“I get on pretty well with my own company,” O’Keeffe said, describing the quiet, reclusive life she preferred as an introvert.
If you’ve seen any significant collection of modern art in a museum, you’ve probably seen paintings by Georgia O’Keeffe. She is widely known for her colorful paintings of flowers and skulls.
There’s still a lot we don’t know about her life and art, though, partly because she was a private introvert. Still, interviews and biographical articles reveal that we “quiet ones” — who tend to be introspective, relish our alone time, and think before speaking — can learn a lot from O’Keeffe. In essence, she’ll make you proud to be an introvert.
So, what’s her story?
She was a trailblazer both as a woman and an abstract artist. Born in Wisconsin, she studied art in college. In the 1910s, her abstract drawings caught the attention of curator and photographer Alfred Stieglitz, who gave her an exhibition and a start in New York. By the 1920s, she had become famous for her paintings of New York skyscrapers and had married Stieglitz.
Beginning in 1929, she took up part-time residence in New Mexico, which is said to have greatly inspired her. O’Keeffe drew from her inner ideas and observations, enriched by the landscape and culture of her New Mexico surroundings.
In a New Yorker interview, she shared that she enjoyed the solitude, as Stieglitz always had a circle of creative friends around him. This group, the “who’s who of American modernism,” were also her friends, but we introverts do not necessarily enjoy big groups of people.
Not only was O’Keeffe a pillar of American art, but she was also an example of how introverts can thrive.
3 Lessons Introverts Can Learn From Georgia O’Keeffe
1. Limit access to yourself by creating healthy boundaries.
One of the smartest things O’Keeffe did was set boundaries. For introverts, who often value routines and need alone time to recharge, boundary-setting is essential.
By the time O’Keeffe was in her 60s, she had painted prolifically and regained fame, though she wasn’t always well understood. Part of this was because she chose to live in a remote area of New Mexico, but it was also because she intentionally limited access to herself.
In a 1982 interview with Andy Warhol, she remarked, “I get on pretty well with my own company.”
If you search for interviews with O’Keeffe, you’ll find only a few. There are also stories of people who tried to meet or interview her and managed only a brief encounter — if they succeeded at all. She was selective, limiting interviews and confidently saying no to public demands on her time and attention.
This wasn’t because O’Keeffe didn’t care about others or her husband, Alfred Stieglitz. In fact, letters show that she missed Stieglitz when they lived apart, but she believed the arrangement was good for both of them.
Living apart from a partner for part of the year might seem unusual to some, but many introverts find that this kind of space strengthens their relationships. O’Keeffe was one such introvert.
O’Keeffe’s story shows that she cared about others, too, as she had several good friends over the years and gave generously through projects to benefit the children of the local village in New Mexico.
Still, O’Keeffe clearly understood the importance of giving herself the space and time she needed to focus on her life’s purpose: her art. She made deliberate choices to create the quiet physical and mental environment that introverts need to thrive.
Not everyone understood this. She was called a “hermit” and “reclusive,” despite participating in numerous photo opportunities.
Yet, looking back on her life and work, it’s clear her boundaries paid off. By the time she passed away at 98, O’Keeffe had completed some 2,000 paintings, even as her eyesight deteriorated in her later years.
For introverts like O’Keeffe, me, and perhaps you, boundaries can be as simple as saying yes and no to what we need to do in order to draw inspiration, complete our tasks, recharge, or simply be happy. Maybe boundaries can even lead us introverts to our own version of great achievements like O’Keeffe’s.
2. Be true to yourself and the way you see the world.
Along with creating healthy boundaries, interviews suggest that O’Keeffe deeply valued staying true to herself and her vision.
In the New Yorker piece cited earlier, she said, “In my case, I never cared anything at all what other people thought.” This mindset likely allowed her to break new ground with abstract art. People may have expected paintings of flowers from a female artist, but probably not animal skulls.
O’Keeffe seemed to draw inspiration from her physical surroundings, observing details others might overlook. Like many introverts, she noticed the subtle and the overlooked and interpreted them in her own unique way.
I recently participated in a workshop where we did free writing from prompts based on viewing a painting. One takeaway from the workshop was how personal meaning often emerges when we view art — shaped by who we are and where we are in our lives at that moment.
In interviews, O’Keeffe shared that people often attached symbolism to her works, though that wasn’t her intent. She disliked the idea of others assigning meaning to her flowers, skulls, and color choices.
Reflecting on her teacher, Alon Bement, O’Keeffe said, “But if I’d really done in painting what he wanted me to do, nobody would ever have thought anything about me.”
Instead, she followed her introvert nudge — her internal compass — and stayed true to herself and her art. It’s a practice we can all aspire to: honoring our unique perspective and trusting our vision.
Want to feel more at ease in social situations?
Discover the secrets to enjoying fun, meaningful conversations. Know exactly what to say, even if you’re introverted, shy, or anxious. Feel less drained and have more energy while socializing. Click here to secure your spot in Jenn Granneman’s upcoming course, Easy Conversation.
3. Create the circumstances you need to thrive, but stay humble.
As a creative introvert, I often find myself searching for balance between independence and collaboration, between self-doubt and needing to realize that I can benefit from bringing in eyes and voices other than my own.
From what I’ve learned about O’Keeffe, she seemed to balance self-awareness and boundary-setting by remaining humble by remaining humble — and that the combination of the three enhanced her natural creativity as an introvert.
While she wasn’t afraid to be herself and made it a point to create the circumstances she needed to be the best artist she could be, she also didn’t take outsized credit for her success.
In the New Yorker interview, she described herself as “very lucky.” She acknowledged that Alfred Stieglitz gave her the first real break, and his support provided valuable connections.
O’Keeffe also shared that her way of seeing and painting aligned with the right moments in American history. Her work first gained popularity in the 1920s and saw a resurgence in the 1970s when the Whitney Museum of American Art presented a retrospective of her art.
As she grew older, her long-time assistant and companion, Juan Hamilton, remarked, “She was very much aware of her work’s quality. She graded her own paintings, and she could be very hard on herself.”
What stands out to me about O’Keeffe is that despite having a strong sense of who she was and what she wanted, she wasn’t arrogant about her talent. She stayed humble, and fame didn’t go to her head. This humility reflects the way many introverts are, preferring to stay under the radar.
While we may not all have legacies like O’Keeffe’s, we introverts can still learn from her approach to life.
The more I’ve come to know her through interviews and her work, the more I admire her courage. If we create healthy boundaries, stay true to ourselves, and remain humble, who knows what we might achieve? 
