--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I suppose for me as an artist it wasn't…" description: "\"I suppose for me as an artist it wasn't always just about expressing my work; I really wanted, more than anything else, to contribute in some way to th..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d92/david-bowie-508_art_i-suppose-for-me-as-an-artist-it-wasn-t_95713.jpg" --- # I suppose for me as an artist it wasn't always just about… ![“I suppose for me as an artist it wasn't always just about expressing my work; I really wanted, more than anything else, to contribute in some way to the culture that I was living in. It just seemed like a challenge to move it a little bit towards the way I thought it might be interesting to go.” quote by David Bowie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d92/david-bowie-508_art_i-suppose-for-me-as-an-artist-it-wasn-t_95713.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d92/david-bowie-508_art_i-suppose-for-me-as-an-artist-it-wasn-t_95713.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d92/david-bowie-508_art_i-suppose-for-me-as-an-artist-it-wasn-t_95713.jpg) > “I suppose for me as an artist it wasn't always just about expressing my work; I really wanted, more than anything else, to contribute in some way to the culture that I was living in. It just seemed like a challenge to move it a little bit towards the way I thought it might be interesting to go.” [David Bowie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-bowie/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. He explains that his artistic drive extended beyond self‑expression to shaping the surrounding culture, viewing art as a challenge to steer societal aesthetics toward his vision. **In simple terms:** Art can shape culture. Key Takeaway Artists influence cultural direction. Themes artistry cultural impact creativity challenge vision Mood visionary determined Type artist statement cultural critique When to use this quote - creative projects - public art installations - media production Key Concepts cultural contribution Practical Applications - cultural‑policy initiatives - artistic mentorship Questions to Reflect On - How does an artist balance personal vision with public reception? - What responsibilities do creators have to society? ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Art](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/art/) [Artist](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/artist/) [Challenges](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/challenges/) [Culture](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/culture/) [Work](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/work/) ## Related quotes > [I suppose an artist takes the elements of his life and rearranges them and then has them perceived by others as though they were…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-simon/i-suppose-an-artist-takes-the-elements-of-his-life-and-rearranges/) [Paul Simon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-simon/) > [The best part of the character and quality of the leader is expressing who you are in the work you do and how you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frances-hesselbein/the-best-part-of-the-character-and-quality-of-the-leader-is/) [Frances Hesselbein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frances-hesselbein/) > [If I wanted to contribute to the hyphy movement, what good is it making a hyphy record that isn't embraced by that community?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dj-shadow/if-i-wanted-to-contribute-to-the-hyphy-movement-what-good-is-it/) [DJ Shadow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dj-shadow/) > [I was a child when the March on Washington led by Martin Luther King occurred, and I wanted to hear what was going on.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andre-braugher/i-was-a-child-when-the-march-on-washington-led-by-martin-luther-king/) [Andre Braugher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andre-braugher/) > [“I had always wanted to contribute in some way. Leave a little more than I took.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gabrielle-hamilton/i-had-always-wanted-to-contribute-in-some-way-leave-a-little-more/) [Gabrielle Hamilton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gabrielle-hamilton/) > [“Vicary had decided he wanted to contribute. He wanted to do something instead of watching the world through his well-guarded window.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-silva/vicary-had-decided-he-wanted-to-contribute-he-wanted-to-do-something/) [Daniel Silva](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-silva/) > [My one failing as an artist is that I depend on reference material to perhaps a greater extent than I should. Delacroix said that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-sorel/my-one-failing-as-an-artist-is-that-i-depend-on-reference-material-to/) [Edward Sorel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-sorel/) > [If you take a flower to Mars, for example, the hostility of Mars probably won't allow the flower to live without oxygen. The process…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tavares-strachan/if-you-take-a-flower-to-mars-for-example-the-hostility-of-mars/) [Tavares Strachan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tavares-strachan/) > [For me becoming a painter was an Everest, in terms of what I thought a painter was. There are many roads to becoming an…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/caio-fonseca/for-me-becoming-a-painter-was-an-everest-in-terms-of-what-i-thought-a/) [Caio Fonseca](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/caio-fonseca/) > [I wanted to be an artist, but I wasn't really confident in my intellectual stamina for it. I was more intimidated by it, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rick-owens/i-wanted-to-be-an-artist-but-i-wasn-t-really-confident-in-my/) [Rick Owens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rick-owens/) > [My mother used to say that when I told her that I wanted to be an artist, her famous line was, 'The only artists…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/glenn-ligon/my-mother-used-to-say-that-when-i-told-her-that-i-wanted-to-be-an/) [Glenn Ligon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/glenn-ligon/) > [There was a time in my career when I felt like I wasn't being true to myself. I was being moulded into an artist…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/madison-beer/there-was-a-time-in-my-career-when-i-felt-like-i-wasn-t-being-true-to/) [Madison Beer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/madison-beer/) > [I think I've grown a lot in the last few years, and I needed to express myself as an artist on this. It wasn't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terri-clark/i-think-i-ve-grown-a-lot-in-the-last-few-years-and-i-needed-to/) [Terri Clark](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terri-clark/) > [My dream job growing up was always to be an artist. It wasn't even that I would be a rapper or singer; I just…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lil-tjay/my-dream-job-growing-up-was-always-to-be-an-artist-it-wasn-t-even/) [Lil Tjay](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lil-tjay/) > [Artists were always referred to as great artists. I thought that's what the profession was. One word: great-artist. There wasn't one moment in my…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hedda-sterne/artists-were-always-referred-to-as-great-artists-i-thought-that-s/) [Hedda Sterne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hedda-sterne/) ## More by David Bowie > [I don't crave applause. I'm not one of those guys who comes alive on stage. I'm much more alive at home, I think.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-bowie/i-don-t-crave-applause-i-m-not-one-of-those-guys-who-comes-alive-on/) [David Bowie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-bowie/) > [No more free steps to heaven.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-bowie/no-more-free-steps-to-heaven/) [David Bowie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-bowie/) > [I'm not sure whether it is me changing my mind, or whether I lie a lot.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-bowie/i-m-not-sure-whether-it-is-me-changing-my-mind-or-whether-i-lie-a-lot/) [David Bowie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-bowie/) > [I do some kind of work, whether writing or painting or recording, on a daily basis. And it's so essential that when I'm involved…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-bowie/i-do-some-kind-of-work-whether-writing-or-painting-or-recording-on-a/) [David Bowie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-bowie/) > [To not be modest about it, you'll find that with only a couple of exceptions, most of the musicians that I've worked with have…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-bowie/to-not-be-modest-about-it-you-ll-find-that-with-only-a-couple-of/) [David Bowie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-bowie/) > [I went mainstream in a major way with the song "Let's Dance." And what I found I had done was put a box around…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-bowie/i-went-mainstream-in-a-major-way-with-the-song-let-s-dance-and-what-i/) [David Bowie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-bowie/) > [“Keep your 'lectric eye on me babe Put your ray gun to my head Press your space face close to mine, love Freak out…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-bowie/keep-your-lectric-eye-on-me-babe-put-your-ray-gun-to-my-head-press/) [David Bowie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-bowie/) > [I'm in awe of the universe, but I don't necessarily believe there's an intelligence or agent behind it. I do have a passion for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-bowie/i-m-in-awe-of-the-universe-but-i-don-t-necessarily-believe-there-s-an/) [David Bowie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-bowie/) > [TV has eaten up everything else, and Warhol films are all that are left, which is fabulous. Pork could become the next I Love…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-bowie/tv-has-eaten-up-everything-else-and-warhol-films-are-all-that-are/) [David Bowie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-bowie/) > [“My brain hurt like a warehouse It had no room to spare I had to cram so many things to store everything in there…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-bowie/my-brain-hurt-like-a-warehouse-it-had-no-room-to-spare-i-had-to-cram/) [David Bowie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-bowie/) > [... And these children that you spit on as they try to change their worlds are immune to your consultations. They're quite aware of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-bowie/and-these-children-that-you-spit-on-as-they-try-to-change-their/) [David Bowie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-bowie/) > [I think the first song I ever wrote ... was called "Can't Help Thinking About Me." That's an illuminating little piece, isn't it?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-bowie/i-think-the-first-song-i-ever-wrote-was-called-can-t-help-thinking/) [David Bowie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-bowie/) > [I've come to the realizations that I have absolutely no idea what I'm doing half the time.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-bowie/i-ve-come-to-the-realizations-that-i-have-absolutely-no-idea-what-i-m/) [David Bowie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-bowie/) > [I never really felt like a rock singer or a rock star or whatever.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-bowie/i-never-really-felt-like-a-rock-singer-or-a-rock-star-or-whatever/) [David Bowie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-bowie/) > [There have been times when I've written something and it goes out and it comes back in a letter from some kid as to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-bowie/there-have-been-times-when-i-ve-written-something-and-it-goes-out-and/) [David Bowie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-bowie/) [Explore all 508 David Bowie quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-bowie/) ## 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": "I suppose for me as an artist it wasn't always just about expressing my work; I really wanted, more than anything else, to contribute in some way to the culture that I was living in. It just seemed like a challenge to move it a little bit towards the way I thought it might be interesting to go.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "David Bowie" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-bowie/i-suppose-for-me-as-an-artist-it-wasn-t-always-just-about-expressing/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Art" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-bowie/i-suppose-for-me-as-an-artist-it-wasn-t-always-just-about-expressing/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d92/david-bowie-508_art_i-suppose-for-me-as-an-artist-it-wasn-t_95713.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d92/david-bowie-508_art_i-suppose-for-me-as-an-artist-it-wasn-t_95713.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d92/david-bowie-508_art_i-suppose-for-me-as-an-artist-it-wasn-t_95713.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“I suppose for me as an artist it wasn't always just about expressing my work; I really wanted, more than…” — David Bowie", "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": "David Bowie", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-bowie/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "I suppose for me as an...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-bowie/i-suppose-for-me-as-an-artist-it-wasn-t-always-just-about-expressing/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-bowie/i-suppose-for-me-as-an-artist-it-wasn-t-always-just-about-expressing/#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 } } ] } ```