Unwavering desire to do a job well, believed M. C. Escher, matters more than having the talent to do it well:
God, I wish I could learn to draw a bit better! It takes so much effort and perseverance to do it well. Sometimes I am quite close to delirium with pure nerves. It is really only a question of battling on relentlessly with constant and, if possible, merciless self-criticism. I think that making prints the way I do it is almost only a matter of very much wanting to do it well. For the most part, things like talent are mere poppycock. Any schoolboy with a bit of aptitude might draw better than I; but what is usually lacking is the unwavering desire for expression, obstinacy gnashing its teeth and saying, “Even though I know I cannot do it, I still want to do it.” (Quoted from The Life of the Creative Spirit, p. 258.)
For a brief biography of M. C. Escher, click here. For images of M. C. Escher’s art, click here.
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