--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: The worst thing you can do as an artist…" description: "\"The worst thing you can do as an artist is to repeat yourself.\" — Conor Oberst" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/23d/conor-oberst-1535_art_the-worst-thing-you-can-do-as-an-artist_1510850.png" --- # The worst thing you can do as an artist is to repeat… ![“The worst thing you can do as an artist is to repeat yourself.” quote by Conor Oberst](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/23d/conor-oberst-1535_art_the-worst-thing-you-can-do-as-an-artist_1510850.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/23d/conor-oberst-1535_art_the-worst-thing-you-can-do-as-an-artist_1510850.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/23d/conor-oberst-1535_art_the-worst-thing-you-can-do-as-an-artist_1510850.png) > “The worst thing you can do as an artist is to repeat yourself.” [Conor Oberst](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/conor-oberst/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Artists lose relevance when they recycle ideas instead of evolving. **In simple terms:** Repeating ideas kills artistic growth. Key Takeaway Seek fresh expression. Themes creativity originality growth Mood reflective inspirational Type advice philosophical When to use this quote - songwriting - visual art - performance - branding Key Concepts artistic stagnation innovation Questions to Reflect On - How can you challenge your own habits? - What fresh perspectives can you explore? A Different Perspective New work may still echo past influences. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Art](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/art/) [Artist](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/artist/) ## Related quotes > [I need to keep it spontaneous as an artist, so for me to repeat a face would be redundant and boring.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chris-mars/i-need-to-keep-it-spontaneous-as-an-artist-so-for-me-to-repeat-a-face/) [Chris Mars](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chris-mars/) > [Art is a private thing, the artist makes it for himself](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kenneth-tynan/art-is-a-private-thing-the-artist-makes-it-for-himself/) [Kenneth Tynan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kenneth-tynan/) > [It's never the same relationship. I see my job as filling in the blanks. Whatever it is that the artist lacks in the process…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/todd-rundgren/it-s-never-the-same-relationship-i-see-my-job-as-filling-in-the/) [Todd Rundgren](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/todd-rundgren/) > [When you have celebrity, it's a whole different thing than being an artist.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jimmy-smits/when-you-have-celebrity-it-s-a-whole-different-thing-than-being-an/) [Jimmy Smits](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jimmy-smits/) > [The awesome thing about being an artist? You can't be fired from your own mind.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rose-mcgowan/the-awesome-thing-about-being-an-artist-you-can-t-be-fired-from-your/) [Rose McGowan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rose-mcgowan/) > [The cruelest thing you can do to an artist is tell them their work is flawless when it isn't](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yahtzee-croshaw/the-cruelest-thing-you-can-do-to-an-artist-is-tell-them-their-work-is/) [Yahtzee Croshaw](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yahtzee-croshaw/) > [There is actually no such thing as an Artist type. 'Artist' is just an economic designation, a box you tick on a form. We…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/russell-smith/there-is-actually-no-such-thing-as-an-artist-type-artist-is-just-an/) [Russell Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/russell-smith/) > [The only thing you can do as an artist is to come to the world, see what no one is doing, and leave behind…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/guillermo-del-toro/the-only-thing-you-can-do-as-an-artist-is-to-come-to-the-world-see/) [Guillermo del Toro](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/guillermo-del-toro/) > [The most important thing an artist can discover is a love of process.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kody-chamberlain/the-most-important-thing-an-artist-can-discover-is-a-love-of-process/) Kody Chamberlain > [The important thing for me as an artist is to keep going back to the page and doing what I do.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matthew-quick/the-important-thing-for-me-as-an-artist-is-to-keep-going-back-to-the/) [Matthew Quick](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matthew-quick/) > [Branding is quite an important thing. As an artist, you want to be able to explore facets of yourself.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nick-offerman/branding-is-quite-an-important-thing-as-an-artist-you-want-to-be-able/) [Nick Offerman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nick-offerman/) > [The good thing about being an artist, is it's a legitimate way of looking at things cross-eyed.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-chamberlain/the-good-thing-about-being-an-artist-is-it-s-a-legitimate-way-of/) [John Chamberlain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-chamberlain/) > [The only thing one can give an artist is leisure in which to work. To give an artist leisure is actually to take part…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ezra-pound/the-only-thing-one-can-give-an-artist-is-leisure-in-which-to-work-to/) [Ezra Pound](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ezra-pound/) > [The thing about being an artist is that you evolve so quickly, you grow, you learn, you change, you find yourself hating work that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/halsey/the-thing-about-being-an-artist-is-that-you-evolve-so-quickly-you/) [Halsey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/halsey/) > [I think the most important thing for an artist is to not worry about what anybody else thinks. You just have to do what…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rosanna-arquette/i-think-the-most-important-thing-for-an-artist-is-to-not-worry-about/) [Rosanna Arquette](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rosanna-arquette/) ## More by Conor Oberst > [Every time I finish a song... most of the time it's in my own head, like this sounds too much like a Townes Van…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/conor-oberst/every-time-i-finish-a-song-most-of-the-time-it-s-in-my-own-head-like/) [Conor Oberst](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/conor-oberst/) > [Because the truth is that gossip is as good as gospel in this town. You can save face but you won't ever save your…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/conor-oberst/because-the-truth-is-that-gossip-is-as-good-as-gospel-in-this-town/) [Conor Oberst](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/conor-oberst/) > [There's nothing that the road cannot heal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/conor-oberst/there-s-nothing-that-the-road-cannot-heal/) [Conor Oberst](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/conor-oberst/) > [I've given up trying to understand what people think about me. It seems like a lot of people don't like the music we make…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/conor-oberst/i-ve-given-up-trying-to-understand-what-people-think-about-me-it/) [Conor Oberst](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/conor-oberst/) > [You can't manufacture inspiration, so a lot of it is still a waiting game for me. There's still a lot of mystery to songwriting.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/conor-oberst/you-can-t-manufacture-inspiration-so-a-lot-of-it-is-still-a-waiting/) [Conor Oberst](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/conor-oberst/) > [Cause I swear that I'm dying, slowly but its happening.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/conor-oberst/cause-i-swear-that-i-m-dying-slowly-but-its-happening/) [Conor Oberst](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/conor-oberst/) > [In a way, to have whatever people talk about as "crossover success," I think it means you start making bad music. I mean, when…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/conor-oberst/in-a-way-to-have-whatever-people-talk-about-as-crossover-success-i/) [Conor Oberst](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/conor-oberst/) > [Men with purple hearts carry silver guns and they will kill a man for what his father has done. But what my father did,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/conor-oberst/men-with-purple-hearts-carry-silver-guns-and-they-will-kill-a-man-for/) [Conor Oberst](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/conor-oberst/) > [There's a major underlying idea as you grow up that you need to just save your money and get that affordable housing at the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/conor-oberst/there-s-a-major-underlying-idea-as-you-grow-up-that-you-need-to-just/) [Conor Oberst](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/conor-oberst/) > [To finish a song is the best feeling in the world.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/conor-oberst/to-finish-a-song-is-the-best-feeling-in-the-world/) [Conor Oberst](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/conor-oberst/) > [I've been part of running a label since I was a kid, so I understand how it works. But the more and more I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/conor-oberst/i-ve-been-part-of-running-a-label-since-i-was-a-kid-so-i-understand/) [Conor Oberst](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/conor-oberst/) > [I'm ripe for the picking for the Scientologists - one of those creeps. Someone's got to find me. Some little weird cult can just…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/conor-oberst/i-m-ripe-for-the-picking-for-the-scientologists-one-of-those-creeps/) [Conor Oberst](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/conor-oberst/) > [When I run into a person or a kid that comes up and gives me the spiel about, 'Hey, I got your record at…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/conor-oberst/when-i-run-into-a-person-or-a-kid-that-comes-up-and-gives-me-the/) [Conor Oberst](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/conor-oberst/) > [My dad, who plays guitar and piano and was in cover bands, along with my older brother, Matt, taught me guitar and stuff. I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/conor-oberst/my-dad-who-plays-guitar-and-piano-and-was-in-cover-bands-along-with/) [Conor Oberst](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/conor-oberst/) > [I think there's a weird self-affirmation thing that happens in popular music in general. It seems like every song I hear on the radio…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/conor-oberst/i-think-there-s-a-weird-self-affirmation-thing-that-happens-in/) [Conor Oberst](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/conor-oberst/) [Explore all 230 Conor Oberst quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/conor-oberst/) ## 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": "The worst thing you can do as an artist is to repeat yourself.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Conor Oberst" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/conor-oberst/the-worst-thing-you-can-do-as-an-artist-is-to-repeat-yourself/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Art" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/conor-oberst/the-worst-thing-you-can-do-as-an-artist-is-to-repeat-yourself/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/23d/conor-oberst-1535_art_the-worst-thing-you-can-do-as-an-artist_1510850.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/23d/conor-oberst-1535_art_the-worst-thing-you-can-do-as-an-artist_1510850.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/23d/conor-oberst-1535_art_the-worst-thing-you-can-do-as-an-artist_1510850.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“The worst thing you can do as an artist is to repeat yourself.” — Conor Oberst", "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": "Conor Oberst", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/conor-oberst/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "The worst thing you can do...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/conor-oberst/the-worst-thing-you-can-do-as-an-artist-is-to-repeat-yourself/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/conor-oberst/the-worst-thing-you-can-do-as-an-artist-is-to-repeat-yourself/#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 } } ] } ```