Pages

Saturday, September 12, 2009

Quotes



Creativity is allowing yourself to make mistakes. Art is knowing which ones to keep.”
Scott Adams



That particular quote is often mistakenly attributed to John Updike. None-the-less it is a quote I like a lot. I battle with this often, not only in my food presentations but in the other creative endeavors I partake in as well. It is not an easy task. I try and not take more than 20 pictures of a given dish simply because with too many choices it gets nearly impossible to decide, so usually its more than five and hovers around fifteen.

"Creativity is merely a plus name for regular activity. Any activity becomes creative when the doer cares about doing it right, or better."
John Updike




"Those who do not want to imitate anything, produce nothing."
Salvador Dali

Greek flavors were the idea behind this dish. Rice pilaf with grilled cubes of beef flavored with mint, garlic, salt, pepper and olive oil with a little watercress salad.




"Pleasure in the job puts perfection in the work"
Aristotle

While this is far from perfect my aim is still high and it is a new flavor pattern I am experimenting with.

"The discovery of a new dish does more for human happiness than the discovery of a new star."
Jean Anthelme Brillat-Savarin

Less is more

Meaning

The notion that simplicity and clarity lead to good design.

Origin

This is a 19th century proverbial phrase. It is first found in print in Andrea del Sarto, 1855, a poem by Robert Browning:

Who strive - you don't know how the others strive
To paint a little thing like that you smeared
Carelessly passing with your robes afloat,-
Yet do much less, so much less, Someone says,
(I know his name, no matter) - so much less!
Well, less is more, Lucrezia.

The phrase is often associated with the architect and furniture designer Ludwig Mies Van Der Rohe (1886-1969), one of the founders of modern architecture and a proponent of simplicity of style.

24 comments:

Melody said...

Love the quotes! My daughter just walked by and commented on how good that dish looks. Here's to those who are creative that I can imitate!

Unknown said...

why do I do this to myself...when I'm starving!

buffalodick said...

Philosopher, cook- you and I will always seek the same goal...perfection, or at the very least the best they have ever seen! Never stop, it's important..

Jenn said...

Great quotes. I can definitely relate to both aspects of food and art.

Marjie said...

I'm lucky if I take one picture. Thus, you are the artist, and I am not.

Christo Gonzales said...

melody: having your daughter comment means tons!

danielle: slow and steady torture is my motive

buffster: I hear you buddy!

jenn: I knew you would!

marjie: there are other quotes where in fact you are the artist too!

vanillasugarblog said...

"I limit myself to 5 or more photos..." yeah amen to that, me too! I hate people that have to take like 100. What's up with that? Get the lighting right and you should only need 10.
Don't you wish though, we could all have 'smell-o-vision' for food bloggers? Cool huh?

Teresa Cordero Cordell said...

And you try to come across as the macho man! Your soul comes through in our choice of quotes. Also in your dishes. Love the beef and rice.

Angel said...

i didn't even notice the quotes dog....there's MEAT on that plate! YUM!

Anonymous said...

I like the first quote a lot. I also like the idea of taking a bite of that beef!

Christo Gonzales said...

dawn: five is to few 20 is too many - somewhere in between I can make a decison...100 ---phew go do something else

TCC:is that how I seem...it must be my latin roots showing -

beth: that aint regular meat either - thats kicked up street meat - homestyle.

hummingbird: I like the one by picasso that I didnt use where he says that once you start copying yourself you go sterile...or something like that...

Sippity Sup said...

“Creativity is allowing yourself to make mistakes. Art is knowing which ones to keep.”

Throw Hollywood in the mix and then you have my life and then I don't know what to say. Which is a silly way of saying, "looks yummy". GREG

Diana H said...

I have trouble with pictures because someone's always waiting on the sidelines to eat. Half the pictures are blurry, some the light aren't good. I don't always have more than 7 though.

Jamie said...

Or as my son's architecture coach told me "A messy desk is the sign of a creative mind". I like that. Started to feel really proud to be the owner of a very messy desk. And I try and limit my photos too, though I am always worried that the one good shot is eluding me.

Great, thoughtful post and a delicious-looking dish.

nora@ffr said...

love all the quotes! :) soo creative!
cheers!!

Donna-FFW said...

Creativity is the sudden cessation of stupidity.

You need chaos in your soul to give birth to a dancing star.

Cucinista said...

A veritable Bartlett you are, and not the pear, of course. To butcher Shakespeare, if food be the music of love, play on.

Ken said...

I know what perfection "looks like" in my work, and I try till I know when it's time to give up.

Anonymous said...

Wow, what a great message you brought out with great food some more!
I'm one of those who is SO indecisive that I take too many pics. I'll have to learn and take only a few. Darn.

lisaiscooking said...

Great quotes. I especially like the first one!

Tanya Kristine said...

You know what i love about you DB? is that i'm insignificant in your blogging life but you ALWYS find time to comment. you're so awesome

CreativeMish said...

love your creativity quotes!

Tanya Kristine said...

pleasuer in the job....what the hell's THAT like?

Jill said...

I tend to go with "More is More".

Blog Widget by LinkWithin