--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: To me, it's our job as artists. You must…" description: "\"To me, it's our job as artists. You must bring joy.\" — Bobby McFerrin" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/274/bobby-mcferrin-12039_art_to-me-it-s-our-job-as-artists-you-must-b_2372358.png" --- # To me, it's our job as artists. You must bring joy. ![“To me, it's our job as artists. You must bring joy.” quote by Bobby McFerrin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/274/bobby-mcferrin-12039_art_to-me-it-s-our-job-as-artists-you-must-b_2372358.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/274/bobby-mcferrin-12039_art_to-me-it-s-our-job-as-artists-you-must-b_2372358.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/274/bobby-mcferrin-12039_art_to-me-it-s-our-job-as-artists-you-must-b_2372358.png) > “To me, it's our job as artists. You must bring joy.” [Bobby McFerrin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bobby-mcferrin/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Artists have a responsibility to generate happiness and uplift audiences through their work. **In simple terms:** Artists should bring joy. Key Takeaway Create uplifting experiences. Themes art joy purpose responsibility emotion Mood optimistic inspirational Type philosophical motivational When to use this quote - music performance - visual arts - theatre - community events Key Concepts aesthetic theory social impact emotional intelligence Questions to Reflect On - How can artists sustain joy in challenging times? - What responsibilities do creators have to diverse audiences? A Different Perspective Joy can be fleeting; not all audiences respond equally. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Art](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/art/) [Artist](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/artist/) [Artists](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/artists/) [Inspirational](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/inspirational/) [Jobs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/jobs/) [Joy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/joy/) ## Related quotes > [I think all artists are looking for a subject or are sometimes unsure of their subject, but immigrant artists bring another culture to that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edwidge-danticat/i-think-all-artists-are-looking-for-a-subject-or-are-sometimes-unsure/) [Edwidge Danticat](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edwidge-danticat/) > [“The crucial job of artists is to find a way to release materials into the animated middle ground between subjects, and so to initiate…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ann-lauterbach/the-crucial-job-of-artists-is-to-find-a-way-to-release-materials-into/) Ann Lauterbach > [Our job as artists, we believe, is not to make changes in society. We don't have the ability to do that. We reflect life.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-kani/our-job-as-artists-we-believe-is-not-to-make-changes-in-society-we/) [John Kani](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-kani/) > [If I can bring joy into the world, then I'll be successful.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bobby-mcferrin/if-i-can-bring-joy-into-the-world-then-i-ll-be-successful/) [Bobby McFerrin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bobby-mcferrin/) > [If I can bring joy into the world, if I can get people to stop thinking about their pain for a moment, or the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bobby-mcferrin/if-i-can-bring-joy-into-the-world-if-i-can-get-people-to-stop/) [Bobby McFerrin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bobby-mcferrin/) > [It is the job of artists to open doors and invite in prophesies, the unknown, the unfamiliar; it’s where their work comes from, although…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rebecca-solnit/it-is-the-job-of-artists-to-open-doors-and-invite-in-prophesies-the/) [Rebecca Solnit](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rebecca-solnit/) > [“Our first job as artists, then, is to venture out, away from what we think we know in search of the new and unexplored.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeff-goins/our-first-job-as-artists-then-is-to-venture-out-away-from-what-we/) [Jeff Goins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeff-goins/) > [So-called leaders aren't doing anything, so it's become the job of artists like me. We have to get on the front lines and fight…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fantastic-negrito/so-called-leaders-aren-t-doing-anything-so-it-s-become-the-job-of/) [Fantastic Negrito](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fantastic-negrito/) > [I believe that every artist has his or her own vision of the world; our job as artists is to find and express that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carole-katchen/i-believe-that-every-artist-has-his-or-her-own-vision-of-the-world/) [Carole Katchen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carole-katchen/) > [I think artists are going to express things from an emotional point of view, that's their job, to suggest and interpret, and report what…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maynard-james-keenan/i-think-artists-are-going-to-express-things-from-an-emotional-point/) [Maynard James Keenan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maynard-james-keenan/) > [There are a lot of other things in this world that can and will bring me joy. Acting is one of them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/victoria-pratt/there-are-a-lot-of-other-things-in-this-world-that-can-and-will-bring/) [Victoria Pratt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/victoria-pratt/) > [That's our job as artists is to be honest about what we're feeling. And what we're feeling is not always going to be perfect.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pharrell-williams/that-s-our-job-as-artists-is-to-be-honest-about-what-we-re-feeling/) [Pharrell Williams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pharrell-williams/) > [I saw 'Sleeping Beauty' when I was, like, 6 years old at the Mercury Theatre. Then, when I came to Disney, I was in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-musker/i-saw-sleeping-beauty-when-i-was-like-6-years-old-at-the-mercury/) [John Musker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-musker/) > [Never waste a breath on anything that does not bring you joy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/never-waste-a-breath-on-anything-that-does-not-bring-you-joy/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“Small things bring joy, somedays.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/warren-ellis/small-things-bring-joy-somedays/) [Warren Ellis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/warren-ellis/) ## More by Bobby McFerrin > [The true musician is to bring light into people's hearts.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bobby-mcferrin/the-true-musician-is-to-bring-light-into-people-s-hearts/) [Bobby McFerrin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bobby-mcferrin/) > [Well, I started conducting kind of by accident. I wanted to give myself a special birthday present for my fortieth birthday, and I was…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bobby-mcferrin/well-i-started-conducting-kind-of-by-accident-i-wanted-to-give-myself/) [Bobby McFerrin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bobby-mcferrin/) > [The voice gets to the soul of a person more than any other instrument. Because it's the voice. It sings talks, it cries, it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bobby-mcferrin/the-voice-gets-to-the-soul-of-a-person-more-than-any-other-instrument/) [Bobby McFerrin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bobby-mcferrin/) > [Then I left that school and I went to Cerritos College, which was in southern California; they had one of the best big band…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bobby-mcferrin/then-i-left-that-school-and-i-went-to-cerritos-college-which-was-in/) [Bobby McFerrin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bobby-mcferrin/) > [I have a lot of albums yet to do.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bobby-mcferrin/i-have-a-lot-of-albums-yet-to-do/) [Bobby McFerrin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bobby-mcferrin/) > [The audience is like my instrument. It's not just me up there, it's collaborative.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bobby-mcferrin/the-audience-is-like-my-instrument-it-s-not-just-me-up-there-it-s/) [Bobby McFerrin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bobby-mcferrin/) > [Here's a little song I wrote. You might want to sing it note for note. Don't worry, be happy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bobby-mcferrin/here-s-a-little-song-i-wrote-you-might-want-to-sing-it-note-for-note/) [Bobby McFerrin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bobby-mcferrin/) > [When we listen to improvisational jazz, or solo classical violinists, the way they phrase and inflect melodies feels vocal, like they’re talking to us.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bobby-mcferrin/when-we-listen-to-improvisational-jazz-or-solo-classical-violinists/) [Bobby McFerrin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bobby-mcferrin/) > [I do a lot of performing, but don't get a chance to go to the studio and write good music.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bobby-mcferrin/i-do-a-lot-of-performing-but-don-t-get-a-chance-to-go-to-the-studio/) [Bobby McFerrin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bobby-mcferrin/) > [I use the audience as my color palette, my instrument.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bobby-mcferrin/i-use-the-audience-as-my-color-palette-my-instrument/) [Bobby McFerrin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bobby-mcferrin/) > [I prepared five songs, I sang them, and he hired me. I started working about a month later at the piano bar.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bobby-mcferrin/i-prepared-five-songs-i-sang-them-and-he-hired-me-i-started-working/) [Bobby McFerrin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bobby-mcferrin/) > [It's not that I don't love the song. My songs are like my children: some you want around and some you want to send…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bobby-mcferrin/it-s-not-that-i-don-t-love-the-song-my-songs-are-like-my-children/) [Bobby McFerrin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bobby-mcferrin/) > [My biggest musical influences are probably my parents.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bobby-mcferrin/my-biggest-musical-influences-are-probably-my-parents/) [Bobby McFerrin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bobby-mcferrin/) > [I’m not a scholar or a psychologist, so I don’t really think about why. But I do think about what it means to sing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bobby-mcferrin/i-m-not-a-scholar-or-a-psychologist-so-i-don-t-really-think-about-why/) [Bobby McFerrin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bobby-mcferrin/) > [Remembering that life can be full of surprises is useful in any part of your life. You can try a new way of singing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bobby-mcferrin/remembering-that-life-can-be-full-of-surprises-is-useful-in-any-part/) [Bobby McFerrin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bobby-mcferrin/) [Explore all 56 Bobby McFerrin quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bobby-mcferrin/) ## More Art quotes > [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/) > [Before Noah, men having only water to drink, could not find the truth. Accordingly...they became abominably wicked, and they were justly exterminated by the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/benjamin-franklin/before-noah-men-having-only-water-to-drink-could-not-find-the-truth/) [Benjamin Franklin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/benjamin-franklin/) > [“Hear the sum of the whole matter in the compass of one brief word — every art possessed by man comes from Prometheus.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aeschylus/hear-the-sum-of-the-whole-matter-in-the-compass-of-one-brief-word/) [Aeschylus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aeschylus/) > [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/) > [The capacity to be puzzled is the premise of all creation, be it in art or in science.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/erich-fromm/the-capacity-to-be-puzzled-is-the-premise-of-all-creation-be-it-in/) [Erich Fromm](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/erich-fromm/) > [That's the great secret of creativity. You treat ideas like cats: you make them follow you.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ray-bradbury/that-s-the-great-secret-of-creativity-you-treat-ideas-like-cats-you/) [Ray Bradbury](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ray-bradbury/) > [“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 > [The house has to serve comfort. The work of art is revolutionary; the house is conservative.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adolf-loos/the-house-has-to-serve-comfort-the-work-of-art-is-revolutionary-the/) [Adolf Loos](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adolf-loos/) > [During human progress, every science is evolved out of its corresponding art.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/herbert-spencer/during-human-progress-every-science-is-evolved-out-of-its/) [Herbert Spencer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/herbert-spencer/) > [In literature and art memory is a synonym for invention. It is the life-blood of imagination, which faints and dies when the veins are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-aris-willmott/in-literature-and-art-memory-is-a-synonym-for-invention-it-is-the/) [Robert Aris Willmott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-aris-willmott/) > [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 only thing--I tell you this straight from the heart--that disgusts me in Salzburg is that one can't have any proper social intercourse with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wolfgang-amadeus-mozart/the-only-thing-i-tell-you-this-straight-from-the-heart-that-disgusts/) [Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wolfgang-amadeus-mozart/) > [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/) [Browse all 48,643 Art quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/art/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "To me, it's our job as artists. 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