---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Talking to all those great writers and…"
description: "\"Talking to all those great writers and artists for the magazine was a form of graduate school for me.\" — Christopher Bollen"
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d81/christopher-bollen-9436_art_talking-to-all-those-great-writers-and-a_1498868.jpg"
---

#  Talking to all those great writers and artists for the…

![“Talking to all those great writers and artists for the magazine was a form of graduate school for me.” quote by Christopher Bollen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d81/christopher-bollen-9436_art_talking-to-all-those-great-writers-and-a_1498868.jpg)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d81/christopher-bollen-9436_art_talking-to-all-those-great-writers-and-a_1498868.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d81/christopher-bollen-9436_art_talking-to-all-those-great-writers-and-a_1498868.jpg)

> “Talking to all those great writers and artists for the magazine was a form of graduate school for me.”

[Christopher Bollen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-bollen/)

## About This Quote

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

Interacting with renowned creators serves as informal education, enriching professional growth.

**In simple terms:** Learning from great creators is like graduate school.

Key Takeaway

Seek mentorship and learn from experts.

Themes

learning creativity career development

Mood

inspirational reflective

Type

professional educational

When to use this quote

- writing workshops
- artistic collaborations
- industry conferences

Key Concepts

mentorship creative exchange informal education

Questions to Reflect On

- Who can you approach for informal mentorship?
- What resources can substitute direct interaction?

A Different Perspective

Access to such creators may be limited.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Art](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/art/) [Artist](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/artist/) [Artists Magazine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/artists-magazine-5490675/) [Form](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/form/) [Form Graduate](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/form-graduate-5490674/) [Graduate](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/graduate/) [Graduate school](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/graduate-school/) [Graduates](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/graduates/) [Great writers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/great-writers/) [Magazines](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/magazines/) [School](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/school/) [Talking](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/talking/) [Writing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writing/)

## Related quotes

> [Through high school, college, graduate school and beyond, I had a number of relationships that were wonderful.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frederick-lenz/through-high-school-college-graduate-school-and-beyond-i-had-a-number/)

[Frederick Lenz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frederick-lenz/)

> [The impetus behind going to graduate school was a year after graduating from college spent in Dallas working at the dog food factory and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/beth-henley/the-impetus-behind-going-to-graduate-school-was-a-year-after/)

[Beth Henley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/beth-henley/)

> [I was an English major in college, and then I went to graduate school in English at the University of North Carolina for three…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-edwards/i-was-an-english-major-in-college-and-then-i-went-to-graduate-school/)

[Elizabeth Edwards](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-edwards/)

> [I am quite international. My background, born in Turkey. My family is a Jewish family from Iran, so I went from Turkey to Iran…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nouriel-roubini/i-am-quite-international-my-background-born-in-turkey-my-family-is-a/)

[Nouriel Roubini](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nouriel-roubini/)

> [Travel is the best and probably cheapest graduate school you can buy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-freston/travel-is-the-best-and-probably-cheapest-graduate-school-you-can-buy/)

[Tom Freston](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-freston/)

> [In a lot of ways, work was my graduate school.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-bollen/in-a-lot-of-ways-work-was-my-graduate-school/)

[Christopher Bollen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-bollen/)

> [It was actually a women's writing group I belonged to in graduate school that gave me the courage to move from poetry to fiction.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mary-gordon/it-was-actually-a-women-s-writing-group-i-belonged-to-in-graduate/)

[Mary Gordon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mary-gordon/)

> [I started out in graduate school to be a fiction writer. I thought I wanted to write short stories. I started writing poems at…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/natasha-trethewey/i-started-out-in-graduate-school-to-be-a-fiction-writer-i-thought-i/)

[Natasha Trethewey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/natasha-trethewey/)

> [As for facial hair, I think I decided it was a good look after graduate school. I always shave it myself and trim my…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mike-colter/as-for-facial-hair-i-think-i-decided-it-was-a-good-look-after/)

[Mike Colter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mike-colter/)

> [When I started teaching at Stanford Graduate School of Business in 2000, no field-based courses in strategic philanthropy existed.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laura-arrillaga-andreessen/when-i-started-teaching-at-stanford-graduate-school-of-business-in/)

[Laura Arrillaga-Andreessen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laura-arrillaga-andreessen/)

> [When I was in graduate school, I had a teacher who said to me, 'Women writers should marry somebody who thinks writing is cute.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lorrie-moore/when-i-was-in-graduate-school-i-had-a-teacher-who-said-to-me-women/)

[Lorrie Moore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lorrie-moore/)

> [The great thing about a sitcom is that you're in front of a live audience, so you really get in touch with what audience…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/topher-grace/the-great-thing-about-a-sitcom-is-that-you-re-in-front-of-a-live/)

[Topher Grace](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/topher-grace/)

> [I was always very aware of the nature of the place where I was growing up in Gulfport, Mississippi, how that place was shaping…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/natasha-trethewey/i-was-always-very-aware-of-the-nature-of-the-place-where-i-was/)

[Natasha Trethewey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/natasha-trethewey/)

> [I ended up doing four or five plays in college and being an English major with my thesis in language acquisition, which I was…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carrie-coon/i-ended-up-doing-four-or-five-plays-in-college-and-being-an-english/)

[Carrie Coon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carrie-coon/)

> [The Vietnam War was causing people to get drafted; I had received a deferment to finish my undergraduate education, and in order to continue…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-shapiro/the-vietnam-war-was-causing-people-to-get-drafted-i-had-received-a/)

[Robert Shapiro](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-shapiro/)

## More by Christopher Bollen

> [Safety, reputation, their lives, their friends, and their world. Writers typically try to avoid that because it's not expedient.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-bollen/safety-reputation-their-lives-their-friends-and-their-world-writers/)

[Christopher Bollen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-bollen/)

> [There's something about fear and aesthetic that go hand in hand.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-bollen/there-s-something-about-fear-and-aesthetic-that-go-hand-in-hand/)

[Christopher Bollen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-bollen/)

> [You find when you're writing a detective story that you're actually not trying to solve anything. You're trying to stop the reader from solving…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-bollen/you-find-when-you-re-writing-a-detective-story-that-you-re-actually/)

[Christopher Bollen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-bollen/)

> [ I'm convinced I was the only kid ever who had a Death on the Nile \[1978\] movie poster and a Murder on the Orient… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-bollen/i-m-convinced-i-was-the-only-kid-ever-who-had-a-death-on-the-nile/)

[Christopher Bollen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-bollen/)

> [The death drive is parasitic. It runs off of other drives, leeching off of them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-bollen/the-death-drive-is-parasitic-it-runs-off-of-other-drives-leeching-off/)

[Christopher Bollen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-bollen/)

> [It's hard for me to figure out where I want to be. But it's definitely in New York. I feel like New York throws…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-bollen/it-s-hard-for-me-to-figure-out-where-i-want-to-be-but-it-s-definitely/)

[Christopher Bollen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-bollen/)

> [There's also something sexual about watching the nubile girl in terror. But you do take on her fear as your own.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-bollen/there-s-also-something-sexual-about-watching-the-nubile-girl-in/)

[Christopher Bollen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-bollen/)

> [I've never had a mentor. I've always wanted one. I'm actually really disappointed that nobody took my under their wing.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-bollen/i-ve-never-had-a-mentor-i-ve-always-wanted-one-i-m-actually-really/)

[Christopher Bollen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-bollen/)

> [The Greeks really believed in history. They believed that the past had consequences and that you might be punished for the sins of your…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-bollen/the-greeks-really-believed-in-history-they-believed-that-the-past-had/)

[Christopher Bollen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-bollen/)

> [I was never afraid on stage. That's where I was the least afraid. I could just do what I do and I had the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-bollen/i-was-never-afraid-on-stage-that-s-where-i-was-the-least-afraid-i/)

[Christopher Bollen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-bollen/)

> [One day I want to write a full-on horror book.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-bollen/one-day-i-want-to-write-a-full-on-horror-book/)

[Christopher Bollen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-bollen/)

> [When you create a fence, you keep people out, but you also limit your mobility.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-bollen/when-you-create-a-fence-you-keep-people-out-but-you-also-limit-your/)

[Christopher Bollen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-bollen/)

> [I just think, as writers, especially with a book that takes years to write, you sort of wake up every morning hoping and praying…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-bollen/i-just-think-as-writers-especially-with-a-book-that-takes-years-to/)

[Christopher Bollen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-bollen/)

> [There is something very romantic about the orphan figure in American literature.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-bollen/there-is-something-very-romantic-about-the-orphan-figure-in-american/)

[Christopher Bollen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-bollen/)

> [It is a little out of touch to presume that someone wants to follow your every observation and insight over the course of hundreds…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-bollen/it-is-a-little-out-of-touch-to-presume-that-someone-wants-to-follow/)

[Christopher Bollen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-bollen/)

[Explore all 72 Christopher Bollen quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-bollen/)

## 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](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/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": "Talking to all those great writers and artists for the magazine was a form of graduate school for me.",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Christopher Bollen"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-bollen/talking-to-all-those-great-writers-and-artists-for-the-magazine-was-a/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Art"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-bollen/talking-to-all-those-great-writers-and-artists-for-the-magazine-was-a/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d81/christopher-bollen-9436_art_talking-to-all-those-great-writers-and-a_1498868.jpg",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d81/christopher-bollen-9436_art_talking-to-all-those-great-writers-and-a_1498868.jpg",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d81/christopher-bollen-9436_art_talking-to-all-those-great-writers-and-a_1498868.jpg",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“Talking to all those great writers and artists for the magazine was a form of graduate school for me.” — Christopher Bollen",
                "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": "Christopher Bollen",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-bollen/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "Talking to all those great writers...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-bollen/talking-to-all-those-great-writers-and-artists-for-the-magazine-was-a/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-bollen/talking-to-all-those-great-writers-and-artists-for-the-magazine-was-a/#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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
