---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Artist communities love to bullshit each…"
description: "\"“Artist communities love to bullshit each other and glad-hand one another, and there's no room for the crippling honesty of comedy. \"I'm a painter\" -- ..."
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8a2/doug-stanhope-1528_art_artist-communities-love-to-bullshit-each_1448210.jpg"
---

#  Artist communities love to bullshit each other and…

![“Artist communities love to bullshit each other and glad-hand one another, and there's no room for the crippling honesty of comedy. &quot;I'm a painter&quot; -- well... you don't...probably need to do that. . . . if you're painting something that doesn't exist, I understand that, I can appreciate- . . . but…” quote by Doug Stanhope](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8a2/doug-stanhope-1528_art_artist-communities-love-to-bullshit-each_1448210.jpg)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8a2/doug-stanhope-1528_art_artist-communities-love-to-bullshit-each_1448210.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8a2/doug-stanhope-1528_art_artist-communities-love-to-bullshit-each_1448210.jpg)

> ““Artist communities love to bullshit each other and glad-hand one another, and there's no room for the crippling honesty of comedy. "I'm a painter" -- well... you don't...probably need to do that. . . . if you're painting something that doesn't exist, I understand that, I can appreciate- . . . but if your pain- 'oh, it's a barnyard scene in autumn'--well then just take a picture of a barn in autumn! It's way better than a painting! - Before Turning the Gun on Himself \[2012\]””

[Doug Stanhope](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/doug-stanhope/)

## About This Quote

This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation.

Comedy and art communities often prioritize bravado over genuine honesty, discouraging authentic expression.

**In simple terms:** Artists avoid true honesty, favoring bravado.

Key Takeaway

Embrace sincere creativity.

Themes

art honesty comedy community authenticity

Mood

cynical provocative raw

Type

satirical critical motivational

When to use this quote

- stand-up performances
- art workshops
- creative collaborations
- peer critique

Key Concepts

self-deception social pressure creative integrity

Questions to Reflect On

- What truth are you avoiding in your work?
- How can honesty improve artistic impact?

A Different Perspective

The harsh tone may alienate potential allies.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Art](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/art/) [Artist](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/artist/) [Artists](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/artists/) [Comedy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/comedy/) [Humor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/humor/) [Painting](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/painting/) [Photography](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/photography/)

## Related quotes

> [The process of painting offers an infinite array of possibilities. The closer in unification to just one of those, the better the painting becomes.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-luiz/the-process-of-painting-offers-an-infinite-array-of-possibilities-the/)

[David Luiz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-luiz/)

> [Making something good and saying something brilliant are not two things. When you make your own statement, there is a higher energy level, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roy-lichtenstein/making-something-good-and-saying-something-brilliant-are-not-two/)

[Roy Lichtenstein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roy-lichtenstein/)

> [Collect impressions. Don't be in a hurry to write them down. Because that's something music can do better than painting: it can centralise variations…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/claude-debussy/collect-impressions-don-t-be-in-a-hurry-to-write-them-down-because/)

[Claude Debussy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/claude-debussy/)

> [I don't think money can help you become a better painter, for sure. You can have all the studios you want; it won't help…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-doig/i-don-t-think-money-can-help-you-become-a-better-painter-for-sure-you/)

[Peter Doig](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-doig/)

> [I liked sculpting better than painting. You have more freedom in sculpting.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anthony-quinn/i-liked-sculpting-better-than-painting-you-have-more-freedom-in/)

[Anthony Quinn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anthony-quinn/)

> [I think every painting should be the same size and the same color so they're all interchangeable and nobody thinks they have a better…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andy-warhol/i-think-every-painting-should-be-the-same-size-and-the-same-color-so/)

[Andy Warhol](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andy-warhol/)

> [Sometimes I could quit paint and take to charring. It must be fine to clean perfectly, to shine and polish and know that it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emily-carr/sometimes-i-could-quit-paint-and-take-to-charring-it-must-be-fine-to/)

[Emily Carr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emily-carr/)

> [Artists who say that they're artists: usually people who need a job.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/doug-stanhope/artists-who-say-that-they-re-artists-usually-people-who-need-a-job/)

[Doug Stanhope](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/doug-stanhope/)

> [God knows that we are creative artists when it comes to our lives. On one day, he gives us clay for sculpting, on another,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/god-knows-that-we-are-creative-artists-when-it-comes-to-our-lives-on/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [“We were poor, but we were happy. We didn’t have much, but we were painting. (Interview in Washington Mag)”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alfredo-arreguin/we-were-poor-but-we-were-happy-we-didn-t-have-much-but-we-were/)

Alfredo Arreguin

> [Often times, it's the mistakes that make it genius](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/melody-minagar/often-times-it-s-the-mistakes-that-make-it-genius/)

[Melody Minagar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/melody-minagar/)

> [Defeat furnishes good material to the poets and the artists, but none of us care to have the glory of the conquered apply to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susan-glaspell/defeat-furnishes-good-material-to-the-poets-and-the-artists-but-none/)

[Susan Glaspell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susan-glaspell/)

> [“Artist Matthew Barney has made a film about “shit”. It is hardly original. Hollywood has made shit films for decades.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dean-cavanagh/artist-matthew-barney-has-made-a-film-about-shit-it-is-hardly/)

[Dean Cavanagh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dean-cavanagh/)

> [I don't believe in competitions between artists. This is insane. Who has the authority to say someone is better?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-arkin/i-don-t-believe-in-competitions-between-artists-this-is-insane-who/)

[Alan Arkin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-arkin/)

> [“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/)

## More by Doug Stanhope

> [I had no musical or athletic ability, and I wasn't particularly good looking. Comedy was something I could do for attention.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/doug-stanhope/i-had-no-musical-or-athletic-ability-and-i-wasn-t-particularly-good/)

[Doug Stanhope](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/doug-stanhope/)

> [Jesus died for your sins. I'm doing it for your mere entertainment dollar.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/doug-stanhope/jesus-died-for-your-sins-i-m-doing-it-for-your-mere-entertainment/)

[Doug Stanhope](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/doug-stanhope/)

> [I believe that everyone should be treated as an individual. Women should be treated equally in the right to vote, sure. But if Im…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/doug-stanhope/i-believe-that-everyone-should-be-treated-as-an-individual-women/)

[Doug Stanhope](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/doug-stanhope/)

> [They say 'life is precious'. To who? To you, when you're young and you've got a few dollars in your pocket. Tell that to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/doug-stanhope/they-say-life-is-precious-to-who-to-you-when-you-re-young-and-you-ve/)

[Doug Stanhope](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/doug-stanhope/)

> [The ultimate act of cowardice is the fat-headed wrestling guy sitting behind the frail kid in math class, clipping him on the ear, saying:…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/doug-stanhope/the-ultimate-act-of-cowardice-is-the-fat-headed-wrestling-guy-sitting/)

[Doug Stanhope](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/doug-stanhope/)

> [There's no such thing as addiction, there's only things that you enjoy doing more than life.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/doug-stanhope/there-s-no-such-thing-as-addiction-there-s-only-things-that-you-enjoy/)

[Doug Stanhope](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/doug-stanhope/)

> [ The whole acting and Hollywood \[thing\], it's just work to me. Stand-up comedy ruins you so badly for doing television. I don't really need… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/doug-stanhope/the-whole-acting-and-hollywood-thing-it-s-just-work-to-me-stand-up/)

[Doug Stanhope](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/doug-stanhope/)

> [You should laugh everywhere you can find even the slightest glimmer of humour.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/doug-stanhope/you-should-laugh-everywhere-you-can-find-even-the-slightest-glimmer/)

[Doug Stanhope](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/doug-stanhope/)

> [I have no fear of death, except I hate waiting for it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/doug-stanhope/i-have-no-fear-of-death-except-i-hate-waiting-for-it/)

[Doug Stanhope](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/doug-stanhope/)

> [Everybody's angry. They've got nothing to be angry at, so they're angry about nothing.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/doug-stanhope/everybody-s-angry-they-ve-got-nothing-to-be-angry-at-so-they-re-angry/)

[Doug Stanhope](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/doug-stanhope/)

> [People who want to kill other people are the last people I want to party with, because I get mouthy when I drink.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/doug-stanhope/people-who-want-to-kill-other-people-are-the-last-people-i-want-to/)

[Doug Stanhope](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/doug-stanhope/)

> [Democracy is the worst kind of government, I'm sorry. Would you still call yourself a Christian if they elected a new Jesus every four…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/doug-stanhope/democracy-is-the-worst-kind-of-government-i-m-sorry-would-you-still/)

[Doug Stanhope](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/doug-stanhope/)

> [You forget, when you're in the Scandinavian countries, you forget they don't speak English first and they speak better than I do.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/doug-stanhope/you-forget-when-you-re-in-the-scandinavian-countries-you-forget-they/)

[Doug Stanhope](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/doug-stanhope/)

> [Life's temporary for a reason, it gets boring after awhile.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/doug-stanhope/life-s-temporary-for-a-reason-it-gets-boring-after-awhile/)

[Doug Stanhope](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/doug-stanhope/)

> [The more business gets involved, the less fun it is.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/doug-stanhope/the-more-business-gets-involved-the-less-fun-it-is/)

[Doug Stanhope](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/doug-stanhope/)

[Explore all 230 Doug Stanhope quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/doug-stanhope/)

## 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": "“Artist communities love to bullshit each other and glad-hand one another, and there's no room for the crippling honesty of comedy. \"I'm a painter\" -- well... you don't...probably need to do that. . . . if you're painting something that doesn't exist, I understand that, I can appreciate- . . . but if your pain- 'oh, it's a barnyard scene in autumn'--well then just take a picture of a barn in autumn! It's way better than a painting! - Before Turning the Gun on Himself [2012]”",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Doug Stanhope"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/doug-stanhope/artist-communities-love-to-bullshit-each-other-and-glad-hand-one/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Art"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/doug-stanhope/artist-communities-love-to-bullshit-each-other-and-glad-hand-one/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8a2/doug-stanhope-1528_art_artist-communities-love-to-bullshit-each_1448210.jpg",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8a2/doug-stanhope-1528_art_artist-communities-love-to-bullshit-each_1448210.jpg",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8a2/doug-stanhope-1528_art_artist-communities-love-to-bullshit-each_1448210.jpg",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“Artist communities love to bullshit each other and glad-hand one another, and there's no room for the…” — Doug Stanhope",
                "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": "Doug Stanhope",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/doug-stanhope/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "“Artist communities love to bullshit each...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/doug-stanhope/artist-communities-love-to-bullshit-each-other-and-glad-hand-one/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/doug-stanhope/artist-communities-love-to-bullshit-each-other-and-glad-hand-one/#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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
