--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I colour for a living. When I am a good…" description: "\"I colour for a living. When I am a good artist, the only difference between me and a child is that I am more wrinkled. When I am not being a good artis..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d72/janice-tanton-41747_art_i-colour-for-a-living-when-i-am-a-good-a_612754.jpg" --- # I colour for a living. When I am a good artist, the only… ![“I colour for a living. When I am a good artist, the only difference between me and a child is that I am more wrinkled. When I am not being a good artist, the only difference between me and a child is every difference imaginable.” quote by Janice Tanton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d72/janice-tanton-41747_art_i-colour-for-a-living-when-i-am-a-good-a_612754.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d72/janice-tanton-41747_art_i-colour-for-a-living-when-i-am-a-good-a_612754.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d72/janice-tanton-41747_art_i-colour-for-a-living-when-i-am-a-good-a_612754.jpg) > “I colour for a living. When I am a good artist, the only difference between me and a child is that I am more wrinkled. When I am not being a good artist, the only difference between me and a child is every difference imaginable.” [Janice Tanton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/janice-tanton/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. When skilled, she resembles a child; when not, she is far beyond a child. **In simple terms:** Skill level changes her similarity to a child. Key Takeaway Strive for artistic excellence. Themes art creativity self‑perception Mood contemplative inspirational Type artistic philosophical When to use this quote - gallery opening - art education - creative workshops - personal reflection Key Concepts aesthetic theory psychology of art Questions to Reflect On - What defines a good artist for you? - How does failure shape creativity? A Different Perspective Artistic blocks can hinder growth. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Art](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/art/) [Artist](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/artist/) [Children](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/children/) [Colour](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/colour/) [Differences](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/differences/) [Good art](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/good-art/) [Life](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/life/) ## Related quotes > [“I am an artist, the difference between myself and other artists is that the ink pen is my brush and a notebook serves as…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/luke-wood/i-am-an-artist-the-difference-between-myself-and-other-artists-is/) [Luke Wood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/luke-wood/) > [I'm an artist...The difference is that I don't tell anybody. I refuse to give them new reasons to laugh at me.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nikki-grimes/i-m-an-artist-the-difference-is-that-i-don-t-tell-anybody-i-refuse-to/) [Nikki Grimes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nikki-grimes/) > [Good artists exist in what they make, and consequently are perfectly uninteresting in what they are.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dave-eggers/good-artists-exist-in-what-they-make-and-consequently-are-perfectly/) [Dave Eggers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dave-eggers/) > [A good artist lets his intuition lead him wherever it wants.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laozi/a-good-artist-lets-his-intuition-lead-him-wherever-it-wants/) [Laozi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laozi/) > [A good traveler has no fixed plans and is not intent upon arriving. A good artist lets his intuition lead him wherever it wants.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laozi/a-good-traveler-has-no-fixed-plans-and-is-not-intent-upon-arriving-a/) [Laozi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laozi/) > [A Good artist has less time than ideas.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martin-kippenberger/a-good-artist-has-less-time-than-ideas/) [Martin Kippenberger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martin-kippenberger/) > [When I propose a candidate for a job I don't do it because the person in question is the best but because he is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jo-nesbo/when-i-propose-a-candidate-for-a-job-i-don-t-do-it-because-the-person/) [Jo Nesbo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jo-nesbo/) > [“Convincing myself I was a “good artist” while also knowing how pointless it was to be one.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/guillaume-morissette/convincing-myself-i-was-a-good-artist-while-also-knowing-how/) [Guillaume Morissette](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/guillaume-morissette/) > [I just wanna be a good artist.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kat-graham/i-just-wanna-be-a-good-artist/) [Kat Graham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kat-graham/) > [A good artist's always got his hand in his zipper.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patti-smith/a-good-artist-s-always-got-his-hand-in-his-zipper/) [Patti Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patti-smith/) > [Let the writer take up surgery or bricklaying if he is interested in technique. There is no mechanical way to get the writing done,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-faulkner/let-the-writer-take-up-surgery-or-bricklaying-if-he-is-interested-in/) [William Faulkner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-faulkner/) > [Only a bad artist thinks he has a good idea. A good artist does not need anything.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ad-reinhardt/only-a-bad-artist-thinks-he-has-a-good-idea-a-good-artist-does-not/) [Ad Reinhardt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ad-reinhardt/) > [The malady of civilized man is his knowledge of death. The good artist, like the wise man, addresses himself to life and invests with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gore-vidal/the-malady-of-civilized-man-is-his-knowledge-of-death-the-good-artist/) [Gore Vidal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gore-vidal/) > [I'm just a fan of all music. My family owned a record shop so I grew up taking it all in on a daily…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ab-soul/i-m-just-a-fan-of-all-music-my-family-owned-a-record-shop-so-i-grew/) [Ab-Soul](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ab-soul/) > [A real good artist learns to be a better person through all the changes they've been through. They keep their loving and honesty growing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-bradley/a-real-good-artist-learns-to-be-a-better-person-through-all-the/) [Charles Bradley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-bradley/) ## More by Janice Tanton > [If you would listen to every stroke of my brush, I would never need to speak again.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/janice-tanton/if-you-would-listen-to-every-stroke-of-my-brush-i-would-never-need-to/) [Janice Tanton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/janice-tanton/) > [I care about the human race, and I strive to understand it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/janice-tanton/i-care-about-the-human-race-and-i-strive-to-understand-it/) [Janice Tanton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/janice-tanton/) > [Creatives are feared and ridiculed... and at the same time highly valued for their ability to see things that others do not.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/janice-tanton/creatives-are-feared-and-ridiculed-and-at-the-same-time-highly-valued/) [Janice Tanton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/janice-tanton/) > [You can either buy shoes or paint.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/janice-tanton/you-can-either-buy-shoes-or-paint/) [Janice Tanton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/janice-tanton/) > [Sometimes I misstep into something perhaps I shouldn't, but with age comes a thick, high pair of rubber boots to wade through the barnyard.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/janice-tanton/sometimes-i-misstep-into-something-perhaps-i-shouldn-t-but-with-age/) [Janice Tanton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/janice-tanton/) > [There are many things one thinks about in a painting. 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I try to live…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/janice-tanton/i-saw-a-great-bumper-sticker-that-read-do-something-that-scares-you/) [Janice Tanton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/janice-tanton/) [Explore all 10 Janice Tanton quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/janice-tanton/) ## 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. 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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. 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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 colour for a living. 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