Twyla Tharp
Everything is raw material. Everything is relevant. Everything is usable. Everything feeds into my creativity. But without proper preparation, I cannot see it, retain it, and use it.

Twyla Tharp
Reading, conversation, environment, culture, heroes, mentors, nature — all are lottery tickets for creativity. Scratch away at them and you'll find out how big a prize you've won.

Twyla Tharp
Obligation is a flimsy base for creativity, way down the list behind passion, courage, instinct, and the desire to do something great.

Twyla Tharp
Creativity is more about taking the facts, fictions, and feelings we store away and finding new ways to connect them. What we're talking about here is metaphor. Metaphor is the lifeblood of all art, if it is not art itself. Metaphor is our vocabulary for connecting what we are experiencing now with what we have experienced before. It's not only how we express what we remember, it's how we interpret it - for ourselves and others.

Twyla Tharp
Solitude is an unavoidable part of creativity. Self-reliance is a happy by-product.

Twyla Tharp
You're only kidding yourself if you put creativity before craft.

Twyla Tharp
Once you accept the power of spine in the creative act, you will become much more efficient in your creativity. You will still get lost on occasion, but having a spine will anchor you.

Twyla Tharp