--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I'm not working on anything. I was trying…" description: "\"I'm not working on anything. I was trying to write something new . . . I guess the goal for me now, at least at this point, is to try to direct again.\"..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/89f/charlie-kaufman-2409_direct_i-m-not-working-on-anything-i-was-trying_2965017.jpg" --- # I'm not working on anything. I was trying to write… ![“I'm not working on anything. I was trying to write something new . . . I guess the goal for me now, at least at this point, is to try to direct again.” quote by Charlie Kaufman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/89f/charlie-kaufman-2409_direct_i-m-not-working-on-anything-i-was-trying_2965017.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/89f/charlie-kaufman-2409_direct_i-m-not-working-on-anything-i-was-trying_2965017.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/89f/charlie-kaufman-2409_direct_i-m-not-working-on-anything-i-was-trying_2965017.jpg) > “I'm not working on anything. I was trying to write something new . . . I guess the goal for me now, at least at this point, is to try to direct again.” [Charlie Kaufman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charlie-kaufman/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Creative blocks can be overcome by returning to directing and leadership roles. **In simple terms:** Directing can revive creativity. Key Takeaway Try leading a project again. Themes creativity direction career change Mood hopeful determined Type career motivational When to use this quote - film directing - team leadership - personal projects Key Concepts leadership artistic renewal self‑discovery Questions to Reflect On - What new direction can you take? - How does leadership reshape your art? A Different Perspective Returning to old roles may stifle new ideas. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Goal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/goal/) [Goals](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/goals/) [Writing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writing/) ## Related quotes > [Trying to write new music is definitely daunting, but I try not to overthink it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonas-blue/trying-to-write-new-music-is-definitely-daunting-but-i-try-not-to/) [Jonas Blue](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonas-blue/) > [The most exciting thing I aspire to do is to write something new that I know is going to work, or perform something that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/b-j-novak-2/the-most-exciting-thing-i-aspire-to-do-is-to-write-something-new-that/) [B. J. Novak](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/b-j-novak-2/) > [When you write something new about science, other scientists may not like it but they pay attention because it is subject to proof. When…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/walter-darby-bannard/when-you-write-something-new-about-science-other-scientists-may-not/) [Walter Darby Bannard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/walter-darby-bannard/) > [If you don't have a dream as an artist, you shouldn't be an artist, because you should be working towards something and trying to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/megan-griffiths/if-you-don-t-have-a-dream-as-an-artist-you-shouldn-t-be-an-artist/) [Megan Griffiths](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/megan-griffiths/) > [I'm just lucky to be working; I'm not trying to leave a legacy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shaun-evans/i-m-just-lucky-to-be-working-i-m-not-trying-to-leave-a-legacy/) [Shaun Evans](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shaun-evans/) > [My house was a revolving door. You walk in, you walk out, you get whatever you can eat, you leave, you go hang out…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brian-ortega/my-house-was-a-revolving-door-you-walk-in-you-walk-out-you-get/) [Brian Ortega](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brian-ortega/) > [It is obvious that star kids will get a preference, but because of that people can't stop working or trying their luck.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rimi-sen/it-is-obvious-that-star-kids-will-get-a-preference-but-because-of/) [Rimi Sen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rimi-sen/) > [Being great involves luck, and unique circumstances, and a lot of other forces beyond your control. You can’t just make it happen by working…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-wheelan/being-great-involves-luck-and-unique-circumstances-and-a-lot-of-other/) [Charles Wheelan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-wheelan/) > [That's what I'm really working on: trying to communicate with guys.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jordan-clarkson/that-s-what-i-m-really-working-on-trying-to-communicate-with-guys/) [Jordan Clarkson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jordan-clarkson/) > [I'm looking, often, towards younger people, listening to how they're working, at least they're trying, and some of the old greats, too. Just to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-hedges/i-m-looking-often-towards-younger-people-listening-to-how-they-re/) [Peter Hedges](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-hedges/) > [Keep working. Keep trying. Keep believing. You still might not make it, but at least you gave it your best shot. If you don’t…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-eddings/keep-working-keep-trying-keep-believing-you-still-might-not-make-it/) [David Eddings](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-eddings/) > [If you're not working on trying to be mine then you shouldn't be worried about who consumes my time.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/if-you-re-not-working-on-trying-to-be-mine-then-you-shouldn-t-be/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [I have several things that I'm working on and trying to put together. It's hard to say exactly what's next. I think I know…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-robert-mitchell/i-have-several-things-that-i-m-working-on-and-trying-to-put-together/) [David Robert Mitchell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-robert-mitchell/) > [I get restless easily so I always want to keep working, but I am trying to pace it as well.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mia-wasikowska/i-get-restless-easily-so-i-always-want-to-keep-working-but-i-am/) [Mia Wasikowska](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mia-wasikowska/) > [If you ever see the director pulling people aside, that means something's not working. Because you're trying to figure out why it's not working.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ti-west/if-you-ever-see-the-director-pulling-people-aside-that-means/) [Ti West](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ti-west/) ## More by Charlie Kaufman > [I think if something resonates, even if it's surreal, it's because it is relatable and I think that that's a core issue for me.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charlie-kaufman/i-think-if-something-resonates-even-if-it-s-surreal-it-s-because-it/) [Charlie Kaufman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charlie-kaufman/) > [And then to see the whole movie, you're pretty much waiting until the end of production. And the major lifting in terms of editing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charlie-kaufman/and-then-to-see-the-whole-movie-you-re-pretty-much-waiting-until-the/) [Charlie Kaufman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charlie-kaufman/) > [Seriously, I don't consider myself a writer. I don't think I have writing talent. But I will continue to do it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charlie-kaufman/seriously-i-don-t-consider-myself-a-writer-i-don-t-think-i-have/) [Charlie Kaufman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charlie-kaufman/) > [I spend a lot of time in preproduction working with authors, and a lot of time in postproduction.: editing, music, all that sort of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charlie-kaufman/i-spend-a-lot-of-time-in-preproduction-working-with-authors-and-a-lot/) [Charlie Kaufman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charlie-kaufman/) > [There's a point I can get to where I start writing character and then through the dialogue, after all of this preparation, the thing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charlie-kaufman/there-s-a-point-i-can-get-to-where-i-start-writing-character-and-then/) [Charlie Kaufman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charlie-kaufman/) > [Sand is overrated. It's just tiny little rocks.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charlie-kaufman/sand-is-overrated-it-s-just-tiny-little-rocks/) [Charlie Kaufman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charlie-kaufman/) > [Directing is a more pragmatic experience, where you have to deal with the restrictions of time and money that force you to make certain…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charlie-kaufman/directing-is-a-more-pragmatic-experience-where-you-have-to-deal-with/) [Charlie Kaufman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charlie-kaufman/) > [I feel like I want to keep moving toward idiosyncracy. Personal, personal, personal.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charlie-kaufman/i-feel-like-i-want-to-keep-moving-toward-idiosyncracy-personal/) [Charlie Kaufman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charlie-kaufman/) > [I actually think I'm probably more interested in structure than most people who write screenplays, because I think about it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charlie-kaufman/i-actually-think-i-m-probably-more-interested-in-structure-than-most/) [Charlie Kaufman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charlie-kaufman/) > [Yeah, once we decided to use that replacement animation, and the seams are a function of that animation, and other movies paint those out,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charlie-kaufman/yeah-once-we-decided-to-use-that-replacement-animation-and-the-seams/) [Charlie Kaufman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charlie-kaufman/) > [I just try to be honest, because I think that's part of my job description as a writer.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charlie-kaufman/i-just-try-to-be-honest-because-i-think-that-s-part-of-my-job/) [Charlie Kaufman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charlie-kaufman/) > [I love working with actors. I love visual things. I always intended to be a writer who directs and a director who writes.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charlie-kaufman/i-love-working-with-actors-i-love-visual-things-i-always-intended-to/) [Charlie Kaufman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charlie-kaufman/) > [“Why didn't I go in? I'm such a chicken. I'm such an idiot. I should have kissed her. I've blown it. I should just…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charlie-kaufman/why-didn-t-i-go-in-i-m-such-a-chicken-i-m-such-an-idiot-i-should-have/) [Charlie Kaufman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charlie-kaufman/) > [I try when I'm writing to leave enough "space" for people to have their own interpretation, and not to direct it toward one conclusion.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charlie-kaufman/i-try-when-i-m-writing-to-leave-enough-space-for-people-to-have-their/) [Charlie Kaufman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charlie-kaufman/) > [I don't have a style. I wouldn't say I have a style as a writer, either. I know people have said "This is what…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charlie-kaufman/i-don-t-have-a-style-i-wouldn-t-say-i-have-a-style-as-a-writer-either/) [Charlie Kaufman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charlie-kaufman/) [Explore all 168 Charlie Kaufman quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charlie-kaufman/) ## More Direct quotes > [One of the deepest and strangest of all human moods is the mood which will suddenly strike us perhaps in a garden at night,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/one-of-the-deepest-and-strangest-of-all-human-moods-is-the-mood-which/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Anybody can direct a picture once they know the fundamentals. Directing is not a mystery, it's not an art. The main thing about directing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-ford/anybody-can-direct-a-picture-once-they-know-the-fundamentals/) [John Ford](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-ford/) > [The method of magnitude estimation provided a direct measure of sensation.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stanley-smith-stevens/the-method-of-magnitude-estimation-provided-a-direct-measure-of/) Stanley Smith Stevens > [A place has almost the shyness of a person, with strangers; and its secret is not to be surprised by a too direct interrogation.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arthur-symons/a-place-has-almost-the-shyness-of-a-person-with-strangers-and-its/) [Arthur Symons](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arthur-symons/) > [The prediction of nuclear winter is drawn not, of course, from any direct experience with the consequences of global nuclear war, but rather from…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carl-sagan/the-prediction-of-nuclear-winter-is-drawn-not-of-course-from-any/) [Carl Sagan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carl-sagan/) > [I'm currently trying to direct my own material.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-skerritt/i-m-currently-trying-to-direct-my-own-material/) [Tom Skerritt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-skerritt/) > [By the time you get into other kinds of music - R&B, country, or whatever - it becomes something that's romantic. It becomes something…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/talib-kweli/by-the-time-you-get-into-other-kinds-of-music-r-b-country-or-whatever/) [Talib Kweli](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/talib-kweli/) > [There's little in taking or giving, There's little in water or wine: This living, this living, this living, Was never a project of mine.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dorothy-parker/there-s-little-in-taking-or-giving-there-s-little-in-water-or-wine/) [Dorothy Parker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dorothy-parker/) > [If you take all the food aid, America is by far the most generous country. If you take the direct aid, we're very generous.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-w-bush/if-you-take-all-the-food-aid-america-is-by-far-the-most-generous/) [George W. Bush](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-w-bush/) > [I understand the formula that producers hire directors and directors are hired to direct and actors are hired to act. I don't have any…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/danny-trejo/i-understand-the-formula-that-producers-hire-directors-and-directors/) [Danny Trejo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/danny-trejo/) > [They are the gateway for our modern esthetic development, the prophets of the new time. They are most of all, the primitives of the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marsden-hartley/they-are-the-gateway-for-our-modern-esthetic-development-the-prophets/) [Marsden Hartley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marsden-hartley/) > [I'm too direct and too unsparingly impatient.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shirley-maclaine/i-m-too-direct-and-too-unsparingly-impatient/) [Shirley MacLaine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shirley-maclaine/) > [Steven Spielberg seems to have wanted to be a director from 13. He put his dog in a certain position and made him eat…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/albert-brooks/steven-spielberg-seems-to-have-wanted-to-be-a-director-from-13-he-put/) [Albert Brooks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/albert-brooks/) > [This separation was absolute in our original Republic. But the sky-godders do not give up easily. In the 1950s they actually got the phrase…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gore-vidal/this-separation-was-absolute-in-our-original-republic-but-the-sky/) [Gore Vidal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gore-vidal/) > [Violence is what people do when they run out of good ideas. It's attractive because it's simple, it's direct, it's almost always available as…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-s-a-corey/violence-is-what-people-do-when-they-run-out-of-good-ideas-it-s/) [James S.A. Corey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-s-a-corey/) Browse all 3,391 Direct quotes ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "I'm not working on anything. I was trying to write something new . . . 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