--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: For a stretch of time, I got really…" description: "\"For a stretch of time, I got really caught up in the idea that what people liked about my work was that I was a young guy who was trying to be cool by ..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/766/adrian-tomine-11778_bay-area_for-a-stretch-of-time-i-got-really-caugh_528891.jpg" --- # For a stretch of time, I got really caught up in the idea… ![“For a stretch of time, I got really caught up in the idea that what people liked about my work was that I was a young guy who was trying to be cool by writing about young people and a certain kind of Bay Area culture that I was tangentially a part of.” quote by Adrian Tomine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/766/adrian-tomine-11778_bay-area_for-a-stretch-of-time-i-got-really-caugh_528891.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/766/adrian-tomine-11778_bay-area_for-a-stretch-of-time-i-got-really-caugh_528891.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/766/adrian-tomine-11778_bay-area_for-a-stretch-of-time-i-got-really-caugh_528891.jpg) > “For a stretch of time, I got really caught up in the idea that what people liked about my work was that I was a young guy who was trying to be cool by writing about young people and a certain kind of Bay Area culture that I was tangentially a part of.” [Adrian Tomine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adrian-tomine/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The author wrestles with being typecast as a youthful voice tied to a specific culture, questioning authenticity. **In simple terms:** He feels trapped by expectations of being a cool, young writer about Bay Area culture. Key Takeaway Seek authentic voice beyond stereotypes. Themes identity authenticity culture artistic pressure Mood introspective critical Type philosophical inspirational When to use this quote - writing career - publishing - social media presence - cultural representation Key Concepts self‑reflection creative integrity Questions to Reflect On - Are you creating for yourself or for an audience? - How can you break free from imposed identities? A Different Perspective Audience expectations can limit artistic growth. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Bay area](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/bay-area/) [Culture](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/culture/) [People](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/people/) [Time](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/time/) [Writing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writing/) [Young people](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/young-people/) ## Related quotes > [“There is something very cool about writing your worst memories through someone else's eyes. You start to see what happened to you... almost as…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carol-plum-ucci/there-is-something-very-cool-about-writing-your-worst-memories/) [Carol Plum-Ucci](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carol-plum-ucci/) > [Too many people get caught up in the idea that they are experts in their field and forget to keep growing and learning.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kit-williamson/too-many-people-get-caught-up-in-the-idea-that-they-are-experts-in/) [Kit Williamson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kit-williamson/) > [The problem with people these days is that they are so caught up in the idea of things that they end up taking what…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/the-problem-with-people-these-days-is-that-they-are-so-caught-up-in/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [I never considered interior design as a career option. I had designed a couple of our homes, and people liked my work. Friends came…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gauri-khan/i-never-considered-interior-design-as-a-career-option-i-had-designed/) [Gauri Khan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gauri-khan/) > [I liked that the work itself was something other than simply what you saw It meant you could have an art work which was…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-kosuth/i-liked-that-the-work-itself-was-something-other-than-simply-what-you/) [Joseph Kosuth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-kosuth/) > [I met the Coens here a few years ago and they said they liked my work.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-thewlis/i-met-the-coens-here-a-few-years-ago-and-they-said-they-liked-my-work/) [David Thewlis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-thewlis/) > [If the work is pure then you have to think it could be understood. If it is not understood it doesn't mean that your…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ian-hamilton-finlay/if-the-work-is-pure-then-you-have-to-think-it-could-be-understood-if/) [Ian Hamilton Finlay](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ian-hamilton-finlay/) > [I am glad that critics and filmmakers liked my work, and I have been warmly welcomed in Bollywood.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vikrant-massey/i-am-glad-that-critics-and-filmmakers-liked-my-work-and-i-have-been/) [Vikrant Massey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vikrant-massey/) > [As for the job of prime minister, I like it, yes. But no more than I've liked other work that I've done as an…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/indira-gandhi/as-for-the-job-of-prime-minister-i-like-it-yes-but-no-more-than-i-ve/) [Indira Gandhi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/indira-gandhi/) > [When I found music I thought, that's what I want to do, but the idea of it being a job never crossed my mind.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/caleb-followill/when-i-found-music-i-thought-that-s-what-i-want-to-do-but-the-idea-of/) [Caleb Followill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/caleb-followill/) > [Charles Saatchi has never liked my work at all.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-michel-basquiat/charles-saatchi-has-never-liked-my-work-at-all/) [Jean-Michel Basquiat](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-michel-basquiat/) > [I don't get tired of hearing that somebody liked my work.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mary-louise-parker/i-don-t-get-tired-of-hearing-that-somebody-liked-my-work/) [Mary-Louise Parker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mary-louise-parker/) > [I never liked to work, I mean manual work.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/p-t-barnum/i-never-liked-to-work-i-mean-manual-work/) [P. T. Barnum](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/p-t-barnum/) > [I was very insecure at the beginning of my career. I didn't value my talent. I would have probably skipped signing up for movies…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kangna-ranaut/i-was-very-insecure-at-the-beginning-of-my-career-i-didn-t-value-my/) [Kangna Ranaut](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kangna-ranaut/) > [To be quite honest, I've been very blessed when I've worked with Hollywood. The studios that have purchased my work to be adapted to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nicholas-sparks/to-be-quite-honest-i-ve-been-very-blessed-when-i-ve-worked-with/) [Nicholas Sparks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nicholas-sparks/) ## More by Adrian Tomine > [I started publishing my comic while I was still living with my parents.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adrian-tomine/i-started-publishing-my-comic-while-i-was-still-living-with-my-parents/) [Adrian Tomine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adrian-tomine/) > [The experience of reading a comic should not be the time it takes to turn each page.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adrian-tomine/the-experience-of-reading-a-comic-should-not-be-the-time-it-takes-to/) [Adrian Tomine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adrian-tomine/) > [Especially for people of our generation, who really celebrated certain attitudes - the outsider, the loner - it can have a real impact on…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adrian-tomine/especially-for-people-of-our-generation-who-really-celebrated-certain/) [Adrian Tomine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adrian-tomine/) > [I think in terms of getting new artists who are not in that sort of stereotypical teenage boy demographic; there's been a lot of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adrian-tomine/i-think-in-terms-of-getting-new-artists-who-are-not-in-that-sort-of/) [Adrian Tomine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adrian-tomine/) > [I feel like if people are going to go to the effort to get a stamp and, you know, put it on an envelope…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adrian-tomine/i-feel-like-if-people-are-going-to-go-to-the-effort-to-get-a-stamp/) [Adrian Tomine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adrian-tomine/) > [The first time I did a reading/signing thing at Cody's, the woman who did the introduction said something like that, and I wasn't the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adrian-tomine/the-first-time-i-did-a-reading-signing-thing-at-cody-s-the-woman-who/) [Adrian Tomine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adrian-tomine/) > [Basically, I know there's no turning back the clock, and it's sort of pointless to mourn what has passed, but I don't know if…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adrian-tomine/basically-i-know-there-s-no-turning-back-the-clock-and-it-s-sort-of/) [Adrian Tomine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adrian-tomine/) > [I wanted all the responsibility to rest on the content of the story. I tried to make the visual style almost invisible.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adrian-tomine/i-wanted-all-the-responsibility-to-rest-on-the-content-of-the-story-i/) [Adrian Tomine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adrian-tomine/) > [I was just a guy who did adult or alternative comic books. And then suddenly to be, like, a New Yorker cover artist was…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adrian-tomine/i-was-just-a-guy-who-did-adult-or-alternative-comic-books-and-then/) [Adrian Tomine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adrian-tomine/) > [I've always been really impressed with some of the longer graphic novels and thought it would be really amazing if one day I could…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adrian-tomine/i-ve-always-been-really-impressed-with-some-of-the-longer-graphic/) [Adrian Tomine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adrian-tomine/) > [There were certainly some people who wanted me to do a feel-good story that affirmed a lot of very commonly held beliefs.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adrian-tomine/there-were-certainly-some-people-who-wanted-me-to-do-a-feel-good/) [Adrian Tomine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adrian-tomine/) > [Without fail, every cartoonist that I asked advice from bent over backward to be helpful and encouraging. It took many forms: some of it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adrian-tomine/without-fail-every-cartoonist-that-i-asked-advice-from-bent-over/) [Adrian Tomine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adrian-tomine/) > [I'm always pointing things out to native New Yorkers that I think are weird about this place and their culture and all that. But…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adrian-tomine/i-m-always-pointing-things-out-to-native-new-yorkers-that-i-think-are/) [Adrian Tomine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adrian-tomine/) > [For me, as much about being a parent as it is about being a child.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adrian-tomine/for-me-as-much-about-being-a-parent-as-it-is-about-being-a-child/) [Adrian Tomine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adrian-tomine/) > [I think when I finally got it in my head that I was going to do the story, I wanted to avoid doing what…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adrian-tomine/i-think-when-i-finally-got-it-in-my-head-that-i-was-going-to-do-the/) [Adrian Tomine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adrian-tomine/) [Explore all 58 Adrian Tomine quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adrian-tomine/) ## More Bay area quotes > [Most of the time, I get around perfectly well on my bike and public transportation, even in spite of the Bay Area's almost comically…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steve-hilton/most-of-the-time-i-get-around-perfectly-well-on-my-bike-and-public/) [Steve Hilton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steve-hilton/) > [“For several months they'd been drifting toward political involvement, but the picture was hazy and one of the most confusing elements was their geographical…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hunter-s-thompson/for-several-months-they-d-been-drifting-toward-political-involvement/) [Hunter S. Thompson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hunter-s-thompson/) > [I like beating the Bay Area traffic by getting into the office early, plus I get at least an hour most mornings to work…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/baiju-bhatt/i-like-beating-the-bay-area-traffic-by-getting-into-the-office-early/) [Baiju Bhatt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/baiju-bhatt/) > [The Bay Area is so beautiful, I hesitate to preach about heaven while I'm here.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/billy-graham/the-bay-area-is-so-beautiful-i-hesitate-to-preach-about-heaven-while/) [Billy Graham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/billy-graham/) > [The teams in the Bay Area have created a culture of winning, but the Cubs and Metsneed to learn how to win.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eric-byrnes/the-teams-in-the-bay-area-have-created-a-culture-of-winning-but-the/) Eric Byrnes > [I have been interested in the dialogue of abstraction and modernist painting - and the rich history of the grid. I also think I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-beal/i-have-been-interested-in-the-dialogue-of-abstraction-and-modernist/) [Stephen Beal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-beal/) > [I'm going to go back to the Bay Area, this is my thing, and I'm just going to open my own school of baseball.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barry-bonds/i-m-going-to-go-back-to-the-bay-area-this-is-my-thing-and-i-m-just/) [Barry Bonds](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barry-bonds/) > [I love the Bay Area and I'm excited to play there.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nick-bosa/i-love-the-bay-area-and-i-m-excited-to-play-there/) [Nick Bosa](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nick-bosa/) > [From the small town in Iowa where I grew up, to Chapel Hill where I went to college, to the Bay Area and now…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harrison-barnes/from-the-small-town-in-iowa-where-i-grew-up-to-chapel-hill-where-i/) [Harrison Barnes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/harrison-barnes/) > [Caen's San Francisco may not be the city we remember, but it is the city we want to remember.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/willie-brown/caen-s-san-francisco-may-not-be-the-city-we-remember-but-it-is-the/) [Willie Brown](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/willie-brown/) > [I was at Stanford University up in the West Coast Bay Area, so the biggest song of my freshman year was 'I Got 5…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sterling-k-brown/i-was-at-stanford-university-up-in-the-west-coast-bay-area-so-the/) [Sterling K. Brown](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sterling-k-brown/) > [“McDonald's, meanwhile, continues busily to harass small shopkeepers and restaurateurs of Scottish descent for that nationality's uncompetitive predisposition toward the Mc prefix on its…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/naomi-klein/mcdonald-s-meanwhile-continues-busily-to-harass-small-shopkeepers-and/) [Naomi Klein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/naomi-klein/) > [San Francisco has only one drawback—‘tis hard to leave.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rudyard-kipling/san-francisco-has-only-one-drawback-tis-hard-to-leave/) [Rudyard Kipling](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rudyard-kipling/) > [Sometimes you hear about people who can't wait to leave their hometown. I did not have that feeling at all. I love San Jose,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anjelah-johnson/sometimes-you-hear-about-people-who-can-t-wait-to-leave-their/) [Anjelah Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anjelah-johnson/) > [For 30 years I wrote for newspapers and magazines, wrote books on the Dallas Cowboys' dynasties of the '70s and '90s, wrote about Michael…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/skip-bayless/for-30-years-i-wrote-for-newspapers-and-magazines-wrote-books-on-the/) [Skip Bayless](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/skip-bayless/) [Browse all 167 Bay area quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/bay-area/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "For a stretch of time, I got really caught up in the idea that what people liked about my work was that I was a young guy who was trying to be cool by writing about young people and a certain kind of Bay Area culture that I was tangentially a part of.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Adrian Tomine" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adrian-tomine/for-a-stretch-of-time-i-got-really-caught-up-in-the-idea-that-what/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Bay area" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adrian-tomine/for-a-stretch-of-time-i-got-really-caught-up-in-the-idea-that-what/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/766/adrian-tomine-11778_bay-area_for-a-stretch-of-time-i-got-really-caugh_528891.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/766/adrian-tomine-11778_bay-area_for-a-stretch-of-time-i-got-really-caugh_528891.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/766/adrian-tomine-11778_bay-area_for-a-stretch-of-time-i-got-really-caugh_528891.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“For a stretch of time, I got really caught up in the idea that what people liked about my work was that I…” — Adrian Tomine", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } }, { "@type": "BreadcrumbList", "itemListElement": [ { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 1, "name": "Home", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 2, "name": "Quotes", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 3, "name": "Adrian Tomine", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adrian-tomine/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "For a stretch of time, I...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adrian-tomine/for-a-stretch-of-time-i-got-really-caught-up-in-the-idea-that-what/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adrian-tomine/for-a-stretch-of-time-i-got-really-caught-up-in-the-idea-that-what/#breadcrumb" }, { "@type": "WebSite", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "publisher": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } }, { "@type": "Organization", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "logo": { "@type": "ImageObject", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png", "width": 512, "height": 512 } } ] } ```