--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I wanted to be a visual artist, but I…" description: "\"I wanted to be a visual artist, but I realized I was more affected by what I read than by what I saw. I would go to a show at a museum and look at a pa..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/36f/david-sedaris-333_art_i-wanted-to-be-a-visual-artist-but-i-rea_2389589.jpg" --- # I wanted to be a visual artist, but I realized I was more… ![“I wanted to be a visual artist, but I realized I was more affected by what I read than by what I saw. I would go to a show at a museum and look at a painting and say, 'Oh I wish I owned that,' and that would be the end of my relationship with a painting. With a short story I would read or with an…” quote by David Sedaris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/36f/david-sedaris-333_art_i-wanted-to-be-a-visual-artist-but-i-rea_2389589.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/36f/david-sedaris-333_art_i-wanted-to-be-a-visual-artist-but-i-rea_2389589.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/36f/david-sedaris-333_art_i-wanted-to-be-a-visual-artist-but-i-rea_2389589.jpg) > “I wanted to be a visual artist, but I realized I was more affected by what I read than by what I saw. I would go to a show at a museum and look at a painting and say, 'Oh I wish I owned that,' and that would be the end of my relationship with a painting. With a short story I would read or with an author I would discover I could be haunted. It would affect my mood and affect the way that I saw the world. I thought, wow, it would be amazing to be able to do that.” [David Sedaris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-sedaris/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The speaker discovers that reading impacts them more deeply than visual art, shaping emotions and worldview more than seeing paintings. **In simple terms:** Reading moves me more than looking at art. Key Takeaway Explore reading to understand yourself. Themes creativity perception literature self‑discovery Mood reflective introspective Type personal inspirational When to use this quote - museum visits - reading clubs - writing workshops - personal reflection - creative career decisions Key Concepts narrative impact emotional resonance cognitive influence Questions to Reflect On - How do stories change your perception of reality? - Can visual art ever match the depth of narrative? A Different Perspective Visual art can still inspire, but may lack the lasting emotional imprint of stories. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Affected Read](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/affected-read-1824628/) [Art](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/art/) [Artist](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/artist/) [Artist Realized](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/artist-realized-4054292/) [Books](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/books/) [Haunted Affect](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/haunted-affect-5946735/) [I realized](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/i-realized/) [Mood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/mood/) [Painting](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/painting/) [Short story](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/short-story/) [Story Read](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/story-read-255123/) [Visual art](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/visual-art/) [Visual artist](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/visual-artist/) [Wish](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/wish/) [World](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/world/) ## Related quotes > [But an artist, he realized. Or rather so-called artist. Bohemian. That's closer to it. The artistic life without the talent.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philip-k-dick/but-an-artist-he-realized-or-rather-so-called-artist-bohemian-that-s/) [Philip K. Dick](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philip-k-dick/) > [Early on I came to realize something, and it came from the mail I received from kids. That is, kids at that pivotal age,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lois-lowry/early-on-i-came-to-realize-something-and-it-came-from-the-mail-i/) [Lois Lowry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lois-lowry/) > [But in the old days, visual artists used to fall into two distinct categories: those of us who created images with cameras and those…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/buffy-sainte-marie/but-in-the-old-days-visual-artists-used-to-fall-into-two-distinct/) [Buffy Sainte-Marie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/buffy-sainte-marie/) > [The literary artist lends verbal depth to the visual. The visual artist provides visible articulation for the literary.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aberjhani/the-literary-artist-lends-verbal-depth-to-the-visual-the-visual/) [Aberjhani](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aberjhani/) > [As a gender variant visual artist I access 'technologies of gender' in order to amplify rather than erase the hermaphroditic traces of my body.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/del-lagrace-volcano/as-a-gender-variant-visual-artist-i-access-technologies-of-gender-in/) [Del LaGrace Volcano](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/del-lagrace-volcano/) > [My bottom line is that I think Ridley Scott is one of the greatest visual artists of our time and I feel very privileged…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/russell-crowe/my-bottom-line-is-that-i-think-ridley-scott-is-one-of-the-greatest/) [Russell Crowe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/russell-crowe/) > [I have some advantages of viewing from the two lenses, the two perspectives. I think that a lot of visual artists who come back…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chath-piersath/i-have-some-advantages-of-viewing-from-the-two-lenses-the-two/) [Chath Piersath](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chath-piersath/) > [ \[My photography teacher\] gave me the Mexican Day Books of Edward Weston and just blew me away with this work. The fact that you… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/max-pam/my-photography-teacher-gave-me-the-mexican-day-books-of-edward-weston/) [Max Pam](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/max-pam/) > [I'm a visual artist myself and always have been so it's very natural for me to be very concerned with presentation, whether it's artwork…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pj-harvey/i-m-a-visual-artist-myself-and-always-have-been-so-it-s-very-natural/) [PJ Harvey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pj-harvey/) > [Visual artists choreograph dances for the eyes, guiding visual journeys in specific ways. But when presented with little or nothing, the journeys of the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-paul-caponigro/visual-artists-choreograph-dances-for-the-eyes-guiding-visual/) [John Paul Caponigro](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-paul-caponigro/) > [Symphony is the ability to see the big picture, connect the dots, combine disparate things into something new. Visual artists in particular are good…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-h-pink/symphony-is-the-ability-to-see-the-big-picture-connect-the-dots/) [Daniel H. Pink](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-h-pink/) > [I often envy my friends who are visual artists. Visual artists have other things to work with. Other media. I envy my sculptor friends:…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dani-shapiro/i-often-envy-my-friends-who-are-visual-artists-visual-artists-have/) [Dani Shapiro](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dani-shapiro/) > [Unlike a lot of choreographers, I don't always start with the music. I often start with a visual artist, and then find music that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wayne-mcgregor/unlike-a-lot-of-choreographers-i-don-t-always-start-with-the-music-i/) [Wayne McGregor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wayne-mcgregor/) > [Writers and musicians know well the importance of extensive reading for successful writing or extensive listening for musical composition. Likewise, visual artists... understand that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-laseau/writers-and-musicians-know-well-the-importance-of-extensive-reading/) [Paul Laseau](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-laseau/) > [I am a horrible visual artist. I can't fix a car, sew, knit, cook, etc. Statistically, there is more I don't do than do.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carrie-brownstein/i-am-a-horrible-visual-artist-i-can-t-fix-a-car-sew-knit-cook-etc/) [Carrie Brownstein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carrie-brownstein/) ## More by David Sedaris > [“Plenty of animals had pets, but few were more devoted than the mouse, who owned a baby corn snake—“A rescue snake, she’d be quick…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-sedaris/plenty-of-animals-had-pets-but-few-were-more-devoted-than-the-mouse/) [David Sedaris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-sedaris/) > [“never fall asleep in a Dumpster, never underestimate a bee, never drive a convertible behind a flatbed truck, never get old, never get drunk…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-sedaris/never-fall-asleep-in-a-dumpster-never-underestimate-a-bee-never-drive/) [David Sedaris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-sedaris/) > [“It was a father, one hand resting teapot-style on his hip, and the other - what would be the spout - formed into a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-sedaris/it-was-a-father-one-hand-resting-teapot-style-on-his-hip-and-the/) [David Sedaris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-sedaris/) > [“A Japanese woman we’d met in Paris came to the apartment yesterday and spent several hours explaining our appliances. The microwave, the water kettle,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-sedaris/a-japanese-woman-we-d-met-in-paris-came-to-the-apartment-yesterday/) [David Sedaris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-sedaris/) > [One thing I like about the United States, and I kind of miss about the United States, is there's an election coming up here…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-sedaris/one-thing-i-like-about-the-united-states-and-i-kind-of-miss-about-the/) [David Sedaris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-sedaris/) > [When you read comic material and people aren't laughing how do you know they're listening.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-sedaris/when-you-read-comic-material-and-people-aren-t-laughing-how-do-you/) [David Sedaris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-sedaris/) > [“You have how many children in your family?" the teacher would ask. "I'm guessing you must be Catholic, am I right?”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-sedaris/you-have-how-many-children-in-your-family-the-teacher-would-ask-i-m/) [David Sedaris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-sedaris/) > [“Like most seasoned phonies, I roundly suspect that everyone is as disingenuous as I am.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-sedaris/like-most-seasoned-phonies-i-roundly-suspect-that-everyone-is-as/) [David Sedaris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-sedaris/) > [As a child I assumed that when I reached adulthood, I would have grown-up thoughts.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-sedaris/as-a-child-i-assumed-that-when-i-reached-adulthood-i-would-have-grown/) [David Sedaris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-sedaris/) > [“You just take and take don´t you? Out there with your thumb in the air—not a care in the world, just grabbing whatever you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-sedaris/you-just-take-and-take-don-t-you-out-there-with-your-thumb-in-the-air/) [David Sedaris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-sedaris/) > [In other parts of the country people tried to stay together for the sake of the children. In New York they tried to work…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-sedaris/in-other-parts-of-the-country-people-tried-to-stay-together-for-the/) [David Sedaris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-sedaris/) > [My boyfriend got me a computer three years ago. I'll admit it does make things a lot easier. When I was working on a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-sedaris/my-boyfriend-got-me-a-computer-three-years-ago-i-ll-admit-it-does/) [David Sedaris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-sedaris/) > [I spent months searching for some secret code before I realized that common sense has nothing to do with it. Hysteria, psychosis, torture, depression:…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-sedaris/i-spent-months-searching-for-some-secret-code-before-i-realized-that/) [David Sedaris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-sedaris/) > [I hated leaving a hole in the smoking world, and so I recruited someone to take my place. People have given me a lot…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-sedaris/i-hated-leaving-a-hole-in-the-smoking-world-and-so-i-recruited/) [David Sedaris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-sedaris/) > [Write relentlessly, until you find your voice. Then, use it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-sedaris/write-relentlessly-until-you-find-your-voice-then-use-it/) [David Sedaris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-sedaris/) [Explore all 667 David Sedaris quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-sedaris/) ## 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": "I wanted to be a visual artist, but I realized I was more affected by what I read than by what I saw. I would go to a show at a museum and look at a painting and say, 'Oh I wish I owned that,' and that would be the end of my relationship with a painting. With a short story I would read or with an author I would discover I could be haunted. It would affect my mood and affect the way that I saw the world. I thought, wow, it would be amazing to be able to do that.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "David Sedaris" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-sedaris/i-wanted-to-be-a-visual-artist-but-i-realized-i-was-more-affected-by/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Art" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-sedaris/i-wanted-to-be-a-visual-artist-but-i-realized-i-was-more-affected-by/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/36f/david-sedaris-333_art_i-wanted-to-be-a-visual-artist-but-i-rea_2389589.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/36f/david-sedaris-333_art_i-wanted-to-be-a-visual-artist-but-i-rea_2389589.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/36f/david-sedaris-333_art_i-wanted-to-be-a-visual-artist-but-i-rea_2389589.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“I wanted to be a visual artist, but I realized I was more affected by what I read than by what I saw. I…” — David Sedaris", "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 Sedaris", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-sedaris/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "I wanted to be a visual...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-sedaris/i-wanted-to-be-a-visual-artist-but-i-realized-i-was-more-affected-by/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-sedaris/i-wanted-to-be-a-visual-artist-but-i-realized-i-was-more-affected-by/#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 } } ] } ```