Quote of the Day: Bridget Riley on Creativity

We often believe painting is just a quaint hobby, something the camera, the screen, or the algorithm has already surpassed. But Bridget Riley insists that its “oldness” is exactly its power: “Painting is, I think, inevitably an archaic activity and one that depends on spiritual values.”

“Archaic” doesn’t mean irrelevant. It means rooted. Painting reaches back to the first human impulse to leave a mark, to translate fear, hope, memory, and meaning into something visible. When you pick up any craft that has survived centuries, you’re not merely making an object; you’re joining a lineage. That perspective can change how you approach your work: less like a performance for approval, more like a practice for depth.

Riley’s second phrase is the harder, more useful one: “spiritual values.” Not doctrine, direction. The inner commitment to honesty, attention, and reverence for what can’t be fully explained. In a world optimized for speed, painting becomes a form of mindfulness: you notice, you slow down, you respond rather than react. In a culture obsessed with measurable outcomes, it’s also a training ground for creativity: you explore without guarantees, and you learn to trust your perception.

Bridget Riley earned her authority the hard way, through decades of rigorous experimentation that helped define Op Art, creating works that don’t just depict seeing but actively transform how we see.

Today, give yourself ten uninterrupted minutes with something “archaic”: a pen, a brush, a notebook. Make one small mark each minute, no fixing, no posting, no judgment, only attention and intention. May you leave the day more grounded than you began it.