---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Maybe I could have been good as a drawer…"
description: "\"Maybe I could have been good as a drawer if I had done it as much as I did writing, but it's more scary to draw. It's more revealing. You can't disguis..."
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0e9/anne-carson-1985_artist_maybe-i-could-have-been-good-as-a-drawer_2234069.png"
---

#  Maybe I could have been good as a drawer if I had done it…

![“Maybe I could have been good as a drawer if I had done it as much as I did writing, but it's more scary to draw. It's more revealing. You can't disguise yourself in drawing.” quote by Anne Carson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0e9/anne-carson-1985_artist_maybe-i-could-have-been-good-as-a-drawer_2234069.png)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0e9/anne-carson-1985_artist_maybe-i-could-have-been-good-as-a-drawer_2234069.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0e9/anne-carson-1985_artist_maybe-i-could-have-been-good-as-a-drawer_2234069.png)

> “Maybe I could have been good as a drawer if I had done it as much as I did writing, but it's more scary to draw. It's more revealing. You can't disguise yourself in drawing.”

[Anne Carson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-carson/)

## About This Quote

This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation.

Drawing forces the artist to confront their true self, exposing vulnerabilities that writing can conceal, making the act both terrifying and revealing.

**In simple terms:** Drawing shows who you really are, more than writing.

Key Takeaway

Embrace drawing as a tool for honest self‑examination.

Themes

creativity self‑discovery vulnerability artistic fear expression

Mood

reflective courageous

Type

creative psychological

When to use this quote

- art therapy
- educational workshops
- personal journaling

Key Concepts

psychological exposure visual storytelling identity exploration

Questions to Reflect On

- What aspects of yourself do you hide in writing but reveal in drawing?
- How can confronting these vulnerabilities enhance personal growth?

A Different Perspective

Drawing can be intimidating and may expose insecurities.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Artist](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/artist/) [Disguise](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/disguise/) [Disguise Drawing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/disguise-drawing-5036266/) [Done](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/done/) [Draw Revealing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/draw-revealing-5036265/) [Drawers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/drawers/) [Drawing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/drawing/) [Draws](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/draws/) [Good](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/good/) [More](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/more/) [Revealing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/revealing/) [Scary](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/scary/) [Scary Draw](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/scary-draw-5036264/) [Writing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writing/) [Writing Scary](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writing-scary-1223539/) [Yourself](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/yourself/)

## Related quotes

> [We were 15 minutes into it and nothing was happening; I thought, well, that's not going to work. Then all of a sudden everything…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kate-dicamillo/we-were-15-minutes-into-it-and-nothing-was-happening-i-thought-well/)

[Kate DiCamillo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kate-dicamillo/)

> [I'm afraid that the act of writing is so scary and anxiety-filled that I never laugh at all. In fact, when people tell me…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cynthia-ozick/i-m-afraid-that-the-act-of-writing-is-so-scary-and-anxiety-filled/)

[Cynthia Ozick](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cynthia-ozick/)

> [Movies are collective, cooperative endeavours, which I like a lot. But writing is all up to you, it's what's so scary; it's just you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jane-fonda/movies-are-collective-cooperative-endeavours-which-i-like-a-lot-but/)

[Jane Fonda](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jane-fonda/)

> [To make a movie about someone who is thinking and writing is scary. There's no big love story, no action, no drama. It's not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barbara-sukowa/to-make-a-movie-about-someone-who-is-thinking-and-writing-is-scary/)

[Barbara Sukowa](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barbara-sukowa/)

> [“The thing is, Sara, writing's scary. You have to be prepared to go deep…And when your brain's shouting, 'No, no, no, I'm not going…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/felicity-everett/the-thing-is-sara-writing-s-scary-you-have-to-be-prepared-to-go-deep/)

[Felicity Everett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/felicity-everett/)

> [I always wanted a father. Any kind. A strict one, a funny one, one who bought me pink dresses, one who wished I was…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/judy-blundell/i-always-wanted-a-father-any-kind-a-strict-one-a-funny-one-one-who/)

[Judy Blundell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/judy-blundell/)

> [“The hearts of women are like those little pieces of furniture with secret hiding - places, full of drawers fitted into each other; you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gustave-flaubert/the-hearts-of-women-are-like-those-little-pieces-of-furniture-with/)

[Gustave Flaubert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gustave-flaubert/)

> [I found something" Simon said as he walked in. He whipped out an old-fashioned key from his pocket and grinned at me. "It was…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kelley-armstrong/i-found-something-simon-said-as-he-walked-in-he-whipped-out-an-old/)

[Kelley Armstrong](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kelley-armstrong/)

> [Gary Burnetts office is shelved with theological books, guitars fill the floor, and the drawers are crammed with CDs. In The Gospel According to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steve-stockman/gary-burnetts-office-is-shelved-with-theological-books-guitars-fill/)

[Steve Stockman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steve-stockman/)

> [I do triage on everything that comes through the door, and if it's not something we need (now, for real-not maybe someday) or something…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michelle-herman/i-do-triage-on-everything-that-comes-through-the-door-and-if-it-s-not/)

[Michelle Herman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michelle-herman/)

> [You must keep sending work out; you must never let a manuscript do nothing but eat its head off in a drawer. You send…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/isaac-asimov/you-must-keep-sending-work-out-you-must-never-let-a-manuscript-do/)

[Isaac Asimov](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/isaac-asimov/)

> [ I sometimes try a variance of the drawer trick - \[I write it\] and then come back to it and see if it blows. ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/travis-morrison/i-sometimes-try-a-variance-of-the-drawer-trick-i-write-it-and-then/)

[Travis Morrison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/travis-morrison/)

> [Uh... ," Ivy stammered, and I glanced up to see her eyes wide in consideration. "I'm kidding," I said. "It passed the lethal-amulet test,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kim-harrison/uh-ivy-stammered-and-i-glanced-up-to-see-her-eyes-wide-in/)

[Kim Harrison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kim-harrison/)

> [Compliments of congratulation are always kindly taken, and cost nothing but pen, ink and paper. I consider them as draughts upon good breeding, where…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lord-chesterfield/compliments-of-congratulation-are-always-kindly-taken-and-cost/)

[Lord Chesterfield](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lord-chesterfield/)

> [Wow," Liv said, when I dropped the mallet back into the drawer. "That looked like fun. I call dibs on the next over-the-top destruction…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rachel-vincent/wow-liv-said-when-i-dropped-the-mallet-back-into-the-drawer-that/)

[Rachel Vincent](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rachel-vincent/)

## More by Anne Carson

> [Those nights lying alone are not discontinuous with this cold hectic dawn. It is who I am.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-carson/those-nights-lying-alone-are-not-discontinuous-with-this-cold-hectic/)

[Anne Carson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-carson/)

> [“Town of the Dragon Vein If you wake up too early listen for it. A sort of inverted whistling the sound of sound. Being…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-carson/town-of-the-dragon-vein-if-you-wake-up-too-early-listen-for-it-a-sort/)

[Anne Carson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-carson/)

> [“You could take the entirety of the common sense of humans and put it in the palm of your hand and still have room…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-carson/you-could-take-the-entirety-of-the-common-sense-of-humans-and-put-it/)

[Anne Carson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-carson/)

> [Could you visit me in dreams? That would cheer me. Sweet to see friends in the night, however short the time.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-carson/could-you-visit-me-in-dreams-that-would-cheer-me-sweet-to-see-friends/)

[Anne Carson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-carson/)

> [“He had a respect for facts maybe this was one.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-carson/he-had-a-respect-for-facts-maybe-this-was-one/)

[Anne Carson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-carson/)

> [“She stumbled then and Geryon caught her other arm, it was like a handful of autumn. He felt huge and wrong. When is it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-carson/she-stumbled-then-and-geryon-caught-her-other-arm-it-was-like-a/)

[Anne Carson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-carson/)

> [“M: ... but everytime I start in everytime I everytime you see I would have to tell the whole story all over again or…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-carson/m-but-everytime-i-start-in-everytime-i-everytime-you-see-i-would-have/)

[Anne Carson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-carson/)

> [“On the Rules of Perspective A bad trick. Mistake. Dishonesty. These are the views of Braque. Why? Braque rejected perspective. Why? Someone who spends…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-carson/on-the-rules-of-perspective-a-bad-trick-mistake-dishonesty-these-are/)

[Anne Carson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-carson/)

> [We participate in the creation of the world by decreating ourselves.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-carson/we-participate-in-the-creation-of-the-world-by-decreating-ourselves/)

[Anne Carson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-carson/)

> [“Look at me. This is nobility in a man: to bear what falls from the gods and not say No.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-carson/look-at-me-this-is-nobility-in-a-man-to-bear-what-falls-from-the-gods/)

[Anne Carson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-carson/)

> [“Well, they said, these are the pies we have . It was a proverb.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-carson/well-they-said-these-are-the-pies-we-have-it-was-a-proverb/)

[Anne Carson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-carson/)

> [What is a quote? A quote (cognate with quota) is a cut, a section, a slice of someone's orange. You suck the slice, toss…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-carson/what-is-a-quote-a-quote-cognate-with-quota-is-a-cut-a-section-a-slice/)

[Anne Carson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-carson/)

> [Up against another human being one's own procedures take on definition](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-carson/up-against-another-human-being-one-s-own-procedures-take-on-definition/)

[Anne Carson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-carson/)

> [Philosophy - hopeless. Yet it gives me hope.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-carson/philosophy-hopeless-yet-it-gives-me-hope/)

[Anne Carson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-carson/)

> [“Grief and rage--you need to contain that, to put a frame around it, where it can play itself out without you or your kin…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-carson/grief-and-rage-you-need-to-contain-that-to-put-a-frame-around-it/)

[Anne Carson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-carson/)

[Explore all 193 Anne Carson quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-carson/)

## More Artist quotes

> [One is a painter because one wants so-called freedom; one doesn't want to go to the office every morning.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marcel-duchamp/one-is-a-painter-because-one-wants-so-called-freedom-one-doesn-t-want/)

[Marcel Duchamp](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marcel-duchamp/)

> [True works of art contain their own theory and give us the measurement according to which we should judge them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/johann-wolfgang-von-goethe/true-works-of-art-contain-their-own-theory-and-give-us-the/)

[Johann Wolfgang von Goethe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/johann-wolfgang-von-goethe/)

> [I think most artists feel like they're outside society - no matter how many accolades they receive, or how much money is in your…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aaron-rose/i-think-most-artists-feel-like-they-re-outside-society-no-matter-how/)

[Aaron Rose](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aaron-rose/)

> [“People in coats and ties were milling around the Talley gallery, and on the wall were the minimally rendered still lifes by Giorgio Morandi,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steve-martin/people-in-coats-and-ties-were-milling-around-the-talley-gallery-and/)

[Steve Martin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steve-martin/)

> [The prophet who fails to present a bearable alternative and yet preaches doom is part of the trap that he postulates. Not only does…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-mead/the-prophet-who-fails-to-present-a-bearable-alternative-and-yet/)

[Margaret Mead](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-mead/)

> [“So, really," continued Jacob as if this were perfectly normal to expound on art in these circumstances, "when you think about it, the artists…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/justina-chen-headley/so-really-continued-jacob-as-if-this-were-perfectly-normal-to-expound/)

[Justina Chen Headley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/justina-chen-headley/)

> [“There are two options in art; either to adopt philosophical life by dissecting art, or to write your own philosophical life and claim it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/taf-teh/there-are-two-options-in-art-either-to-adopt-philosophical-life-by/)

[Taf Teh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/taf-teh/)

> [From as long as I can remember, I was always fond of drawing.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/st-lucia/from-as-long-as-i-can-remember-i-was-always-fond-of-drawing/)

[St. Lucia](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/st-lucia/)

> [I think a business guy is different from an artist. They walk different paths. Artists create the best outputs when they're having fun. And…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/g-dragon/i-think-a-business-guy-is-different-from-an-artist-they-walk/)

[G-Dragon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/g-dragon/)

> [The sublime in art is the attempt to express the infinite without finding in the realm of phenomena any object which proves itself fitting…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/georg-wilhelm-friedrich-hegel/the-sublime-in-art-is-the-attempt-to-express-the-infinite-without/)

[Georg Wilhelm Friedrich Hegel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/georg-wilhelm-friedrich-hegel/)

> [Art isn't done to decorate apartments, but to wage war against the enemy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pablo-picasso/art-isn-t-done-to-decorate-apartments-but-to-wage-war-against-the/)

[Pablo Picasso](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pablo-picasso/)

> [Designers shouldn’t design for museums any more than mummies should die for them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ralph-caplan/designers-shouldn-t-design-for-museums-any-more-than-mummies-should/)

[Ralph Caplan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ralph-caplan/)

> [I don't believe in competitions between artists. This is insane. Who has the authority to say someone is better?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-arkin/i-don-t-believe-in-competitions-between-artists-this-is-insane-who/)

[Alan Arkin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-arkin/)

> [I am not the avant-garde. I am the artist who comes after the advancing guard. I am more concerned with continuity of ideas and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nathan-oliveira/i-am-not-the-avant-garde-i-am-the-artist-who-comes-after-the/)

[Nathan Oliveira](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nathan-oliveira/)

> [I am a horrible visual artist. I can't fix a car, sew, knit, cook, etc. Statistically, there is more I don't do than do.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carrie-brownstein/i-am-a-horrible-visual-artist-i-can-t-fix-a-car-sew-knit-cook-etc/)

[Carrie Brownstein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carrie-brownstein/)

[Browse all 32,600 Artist quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/artist/)

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "Maybe I could have been good as a drawer if I had done it as much as I did writing, but it's more scary to draw. It's more revealing. You can't disguise yourself in drawing.",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Anne Carson"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-carson/maybe-i-could-have-been-good-as-a-drawer-if-i-had-done-it-as-much-as/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Artist"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-carson/maybe-i-could-have-been-good-as-a-drawer-if-i-had-done-it-as-much-as/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0e9/anne-carson-1985_artist_maybe-i-could-have-been-good-as-a-drawer_2234069.png",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0e9/anne-carson-1985_artist_maybe-i-could-have-been-good-as-a-drawer_2234069.png",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0e9/anne-carson-1985_artist_maybe-i-could-have-been-good-as-a-drawer_2234069.png",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“Maybe I could have been good as a drawer if I had done it as much as I did writing, but it's more scary to…” — Anne Carson",
                "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": "Anne Carson",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-carson/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "Maybe I could have been good...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-carson/maybe-i-could-have-been-good-as-a-drawer-if-i-had-done-it-as-much-as/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-carson/maybe-i-could-have-been-good-as-a-drawer-if-i-had-done-it-as-much-as/#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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
