--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Arts and crafts, or getting to be in a…" description: "\"Arts and crafts, or getting to be in a play with people, or making a little short film, that's pure sugar, because the stakes are so low.\" — David Rakoff" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b67/david-rakoff-3308_art_arts-and-crafts-or-getting-to-be-in-a-pl_2349743.png" --- # Arts and crafts, or getting to be in a play with people… ![“Arts and crafts, or getting to be in a play with people, or making a little short film, that's pure sugar, because the stakes are so low.” quote by David Rakoff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b67/david-rakoff-3308_art_arts-and-crafts-or-getting-to-be-in-a-pl_2349743.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b67/david-rakoff-3308_art_arts-and-crafts-or-getting-to-be-in-a-pl_2349743.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b67/david-rakoff-3308_art_arts-and-crafts-or-getting-to-be-in-a-pl_2349743.png) > “Arts and crafts, or getting to be in a play with people, or making a little short film, that's pure sugar, because the stakes are so low.” [David Rakoff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-rakoff/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Engaging in simple, collaborative creative acts feels rewarding because the low risk allows pure enjoyment and experimentation. **In simple terms:** Low‑stakes creativity is rewarding. Key Takeaway Embrace playful creation. Themes art collaboration playfulness Mood lighthearted joyful Type inspirational motivational When to use this quote - hobby projects - community theater - short films Key Concepts low‑risk creativity joy of making Questions to Reflect On - When do you feel pressure in a “low‑stakes” activity? - How can you keep the fun alive? A Different Perspective Even low‑stakes projects can become stressful if expectations rise. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Art](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/art/) [Arts](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/arts/) [Arts and crafts](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/arts-and-crafts/) [Cinema](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/cinema/) [Crafts](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/crafts/) [Film](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/film/) [People](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/people/) [Play](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/play/) ## Related quotes > [As long as people have been making little people, they've wanted to know how not to.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nancy-gibbs/as-long-as-people-have-been-making-little-people-they-ve-wanted-to/) [Nancy Gibbs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nancy-gibbs/) > [“I haven’t had cotton candy in forever,” he said. “I’d forgotten how…sugary it is.” “It’s pure sugar.” “I wonder who invented it.” “I think…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rachel-hawthorne/i-haven-t-had-cotton-candy-in-forever-he-said-i-d-forgotten-how/) [Rachel Hawthorne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rachel-hawthorne/) > [I can't eat pure sugar. I can't have candy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mary-tyler-moore/i-can-t-eat-pure-sugar-i-can-t-have-candy/) [Mary Tyler Moore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mary-tyler-moore/) > [Eating a slice of white bread is like eating pure sugar.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barry-sears/eating-a-slice-of-white-bread-is-like-eating-pure-sugar/) [Barry Sears](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barry-sears/) > [High stakes, low stakes, poor or rich - people will find a way to gamble.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/molly-bloom/high-stakes-low-stakes-poor-or-rich-people-will-find-a-way-to-gamble/) [Molly Bloom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/molly-bloom/) > [“Defiance was only amusing when the stakes were low.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/courtney-milan/defiance-was-only-amusing-when-the-stakes-were-low/) [Courtney Milan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/courtney-milan/) > [Academic politics is the most vicious and bitter form of politics, because the stakes are so low.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wallace-sayre/academic-politics-is-the-most-vicious-and-bitter-form-of-politics/) Wallace Sayre > [When you come to documentaries, the stakes are too low for it to be cutthroat. You're all doing it for the right reasons.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/morgan-neville/when-you-come-to-documentaries-the-stakes-are-too-low-for-it-to-be/) [Morgan Neville](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/morgan-neville/) > [Making little videos that you know are going to be on tiny windows is a whole different thing. I don't know what it's going…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-gordon-levitt/making-little-videos-that-you-know-are-going-to-be-on-tiny-windows-is/) [Joseph Gordon-Levitt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-gordon-levitt/) > [And we had the perhaps unfair advantage of not having to worry about what an audience was gonna think. We were in a vacuum.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rick-moranis/and-we-had-the-perhaps-unfair-advantage-of-not-having-to-worry-about/) [Rick Moranis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rick-moranis/) > [“We grow by making little great changes.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-bassey-johnson/we-grow-by-making-little-great-changes/) [Michael Bassey Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-bassey-johnson/) > [I was an art house guy, making little, not-much-happening films.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lee-isaac-chung/i-was-an-art-house-guy-making-little-not-much-happening-films/) [Lee Isaac Chung](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lee-isaac-chung/) > [When you make a business you're making a little world.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/derek-sivers/when-you-make-a-business-you-re-making-a-little-world/) [Derek Sivers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/derek-sivers/) > [I feel at times that I'm making up these little people and I've lost my mind.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carolyn-chute/i-feel-at-times-that-i-m-making-up-these-little-people-and-i-ve-lost/) [Carolyn Chute](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carolyn-chute/) > [I started making little films with a 16 mm camera as an undergraduate at Yale. My first job out of college was 'assistant editor'…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leslie-cockburn/i-started-making-little-films-with-a-16-mm-camera-as-an-undergraduate/) [Leslie Cockburn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leslie-cockburn/) ## More by David Rakoff > [“The hiking boots the outdoor adventure magazine sent me to buy - large, ungainly potato like things that I have been trying to break…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-rakoff/the-hiking-boots-the-outdoor-adventure-magazine-sent-me-to-buy-large/) [david rakoff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-rakoff/) > [Is there some lesson on how to be friends? I think what it means is that central to living a life that is good…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-rakoff/is-there-some-lesson-on-how-to-be-friends-i-think-what-it-means-is/) [David Rakoff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-rakoff/) > [“We are disclosing animals, wired for unburdening. It's what we do as a species. When I am being told, I listen, mindful of the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-rakoff/we-are-disclosing-animals-wired-for-unburdening-it-s-what-we-do-as-a/) [David Rakoff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-rakoff/) > [“Details can change or go missing entirely, particularly in moments of physical peril. A kind of amnesia goes hand in hand with sickness, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-rakoff/details-can-change-or-go-missing-entirely-particularly-in-moments-of/) [David Rakoff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-rakoff/) > [“Is there some lesson on how to be friends? I think what it means is that central to living A life that is good…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-rakoff/is-there-some-lesson-on-how-to-be-friends-i-think-what-it-means-is-2/) [David Rakoff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-rakoff/) > [“The central drama of my life is about being a fraud, alas. That's a complete lie, really; the central drama of my life is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-rakoff/the-central-drama-of-my-life-is-about-being-a-fraud-alas-that-s-a/) [David Rakoff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-rakoff/) > [I am going to the bad place, as is my wont.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-rakoff/i-am-going-to-the-bad-place-as-is-my-wont/) [David Rakoff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-rakoff/) > [The only thing that makes one an artist is making art. And that requires the precise opposite of hanging out; a deeply lonely and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-rakoff/the-only-thing-that-makes-one-an-artist-is-making-art-and-that/) [David Rakoff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-rakoff/) > [I will forever be grateful to my oncologist for opening the door and saying, 'Damn it, the tumor's 10 percent bigger,' before he even…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-rakoff/i-will-forever-be-grateful-to-my-oncologist-for-opening-the-door-and/) [David Rakoff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-rakoff/) > [“It was nice to find out, then, that if one is characterologically incapable of not being a total fuckface, science has not shown you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-rakoff/it-was-nice-to-find-out-then-that-if-one-is-characterologically/) [David Rakoff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-rakoff/) > [People are really trying their best. Just like being happy and sad, you will find yourself on both sides of the equation many times…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-rakoff/people-are-really-trying-their-best-just-like-being-happy-and-sad-you/) [David Rakoff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-rakoff/) > [“One day reach idealization; after all, it's the journey, not the destination.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-rakoff/one-day-reach-idealization-after-all-it-s-the-journey-not-the/) [David Rakoff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-rakoff/) > [“It was turning out to be an anxious Christmas season. Too many were the early mornings spent sitting at the table, insomniac in the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-rakoff/it-was-turning-out-to-be-an-anxious-christmas-season-too-many-were/) [David Rakoff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-rakoff/) > [“The best=laid plans, one's most fastidious contingency strategies have revealed themselves in the cold light of day to be laughably inadequate, no match for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-rakoff/the-best-laid-plans-one-s-most-fastidious-contingency-strategies-have/) [David Rakoff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-rakoff/) > [Unfortunately, there's no greater rhyme or reason as to why it would be me. And since there is no answer as to why me,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-rakoff/unfortunately-there-s-no-greater-rhyme-or-reason-as-to-why-it-would/) [David Rakoff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-rakoff/) [Explore all 134 David Rakoff quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-rakoff/) ## 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": "Arts and crafts, or getting to be in a play with people, or making a little short film, that's pure sugar, because the stakes are so low.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "David Rakoff" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-rakoff/arts-and-crafts-or-getting-to-be-in-a-play-with-people-or-making-a/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Art" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-rakoff/arts-and-crafts-or-getting-to-be-in-a-play-with-people-or-making-a/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b67/david-rakoff-3308_art_arts-and-crafts-or-getting-to-be-in-a-pl_2349743.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b67/david-rakoff-3308_art_arts-and-crafts-or-getting-to-be-in-a-pl_2349743.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b67/david-rakoff-3308_art_arts-and-crafts-or-getting-to-be-in-a-pl_2349743.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“Arts and crafts, or getting to be in a play with people, or making a little short film, that's pure sugar…” — David Rakoff", "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 Rakoff", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-rakoff/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "Arts and crafts, or getting to...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-rakoff/arts-and-crafts-or-getting-to-be-in-a-play-with-people-or-making-a/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-rakoff/arts-and-crafts-or-getting-to-be-in-a-play-with-people-or-making-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 } } ] } ```