12 Shaun Tan Quotes for You to Enjoy

Shaun Tan

Australian Artist

Born: 1974

Because Book Good Me Work You

Related authors: Andy Warhol Claude Monet Edvard Munch Leonardo da Vinci Michelangelo Pablo Picasso Salvador Dali Vincent Van Gogh

The more I draw and write, the more I realise that accidents are a necessary part of any creative act, much more so than logic or wisdom. Sometimes a mistake is the only way of arriving at an original concept, and the history of successful inventions is full of mishaps, serendipity and unintended results. Shaun Tan

Wisdom History Creative Mistake Sometimes Accidents Way Draw Logic More Only Inventions Results Write Part Concept Arriving Than Any The History Of Realise Much Successful Act Creative Act Full Unintended Serendipity Original Necessary

Sometimes I write captions on the in-flight magazines and then replace them in the seat pocket. Shaun Tan

Sometimes Magazines Pocket Write Replace Them Then Captions Seat

My friend Markus Zusak wrote a story from the point of view of death, 'The Book Thief.' I thought that's a great idea, where your omniscient narrator is death. I'm glad he had that idea because I wouldn't have been able to work so well with it. Shaun Tan

Work Death Great Book Thought Thief Omniscient Great Idea Able My Friend Point Point Of View Glad Had He Idea Wrote Well Because Narrator Been Friend Where Story View Your

The text illustrates the pictures - it provides a connective tissue for me. I usually refine the text last, partly because pictures are harder to do, so it's easier to edit words - I use text as grout in between the tiles of the pictures. Shaun Tan

Me Words Easier Between Pictures Partly Because Edit Provides Refine Text In-Between Tissue Use Harder Illustrate Last

The detail adds an element of unexpected something. All fiction is false; what makes it convincing is that it runs alongside the truth. The real world has lots of incidental details, so a painting also has to have that element of imperfection and irregularity, those incidental details. Shaun Tan

Truth World Painting Adds Those Detail Details Runs Something Imperfection Alongside Also Makes Real False Lots Unexpected Fiction The Real World Real World Convincing Incidental Element

By itself, just to draw crazy creatures has limited appeal - if I had to give up one thing, it would be the wild imagination. When the work becomes too detached from ordinary life, it starts to fall apart. Fantasy needs to have some connection with reality, or it becomes of its own interest only, insular. Shaun Tan

Life Work Needs Crazy Reality Fall Own Imagination Starts Too Wild Draw Detached Would One Thing Would-Be Some Give Only Had Insular Limited Becomes Up Itself Just Ordinary Interest Ordinary Life Apart Fantasy Appeal Connection Creatures Thing

It was better to be known as the kid who could draw than as the short kid. Shaun Tan

Better Draw Kid Could Known Than Short Who

I became more interested in the idea of being an immigrant and particularly of being in a country you're not familiar with. And so I began reading migrants' stories. The fact that my father is Chinese - he emigrated from Malaysia when he was about 20 - may have had some bearing on my attraction to the subject. Shaun Tan

You Father Country Reading Immigrant Some About More Bearing Fact Had He Idea Particularly Attraction Became Malaysia Subject Began Familiar May Being Stories Interested Chinese

Whenever I start a project, I have a broad range of possibilities. Shaun Tan

Broad Project Range Possibilities Whenever Start

Perhaps the writer I've read the most of is Haruki Murakami, the Japanese writer, but I wouldn't necessarily say he's a favourite. I read him because I find his work so intriguing, but I don't necessarily feel I would follow this writer to the ends of the earth. Shaun Tan

Shaun Tan Quotes

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