--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I've always looked at directing as the…" description: "\"I've always looked at directing as the next step for me in my creative career, and after spending the better part of the last decade on a television se..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/101/ian-anthony-dale-47831_absorbing_i-ve-always-looked-at-directing-as-the-n_210586.jpg" --- # I've always looked at directing as the next step for me in… ![“I've always looked at directing as the next step for me in my creative career, and after spending the better part of the last decade on a television set absorbing as much as I could from in front of the camera, I'm now eager to learn as much as I can from behind it.” quote by Ian Anthony Dale](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/101/ian-anthony-dale-47831_absorbing_i-ve-always-looked-at-directing-as-the-n_210586.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/101/ian-anthony-dale-47831_absorbing_i-ve-always-looked-at-directing-as-the-n_210586.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/101/ian-anthony-dale-47831_absorbing_i-ve-always-looked-at-directing-as-the-n_210586.jpg) > “I've always looked at directing as the next step for me in my creative career, and after spending the better part of the last decade on a television set absorbing as much as I could from in front of the camera, I'm now eager to learn as much as I can from behind it.” [Ian Anthony Dale](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ian-anthony-dale/) ## 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 sees directing as the natural progression after years of on‑camera experience, now eager to learn the behind‑the‑camera aspects of storytelling. **In simple terms:** After acting, he wants to become a director to control the whole story. Key Takeaway Pursue directing to expand creative control. Themes career transition learning storytelling vision Mood motivational reflective Type career personal development When to use this quote - film school - assistant director role - personal project - networking Key Concepts directing on‑camera experience creative growth Questions to Reflect On - What story do you want to tell as a director? - How will your acting background shape your directing style? A Different Perspective Balancing new skills with existing reputation can be tough. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Cameras](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/cameras/) [Creative](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/creative/) [Next step](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/next-step/) [Next steps](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/next-steps/) [Photography](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/photography/) [Television](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/television/) ## Related quotes > [The harder I push, the more I find within myself. I am always looking for the next step, a different world to go into,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ayrton-senna/the-harder-i-push-the-more-i-find-within-myself-i-am-always-looking/) [Ayrton Senna](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ayrton-senna/) > [I think my approach to a creative career was very entrepreneurial. 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I long ago learned that a day that starts out…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dean-koontz/if-i-waited-until-i-felt-creative-i-would-never-have-had-a-career-i/) [Dean Koontz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dean-koontz/) > [I believe that a creative career is only as good as the risks that you take with it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cate-blanchett/i-believe-that-a-creative-career-is-only-as-good-as-the-risks-that/) [Cate Blanchett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cate-blanchett/) > [If you want to be a creative person, then you’re gonna have to be creative in how you put your career together. There isn’t…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alec-soth/if-you-want-to-be-a-creative-person-then-you-re-gonna-have-to-be/) [Alec Soth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alec-soth/) > [It's really hard juggling, trying to carve out a time to have a family and be a mom and have a career, especially a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/santigold/it-s-really-hard-juggling-trying-to-carve-out-a-time-to-have-a-family/) [Santigold](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/santigold/) > [My whole creative career is a product of the Internet. ...I'll take that back. To some degree. My fascination with cultural esoterica and trivia…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-hodgman/my-whole-creative-career-is-a-product-of-the-internet-i-ll-take-that/) [John Hodgman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-hodgman/) > [“A successful creative career is always built on successful creative failures.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sravani-saha-nakhro/a-successful-creative-career-is-always-built-on-successful-creative/) [Sravani Saha Nakhro](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sravani-saha-nakhro/) > [I have people who come up to me and say, 'Oh, seeing your work in my little home town in the middle of nowhere…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kesh/i-have-people-who-come-up-to-me-and-say-oh-seeing-your-work-in-my/) [Kesh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kesh/) > [My mom is originally from Minnesota and pursuing a creative career wasn't very normal to her, so I think while I knew I wanted…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/esther-povitsky/my-mom-is-originally-from-minnesota-and-pursuing-a-creative-career/) [Esther Povitsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/esther-povitsky/) > [Edge also implies what Ben Graham…called a margin of safety. You have a margin of safety when you buy an asset at a price…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-mauboussin/edge-also-implies-what-ben-graham-called-a-margin-of-safety-you-have/) [Michael Mauboussin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-mauboussin/) > [I bless the gods for not letting my education in rhetoric, poetry, and other literary studies come easily to me, and thereby sparing me…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marcus-aurelius/i-bless-the-gods-for-not-letting-my-education-in-rhetoric-poetry-and/) [Marcus Aurelius](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marcus-aurelius/) > [I probably need another couple of years of absorbing that and really looking at it to be able to do it because you actually…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/colin-hanks/i-probably-need-another-couple-of-years-of-absorbing-that-and-really/) [Colin Hanks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/colin-hanks/) > [The artist has to be something like a whale swimming with his mouth wide open, absorbing everything until he has what he really needs.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/romare-bearden/the-artist-has-to-be-something-like-a-whale-swimming-with-his-mouth/) [Romare Bearden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/romare-bearden/) ## More by Ian Anthony Dale > [Failure is just part of life; it happens to everyone. Yet, it doesn't have to be crippling if you don't let it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ian-anthony-dale/failure-is-just-part-of-life-it-happens-to-everyone-yet-it-doesn-t/) [Ian Anthony Dale](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ian-anthony-dale/) > [If you can look at your failure and answer yes to the questions, "Did I give it my absolute best effort?" and "Have I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ian-anthony-dale/if-you-can-look-at-your-failure-and-answer-yes-to-the-questions-did-i/) [Ian Anthony Dale](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ian-anthony-dale/) > [My mother dedicated over fifty years of her life to the nursing profession, giving selflessly of her time, energy, and passion for the benefit…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ian-anthony-dale/my-mother-dedicated-over-fifty-years-of-her-life-to-the-nursing/) [Ian Anthony Dale](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ian-anthony-dale/) > [I run or hike three to four times per week and believe that an "everything in moderation" approach to dieting is the best way…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ian-anthony-dale/i-run-or-hike-three-to-four-times-per-week-and-believe-that-an/) [Ian Anthony Dale](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ian-anthony-dale/) > [I believe there is a right way to fail and a wrong way to fail.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ian-anthony-dale/i-believe-there-is-a-right-way-to-fail-and-a-wrong-way-to-fail/) [Ian Anthony Dale](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ian-anthony-dale/) > [I am inspired by those who dedicate their lives to bringing about positive social change throughout the world.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ian-anthony-dale/i-am-inspired-by-those-who-dedicate-their-lives-to-bringing-about/) [Ian Anthony Dale](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ian-anthony-dale/) > [I grew up in a household where the FryDaddy was always bubbling, and butter and salt were never in short supply. 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You have a margin of safety when you buy an asset at a price…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-mauboussin/edge-also-implies-what-ben-graham-called-a-margin-of-safety-you-have/) [Michael Mauboussin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-mauboussin/) > [I would spend hours absorbing every intonation, every inflection - how the singer would convey a sentiment and how it would sound coming out…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kat-edmonson/i-would-spend-hours-absorbing-every-intonation-every-inflection-how/) [Kat Edmonson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kat-edmonson/) > [The nut of this tree is hung high aloft, wrapped in a silk wrapper, which is enclosed in a case of sole leather, which…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/luis-de-camoes/the-nut-of-this-tree-is-hung-high-aloft-wrapped-in-a-silk-wrapper/) [Luis de Camoes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/luis-de-camoes/) > [The habit of quietly absorbing the shocks will be quite a great help to stabilize pure awareness. The technique is: Just feel not disturbed.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maharishi-mahesh-yogi/the-habit-of-quietly-absorbing-the-shocks-will-be-quite-a-great-help/) [Maharishi Mahesh Yogi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maharishi-mahesh-yogi/) > [It's hard to pick. I mean, I think the one that is most emblematic of the collaboration that occurred is "We Know The Way."…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lin-manuel-miranda/it-s-hard-to-pick-i-mean-i-think-the-one-that-is-most-emblematic-of/) [Lin-Manuel Miranda](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lin-manuel-miranda/) > [Babies breathe a lot more rapidly than adults do, and what's more, they're also growing quickly and so they're absorbing lots more into the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/francis-thompson/babies-breathe-a-lot-more-rapidly-than-adults-do-and-what-s-more-they/) [Francis Thompson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/francis-thompson/) > [Where does the ego get its energy? The ego feeds off your desire to be something else. You are poor and you want to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rajneesh/where-does-the-ego-get-its-energy-the-ego-feeds-off-your-desire-to-be/) [Rajneesh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rajneesh/) > [I know "accessibility" is a term that's kind of thrown around wantonly today, especially with talking about visual media. But I think that the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nate-powell/i-know-accessibility-is-a-term-that-s-kind-of-thrown-around-wantonly/) [Nate Powell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nate-powell/) > [In anything fit to be called by the name of reading, the process itself should be absorbing and voluptuous; we should gloat over a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-louis-stevenson/in-anything-fit-to-be-called-by-the-name-of-reading-the-process/) [Robert Louis Stevenson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-louis-stevenson/) > [Inside you're like some kind of mirror, reflecting everything without absorbing it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arthur-j-deikman/inside-you-re-like-some-kind-of-mirror-reflecting-everything-without/) [Arthur J. Deikman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arthur-j-deikman/) > [There are two kinds of actors -- one sits in a dressing room waiting for his call and the other gets out into the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/clint-eastwood/there-are-two-kinds-of-actors-one-sits-in-a-dressing-room-waiting-for/) [Clint Eastwood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/clint-eastwood/) > [You are well equipped with an incredible potential for absorbing knowledge. Let your imagination, the key to learning and memory, unleash that brain power…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dominic-o-brien/you-are-well-equipped-with-an-incredible-potential-for-absorbing/) Dominic O'Brien Browse all 189 Absorbing quotes ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "I've always looked at directing as the next step for me in my creative career, and after spending the better part of the last decade on a television set absorbing as much as I could from in front of the camera, I'm now eager to learn as much as I can from behind it.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Ian Anthony Dale" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ian-anthony-dale/i-ve-always-looked-at-directing-as-the-next-step-for-me-in-my/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Absorbing" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ian-anthony-dale/i-ve-always-looked-at-directing-as-the-next-step-for-me-in-my/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/101/ian-anthony-dale-47831_absorbing_i-ve-always-looked-at-directing-as-the-n_210586.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/101/ian-anthony-dale-47831_absorbing_i-ve-always-looked-at-directing-as-the-n_210586.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/101/ian-anthony-dale-47831_absorbing_i-ve-always-looked-at-directing-as-the-n_210586.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“I've always looked at directing as the next step for me in my creative career, and after spending the better…” — Ian Anthony Dale", "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": "Ian Anthony Dale", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ian-anthony-dale/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "I've always looked at directing as...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ian-anthony-dale/i-ve-always-looked-at-directing-as-the-next-step-for-me-in-my/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ian-anthony-dale/i-ve-always-looked-at-directing-as-the-next-step-for-me-in-my/#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 } } ] } ```