--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I did not begin with craft, I began with…" description: "\"I did not begin with craft, I began with strong feelings and worked toward craft.\" — Dorothy Allison" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/fab/dorothy-allison-2041_crafts_i-did-not-begin-with-craft-i-began-with_114305.png" --- # I did not begin with craft, I began with strong feelings… ![“I did not begin with craft, I began with strong feelings and worked toward craft.” quote by Dorothy Allison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/fab/dorothy-allison-2041_crafts_i-did-not-begin-with-craft-i-began-with_114305.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/fab/dorothy-allison-2041_crafts_i-did-not-begin-with-craft-i-began-with_114305.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/fab/dorothy-allison-2041_crafts_i-did-not-begin-with-craft-i-began-with_114305.png) > “I did not begin with craft, I began with strong feelings and worked toward craft.” [Dorothy Allison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dorothy-allison/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Emphasizes that authentic artistic skill grows from deep emotional experience rather than technical training alone. **In simple terms:** Start with feeling, then develop skill. Key Takeaway Emotion fuels true craftsmanship. Themes creativity emotion skill development artistic process Mood inspirational introspective Type personal motivational When to use this quote - Writing workshops - Music composition retreats - Visual art classes Key Concepts motivation self‑expression Practical Applications - Encourage creators to explore personal emotions before technique - Use journaling to translate feelings into art Questions to Reflect On - Can technique ever substitute for genuine feeling? - How does emotional honesty affect audience reception? A Different Perspective Technical mastery can also inspire new emotional depth; the relationship is bidirectional. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Crafts](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/crafts/) [Feelings](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/feelings/) [Strong feeling](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/strong-feeling/) ## Related quotes > [I have very strong feelings about how you lead your life. You always look ahead, you never look back.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ann-richards/i-have-very-strong-feelings-about-how-you-lead-your-life-you-always/) [Ann Richards](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ann-richards/) > [Strong feelings are fine; it's the overreactions that mess us up.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/albert-ellis/strong-feelings-are-fine-it-s-the-overreactions-that-mess-us-up/) [Albert Ellis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/albert-ellis/) > [If we didn't have strong feelings, how could we love or fight? When our flesh is cut, we bleed. When our heart is broken,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-liparulo/if-we-didn-t-have-strong-feelings-how-could-we-love-or-fight-when-our/) [Robert Liparulo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-liparulo/) > [Strong feelings do not necessarily make a strong character. The strength of a man is to be measured by the power of the feelings…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-carleton/strong-feelings-do-not-necessarily-make-a-strong-character-the/) William Carleton > [I have a sense of melancholy isolation, life rapidly vanishing, all the usual things. It's very strange how often strong feelings don't seem to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philip-larkin/i-have-a-sense-of-melancholy-isolation-life-rapidly-vanishing-all-the/) [Philip Larkin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philip-larkin/) > [I would far rather add a character who generates strong feelings than someone who just kind of floats along, generating medium-warmth smiles of gentle…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-schur/i-would-far-rather-add-a-character-who-generates-strong-feelings-than/) [Michael Schur](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-schur/) > [Sometimes kids just act impulsively, but it's because we have strong feelings, not because we're trying to make trouble.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-howe/sometimes-kids-just-act-impulsively-but-it-s-because-we-have-strong/) [James Howe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-howe/) > [I'm not an activist per se, but I have strong feelings about things. People can jump on celebrities for being ill-informed or naive, but…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ed-harris/i-m-not-an-activist-per-se-but-i-have-strong-feelings-about-things/) [Ed Harris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ed-harris/) > [I have strong feelings for you, I just haven't decided if their positive or negitive yet.A](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rick-riordan/i-have-strong-feelings-for-you-i-just-haven-t-decided-if-their/) [Rick Riordan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rick-riordan/) > [I run because I am convinced that this country is on a perilous course and I have such strong feelings about what must be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-kennedy/i-run-because-i-am-convinced-that-this-country-is-on-a-perilous/) [Robert Kennedy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-kennedy/) > [I think it's kind of written in stone that men are supposed to have strong feelings about age, but I've never really thought about…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nico-tortorella/i-think-it-s-kind-of-written-in-stone-that-men-are-supposed-to-have/) [Nico Tortorella](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nico-tortorella/) > [I remember with strong feelings the families who joined our movement and paid dues long before there was any hope of winning contracts. Sometimes,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cesar-chavez/i-remember-with-strong-feelings-the-families-who-joined-our-movement/) [Cesar Chavez](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cesar-chavez/) > [I think at times the very strong feelings I have about my country coincide with my musical ability, and I'm able to actually turn…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-fogerty/i-think-at-times-the-very-strong-feelings-i-have-about-my-country/) [John Fogerty](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-fogerty/) > [You must learn to translate wisdom and strong feelings into labor.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jim-rohn/you-must-learn-to-translate-wisdom-and-strong-feelings-into-labor/) [Jim Rohn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jim-rohn/) > [I'm a passionate individual, and sometimes when I have strong feelings about a subject, I feel the need to express myself.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/megan-fox/i-m-a-passionate-individual-and-sometimes-when-i-have-strong-feelings/) [Megan Fox](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/megan-fox/) ## More by Dorothy Allison > [she got a reputation for an easy smile and a sharp tongue, and using one to balance the other, she seemed friendly but distant](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dorothy-allison/she-got-a-reputation-for-an-easy-smile-and-a-sharp-tongue-and-using/) [Dorothy Allison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dorothy-allison/) > [“Simple answers, reductionist politics, are the most prone to compromise, to saying we’re addressing the essential issue and all that other stuff can slide.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dorothy-allison/simple-answers-reductionist-politics-are-the-most-prone-to-compromise/) [Dorothy Allison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dorothy-allison/) > [People don't do right because of the fear of God or love of him. You do right because the world doesn't make sense if…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dorothy-allison/people-don-t-do-right-because-of-the-fear-of-god-or-love-of-him-you/) [Dorothy Allison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dorothy-allison/) > [“I had to say to her that it isn’t just men, and it isn’t just men “like that.” I had to talk to her…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dorothy-allison/i-had-to-say-to-her-that-it-isn-t-just-men-and-it-isn-t-just-men-like/) [Dorothy Allison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dorothy-allison/) > [“Entitlement, I have told them, is a matter of feeling like we rather than they.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dorothy-allison/entitlement-i-have-told-them-is-a-matter-of-feeling-like-we-rather/) [Dorothy Allison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dorothy-allison/) > [“Love was something I would not have to worry about - the whole mystery of love, heartbreak songs, and family legends. Women who pined,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dorothy-allison/love-was-something-i-would-not-have-to-worry-about-the-whole-mystery/) [Dorothy Allison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dorothy-allison/) > [“Behind the story I tell is the one I don't. Behind the story you hear is the one I wish I could make you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dorothy-allison/behind-the-story-i-tell-is-the-one-i-don-t-behind-the-story-you-hear/) [Dorothy Allison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dorothy-allison/) > [Hunger makes you restless. you dream about food - not just any food, but perfect food, the best food, magical meals, famous and awe-inspiring,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dorothy-allison/hunger-makes-you-restless-you-dream-about-food-not-just-any-food-but/) [Dorothy Allison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dorothy-allison/) > [I think I would have died if there hadn't been the women's movement. It gave me a vision that I could do something different,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dorothy-allison/i-think-i-would-have-died-if-there-hadn-t-been-the-women-s-movement/) [Dorothy Allison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dorothy-allison/) > [People begin to write in order to create what they have not found and, a little bit, to give something back.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dorothy-allison/people-begin-to-write-in-order-to-create-what-they-have-not-found-and/) [Dorothy Allison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dorothy-allison/) > [The hardest thing to teach young writers is that it's wonderful to tell your truth. And that's what you should do. But it damn…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dorothy-allison/the-hardest-thing-to-teach-young-writers-is-that-it-s-wonderful-to/) [Dorothy Allison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dorothy-allison/) > [“The horror of class stratification, racism, and prejudice is that some people begin to believe that the security of their families and communities depends…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dorothy-allison/the-horror-of-class-stratification-racism-and-prejudice-is-that-some/) [Dorothy Allison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dorothy-allison/) > [I think I would have died if there hadn't been the women's movement.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dorothy-allison/i-think-i-would-have-died-if-there-hadn-t-been-the-women-s-movement-2/) [Dorothy Allison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dorothy-allison/) > [When I was growing up, I always read horror books, while my sister read romance novels. My sister became unmarried and pregnant during high…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dorothy-allison/when-i-was-growing-up-i-always-read-horror-books-while-my-sister-read/) [Dorothy Allison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dorothy-allison/) > [“Both of us had grown up believing that being beaten is normal, that being backhanded is ordinary, that being called names is a regular…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dorothy-allison/both-of-us-had-grown-up-believing-that-being-beaten-is-normal-that/) [Dorothy Allison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dorothy-allison/) [Explore all 189 Dorothy Allison quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dorothy-allison/) ## More Crafts quotes > [She spent hours drawing on her own, trying to perfect her craft. And when she got into music, she had that same diligence in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laura-joplin/she-spent-hours-drawing-on-her-own-trying-to-perfect-her-craft-and/) [Laura Joplin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laura-joplin/) > [All My Children taught me a great work ethic; you work so hard on a soap opera! It is a good way to start…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eva-larue/all-my-children-taught-me-a-great-work-ethic-you-work-so-hard-on-a/) [Eva LaRue](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eva-larue/) > [Good films are not made by accident, nor is good photography. You can have good things happen, on occasion, by accident that can be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gordon-willis/good-films-are-not-made-by-accident-nor-is-good-photography-you-can/) [Gordon Willis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gordon-willis/) > [ Harvey \[Weinstein\] didn't want to release \[MY SON THE FANATIC\]; he held it for two years because he wanted a happy ending, although I… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hanif-kureishi/harvey-weinstein-didn-t-want-to-release-my-son-the-fanatic-he-held-it/) [Hanif Kureishi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hanif-kureishi/) > [There is no royal path to good writing; and such paths as exist do not lead through neat critical gardens, various as they are,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jessamyn-west/there-is-no-royal-path-to-good-writing-and-such-paths-as-exist-do-not/) [Jessamyn West](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jessamyn-west/) > [The state of female artists is very good. But the very definition of art has been biased in that 'art' was what men did…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gloria-steinem/the-state-of-female-artists-is-very-good-but-the-very-definition-of/) [Gloria Steinem](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gloria-steinem/) > [the twelve or fifteen millions in the British Empire, who, while they possess no electoral rights, are yet persuaded they are freemen, and who…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-cobden/the-twelve-or-fifteen-millions-in-the-british-empire-who-while-they/) [Richard Cobden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-cobden/) > [I got Michael Caine's book, Acting In Film, and I read it on the plane, desperately trying to glean information from him about how…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eric-mccormack/i-got-michael-caine-s-book-acting-in-film-and-i-read-it-on-the-plane/) [Eric McCormack](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eric-mccormack/) > [One of the things about what . . . I do - writing plays - is that a poll is not taken before you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wendy-wasserstein/one-of-the-things-about-what-i-do-writing-plays-is-that-a-poll-is-not/) [Wendy Wasserstein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wendy-wasserstein/) > [Look, I come from vaudeville, I come from burlesque, I come from heartaches, I come from sadness, I come from gladness, I come from…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mickey-rooney/look-i-come-from-vaudeville-i-come-from-burlesque-i-come-from/) [Mickey Rooney](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mickey-rooney/) > [All the craft skills that I have, I feel like I developed and honed in drama school. It's the most important thing for me.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andre-holland/all-the-craft-skills-that-i-have-i-feel-like-i-developed-and-honed-in/) [Andre Holland](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andre-holland/) > [A first novel of astonishing force, craft and beauty, The Headmaster's Wager conjures up a dizzyingly evocative wartime Saigon in the story of Percival…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/janice-y-k-lee-2/a-first-novel-of-astonishing-force-craft-and-beauty-the-headmaster-s/) Janice Y. K. Lee > [This element of surprise or mystery - the detective element as it is sometimes rather emptily called - is of great importance in a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/e-m-forster/this-element-of-surprise-or-mystery-the-detective-element-as-it-is/) [E. M. Forster](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/e-m-forster/) > [The craft's occupants clutched their armrests, and more than one of them closed their eyes. But not Artemis. He couldn't. There was something morbidly…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eoin-colfer/the-craft-s-occupants-clutched-their-armrests-and-more-than-one-of/) [Eoin Colfer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eoin-colfer/) > [I always try to write on the principle of the iceberg. There is seven-eighths of it underwater for every part that shows.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ernest-hemingway/i-always-try-to-write-on-the-principle-of-the-iceberg-there-is-seven/) [Ernest Hemingway](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ernest-hemingway/) [Browse all 1,453 Crafts quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/crafts/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "I did not begin with craft, I began with strong feelings and worked toward craft.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Dorothy Allison" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dorothy-allison/i-did-not-begin-with-craft-i-began-with-strong-feelings-and-worked/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Crafts" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dorothy-allison/i-did-not-begin-with-craft-i-began-with-strong-feelings-and-worked/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/fab/dorothy-allison-2041_crafts_i-did-not-begin-with-craft-i-began-with_114305.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/fab/dorothy-allison-2041_crafts_i-did-not-begin-with-craft-i-began-with_114305.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/fab/dorothy-allison-2041_crafts_i-did-not-begin-with-craft-i-began-with_114305.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“I did not begin with craft, I began with strong feelings and worked toward craft.” — Dorothy Allison", "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": "Dorothy Allison", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dorothy-allison/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "I did not begin with craft,...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dorothy-allison/i-did-not-begin-with-craft-i-began-with-strong-feelings-and-worked/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dorothy-allison/i-did-not-begin-with-craft-i-began-with-strong-feelings-and-worked/#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 } } ] } ```