--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Sometimes when people look at the work…" description: "\"Sometimes when people look at the work I've done with my family, they think it's autobiographical. But it really isn't. It's more about the idea of fam..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/fe9/ari-marcopoulos-28910_done_sometimes-when-people-look-at-the-work-i_1096010.jpg" --- # Sometimes when people look at the work I've done with my… ![“Sometimes when people look at the work I've done with my family, they think it's autobiographical. But it really isn't. It's more about the idea of family.” quote by Ari Marcopoulos](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/fe9/ari-marcopoulos-28910_done_sometimes-when-people-look-at-the-work-i_1096010.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/fe9/ari-marcopoulos-28910_done_sometimes-when-people-look-at-the-work-i_1096010.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/fe9/ari-marcopoulos-28910_done_sometimes-when-people-look-at-the-work-i_1096010.jpg) > “Sometimes when people look at the work I've done with my family, they think it's autobiographical. But it really isn't. It's more about the idea of family.” [Ari Marcopoulos](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ari-marcopoulos/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The work is not about personal biography but explores the broader concept and meaning of family. **In simple terms:** Work explores family idea, not autobiography. Key Takeaway Focus on universal family dynamics. Themes art family identity Mood thoughtful introspective Type artistic conceptual When to use this quote - gallery exhibitions - family therapy workshops - community art projects - educational curricula Key Concepts sociology psychology visual storytelling Questions to Reflect On - How does art shape our view of family? - What defines family beyond blood ties? A Different Perspective Interpretations may vary, risking misreading personal intent. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Autobiographical](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/autobiographical/) [Family](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/family/) [Ideas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ideas/) [People](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/people/) [Thinking](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/thinking/) ## Related quotes > [I've been writing all these books that have been largely autobiographical and yet, really, they don't tell you anything about me. I just use…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-bryson/i-ve-been-writing-all-these-books-that-have-been-largely/) [Bill Bryson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-bryson/) > [People ask, 'Are your things autobiographical?,' and I think, no, they're not autobiographical directly, but of course my life has informed my work.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrea-arnold/people-ask-are-your-things-autobiographical-and-i-think-no-they-re/) [Andrea Arnold](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrea-arnold/) > ['Hedwig' isn't particularly based on me, but I think that it is autobiographical in terms of emotion.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-cameron-mitchell/hedwig-isn-t-particularly-based-on-me-but-i-think-that-it-is/) [John Cameron Mitchell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-cameron-mitchell/) > [It always seems to people that I'm avoiding saying, 'It's autobiographical,' but I really do believe that human beings make stories and they make…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/phoebe-gloeckner/it-always-seems-to-people-that-i-m-avoiding-saying-it-s/) [Phoebe Gloeckner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/phoebe-gloeckner/) > [As I look back now on my coaching career, I think of my family, I think of the days that we spent together. I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-madden/as-i-look-back-now-on-my-coaching-career-i-think-of-my-family-i-think/) [John Madden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-madden/) > [I quite like the idea of family. That's probably the greatest achievement in the world. I've got a lot to achieve workwise - I'd…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matt-smith/i-quite-like-the-idea-of-family-that-s-probably-the-greatest/) [Matt Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matt-smith/) > [The idea of family is really one of the only things we can all say we have and we can't run away from. Whether…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-krasinski/the-idea-of-family-is-really-one-of-the-only-things-we-can-all-say-we/) [John Krasinski](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-krasinski/) > [Even though I don't have any kids of my own, I love this idea of family and taking care of things.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wayne-coyne/even-though-i-don-t-have-any-kids-of-my-own-i-love-this-idea-of/) [Wayne Coyne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wayne-coyne/) > [We are on the verge of losing the traditional idea of the family, especially in Japan, where the declining birth rate shows no signs…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mamoru-hosoda/we-are-on-the-verge-of-losing-the-traditional-idea-of-the-family/) [Mamoru Hosoda](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mamoru-hosoda/) > [I had no idea that that was around in the family anywhere. Maybe it never was. But - so they broke the way for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maggie-smith/i-had-no-idea-that-that-was-around-in-the-family-anywhere-maybe-it/) [Maggie Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maggie-smith/) > [The idea of a family sitting round the kitchen table and carefully planning their future family size based on the certainty of years to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-lammy/the-idea-of-a-family-sitting-round-the-kitchen-table-and-carefully/) [David Lammy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-lammy/) > [The very idea of family is something I hold so close to my heart.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kaitlyn-bristowe/the-very-idea-of-family-is-something-i-hold-so-close-to-my-heart/) [Kaitlyn Bristowe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kaitlyn-bristowe/) > [What a crazy idea to put me on a family show!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/howard-stern/what-a-crazy-idea-to-put-me-on-a-family-show/) [Howard Stern](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/howard-stern/) > [We believed in our idea - a family park where parents and children could have fun- together.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/walt-disney/we-believed-in-our-idea-a-family-park-where-parents-and-children/) [Walt Disney](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/walt-disney/) > [I love the whole idea of family and what gets left behind when you are gone. I'm very proud of my children; I was…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dick-strawbridge/i-love-the-whole-idea-of-family-and-what-gets-left-behind-when-you/) [Dick Strawbridge](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dick-strawbridge/) ## More by Ari Marcopoulos > [My photography has really always been about what I feel I'm getting out of it. What people on the outside get doesn't concern me.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ari-marcopoulos/my-photography-has-really-always-been-about-what-i-feel-i-m-getting/) [Ari Marcopoulos](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ari-marcopoulos/) > [I'm pretty solitary when I take pictures. Even when I take pictures of people, I just go about my own way of doing it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ari-marcopoulos/i-m-pretty-solitary-when-i-take-pictures-even-when-i-take-pictures-of/) [Ari Marcopoulos](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ari-marcopoulos/) > [I had visited New York at age 12, and I loved the big buildings and the swarms of people. At 23, I decided to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ari-marcopoulos/i-had-visited-new-york-at-age-12-and-i-loved-the-big-buildings-and/) [Ari Marcopoulos](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ari-marcopoulos/) > [I have always made films simultaneously, so they go hand in hand. I think that my books are like films.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ari-marcopoulos/i-have-always-made-films-simultaneously-so-they-go-hand-in-hand-i/) [Ari Marcopoulos](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ari-marcopoulos/) > [I am excited about more than just youth culture, and youth is also stretching a bit longer now. But I have to say resistance…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ari-marcopoulos/i-am-excited-about-more-than-just-youth-culture-and-youth-is-also/) [Ari Marcopoulos](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ari-marcopoulos/) > [In New York, unlike Holland, there are newspaper stands on every corner. That was a big headline all over the city.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ari-marcopoulos/in-new-york-unlike-holland-there-are-newspaper-stands-on-every-corner/) [Ari Marcopoulos](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ari-marcopoulos/) > [Holland is a fairly small country, and in a weird way, somewhat conservative. That might surprise people because it is a very tolerant place,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ari-marcopoulos/holland-is-a-fairly-small-country-and-in-a-weird-way-somewhat/) [Ari Marcopoulos](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ari-marcopoulos/) > [Dates can be important. It's a nice way to remember when I took the photo without having to rack my brain or look in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ari-marcopoulos/dates-can-be-important-it-s-a-nice-way-to-remember-when-i-took-the/) [Ari Marcopoulos](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ari-marcopoulos/) > [I always thought that I was lazy because I could never tell if I was working or not. I was making things, which doesn't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ari-marcopoulos/i-always-thought-that-i-was-lazy-because-i-could-never-tell-if-i-was/) [Ari Marcopoulos](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ari-marcopoulos/) > [When you're with people that are aware of the fact that you're a photographer, they'll say, "Oh, look at that! That's something to take…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ari-marcopoulos/when-you-re-with-people-that-are-aware-of-the-fact-that-you-re-a/) [Ari Marcopoulos](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ari-marcopoulos/) > [Holland is a fairly small country, and in a weird way, somewhat conservative. That might surprise people because it is a very tolerant place,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ari-marcopoulos/holland-is-a-fairly-small-country-and-in-a-weird-way-somewhat-2/) [Ari Marcopoulos](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ari-marcopoulos/) > [I do feel a kinship with anthropology or ethnography, although when you hear those terms you think of something exotic. Generally, photographic anthropology has…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ari-marcopoulos/i-do-feel-a-kinship-with-anthropology-or-ethnography-although-when/) [Ari Marcopoulos](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ari-marcopoulos/) > [The place where I am is always my favorite place.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ari-marcopoulos/the-place-where-i-am-is-always-my-favorite-place/) [Ari Marcopoulos](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ari-marcopoulos/) > [A lot of my work comes through accidents or circumstances that just happen to present themselves. I have to realize that something is presenting…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ari-marcopoulos/a-lot-of-my-work-comes-through-accidents-or-circumstances-that-just/) [Ari Marcopoulos](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ari-marcopoulos/) > [In Holland, things were pretty stale for me. Even though there were a lot of good influences and a certain openness to music and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ari-marcopoulos/in-holland-things-were-pretty-stale-for-me-even-though-there-were-a/) [Ari Marcopoulos](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ari-marcopoulos/) [Explore all 19 Ari Marcopoulos quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ari-marcopoulos/) ## More Autobiographical quotes > [“I am not and autobiographical writer--one can't be without a solid and explicable self--and read all autobiographical writers with the same curiosity. What kind…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yiyun-li/i-am-not-and-autobiographical-writer-one-can-t-be-without-a-solid-and/) [Yiyun Li](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yiyun-li/) > [I'm always saying that my books are not autobiographical because they're not. I can't choose any one scene and say, 'Oh, this is exactly…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cecily-von-ziegesar/i-m-always-saying-that-my-books-are-not-autobiographical-because-they/) [Cecily von Ziegesar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cecily-von-ziegesar/) > [Race as a subject only comes about because of what I look like. If I say something truthfully, people say "Oh, she's so angry."…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jamaica-kincaid/race-as-a-subject-only-comes-about-because-of-what-i-look-like-if-i/) [Jamaica Kincaid](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jamaica-kincaid/) > [Of necessity, the autobiographical self is not just about one individual but about all the others that an individual interacts with. Of necessity, it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/antonio-damasio/of-necessity-the-autobiographical-self-is-not-just-about-one/) [Antonio Damasio](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/antonio-damasio/) > [Because of the wonderfully positive response to 'Life's That Way,' I am considering writing some more autobiographical stuff - maybe another book. I don't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jim-beaver/because-of-the-wonderfully-positive-response-to-life-s-that-way-i-am/) [Jim Beaver](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jim-beaver/) > [I occasionally experience the discomfort of people assuming my work is autobiographical.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonathan-tropper/i-occasionally-experience-the-discomfort-of-people-assuming-my-work/) [Jonathan Tropper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonathan-tropper/) > [Autobiographical comics, I love them. I love them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alison-bechdel/autobiographical-comics-i-love-them-i-love-them/) [Alison Bechdel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alison-bechdel/) > [It's actually easier to do autobiographical stories. The story is already there. It's a matter of carving away what doesn't fit rather than building…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/craig-thompson/it-s-actually-easier-to-do-autobiographical-stories-the-story-is/) [Craig Thompson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/craig-thompson/) > [My books aren't autobiographical.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emily-giffin/my-books-aren-t-autobiographical/) [Emily Giffin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emily-giffin/) > [“Attempting to express a person’s objective reality and subjective state of mind with the written word is an endless task because writing alters our…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kilroy-j-oldster/attempting-to-express-a-person-s-objective-reality-and-subjective/) [Kilroy J. Oldster](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kilroy-j-oldster/) > [Memoir is actually the most egoless genre, even though it might seem ostensibly so much ego-driven. In order for it to succeed, you have…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nick-flynn/memoir-is-actually-the-most-egoless-genre-even-though-it-might-seem/) [Nick Flynn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nick-flynn/) > [I'm not an autobiographical writer, but I am a writer who deals with human emotion on all levels.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/i-m-not-an-autobiographical-writer-but-i-am-a-writer-who-deals-with/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“is a little remarkable, that—though disinclined to talk overmuch of myself and my affairs at the fireside, and to my personal friends—an autobiographical impulse…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nathaniel-hawthorne/is-a-little-remarkable-that-though-disinclined-to-talk-overmuch-of/) [Nathaniel Hawthorne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nathaniel-hawthorne/) > [There certainly is no secret in that there are plenty of people who don't like plenty of my movies. Each one of my films…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jason-reitman/there-certainly-is-no-secret-in-that-there-are-plenty-of-people-who/) [Jason Reitman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jason-reitman/) > ['Normal' is not clinical, it's not autobiographical, and I don't claim to be objective. It's strictly my perceptions and thoughts about the people that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amy-bloom/normal-is-not-clinical-it-s-not-autobiographical-and-i-don-t-claim-to/) [Amy Bloom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amy-bloom/) [Browse all 202 Autobiographical quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/autobiographical/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "Sometimes when people look at the work I've done with my family, they think it's autobiographical. But it really isn't. It's more about the idea of family.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Ari Marcopoulos" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ari-marcopoulos/sometimes-when-people-look-at-the-work-i-ve-done-with-my-family-they/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Autobiographical" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ari-marcopoulos/sometimes-when-people-look-at-the-work-i-ve-done-with-my-family-they/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/fe9/ari-marcopoulos-28910_done_sometimes-when-people-look-at-the-work-i_1096010.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/fe9/ari-marcopoulos-28910_done_sometimes-when-people-look-at-the-work-i_1096010.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/fe9/ari-marcopoulos-28910_done_sometimes-when-people-look-at-the-work-i_1096010.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“Sometimes when people look at the work I've done with my family, they think it's autobiographical. But it…” — Ari Marcopoulos", "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": "Ari Marcopoulos", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ari-marcopoulos/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "Sometimes when people look at the...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ari-marcopoulos/sometimes-when-people-look-at-the-work-i-ve-done-with-my-family-they/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ari-marcopoulos/sometimes-when-people-look-at-the-work-i-ve-done-with-my-family-they/#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 } } ] } ```