--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: My transition from wanting to be a…" description: "\"My transition from wanting to be a cartoonist to wanting to be a writer may have come about through that friendly opposition, that even-handed pairing,..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ab4/john-updike-396_about_my-transition-from-wanting-to-be-a-carto_1814156.png" --- # My transition from wanting to be a cartoonist to wanting… ![“My transition from wanting to be a cartoonist to wanting to be a writer may have come about through that friendly opposition, that even-handed pairing, of pictures and words.” quote by John Updike](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ab4/john-updike-396_about_my-transition-from-wanting-to-be-a-carto_1814156.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ab4/john-updike-396_about_my-transition-from-wanting-to-be-a-carto_1814156.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ab4/john-updike-396_about_my-transition-from-wanting-to-be-a-carto_1814156.png) > “My transition from wanting to be a cartoonist to wanting to be a writer may have come about through that friendly opposition, that even-handed pairing, of pictures and words.” [John Updike](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-updike/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The shift from visual to textual storytelling emerges from a balanced dialogue between images and words, enriching creative expression. **In simple terms:** Combining pictures and words deepens creative work. Key Takeaway Blend visual and textual ideas for richer stories. Themes creativity artistic evolution interdisciplinary Mood inspired curious Type educational motivational When to use this quote - writing a graphic novel - teaching art - collaborative projects Key Concepts visual literacy narrative theory Questions to Reflect On - How can you integrate images into your writing? - What benefits arise from this fusion? A Different Perspective Balancing mediums can be challenging for purists. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Opposition](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/opposition/) [Transition](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/transition/) [Words](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/words/) [Writer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writer/) [Writing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writing/) ## Related quotes > [If you're a kid wanting to be a cartoonist today, and you're looking at Family Guy, you don't have to aim very high.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-kricfalusi/if-you-re-a-kid-wanting-to-be-a-cartoonist-today-and-you-re-looking/) [John Kricfalusi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-kricfalusi/) > [I'd like to have money. And I'd like to be a good writer. These two can come together, and I hope they will, but…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dorothy-parker/i-d-like-to-have-money-and-i-d-like-to-be-a-good-writer-these-two-can/) [Dorothy Parker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dorothy-parker/) > [“Everybody is born with a little bit of writer in them. We all come with the desire to work hard to see our creations…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brian-a-mcbride/everybody-is-born-with-a-little-bit-of-writer-in-them-we-all-come/) [Brian A. McBride](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brian-a-mcbride/) > [Stop it boy, Do not come and argue wit men. Im sick like Writer, So you can come and honor my Pen.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jr-writer/stop-it-boy-do-not-come-and-argue-wit-men-im-sick-like-writer-so-you/) [JR Writer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jr-writer/) > [Some of my most enjoyable moments as a writer have come while conjuring a meet cute.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mary-kay-andrews/some-of-my-most-enjoyable-moments-as-a-writer-have-come-while/) [Mary Kay Andrews](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mary-kay-andrews/) > [If you're a writer there will come at least one morning in your life when you wake up and want to kill your agent.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bernice-rubens/if-you-re-a-writer-there-will-come-at-least-one-morning-in-your-life/) Bernice Rubens > [I'm not a fast writer at all. I come empty and wait upon the Lord. So it really is all a waiting process, a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ann-voskamp/i-m-not-a-fast-writer-at-all-i-come-empty-and-wait-upon-the-lord-so/) [Ann Voskamp](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ann-voskamp/) > [I never had a moment of wanting to be a writer. I wanted to be an actress, but writing was just a thing I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-pinborough/i-never-had-a-moment-of-wanting-to-be-a-writer-i-wanted-to-be-an/) [Sarah Pinborough](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-pinborough/) > [I was kind of an outsider growing up, and I preferred reading to being with other kids. When I was about seven, I started…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ann-hood/i-was-kind-of-an-outsider-growing-up-and-i-preferred-reading-to-being/) [Ann Hood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ann-hood/) > [I grew up wanting to be a writer for theatre.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-durang/i-grew-up-wanting-to-be-a-writer-for-theatre/) [Christopher Durang](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-durang/) > [There is and always has been for me a peculiar need to write. This is very different from wanting to be a writer. To…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patricia-wentworth/there-is-and-always-has-been-for-me-a-peculiar-need-to-write-this-is/) [Patricia Wentworth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patricia-wentworth/) > [The truth is, I hadn't grown up really wanting to be a writer. The whole thing was a weird aberration in some ways, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alex-garland/the-truth-is-i-hadn-t-grown-up-really-wanting-to-be-a-writer-the/) [Alex Garland](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alex-garland/) > [ I needed to do a lot of saying no. I had a lot of \[interest\] from people who I just didn't think were quite… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emma-donoghue/i-needed-to-do-a-lot-of-saying-no-i-had-a-lot-of-interest-from-people/) [Emma Donoghue](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emma-donoghue/) > [And I didn't grow up wanting to be a director. I grew up wanting to be a writer, so for me, that was always…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-benioff/and-i-didn-t-grow-up-wanting-to-be-a-director-i-grew-up-wanting-to-be/) [David Benioff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-benioff/) > [Writing was the soul of everything else ... Wanting to be a writer was wanting to be a person.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patricia-hampl/writing-was-the-soul-of-everything-else-wanting-to-be-a-writer-was/) [Patricia Hampl](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patricia-hampl/) ## More by John Updike > [Life is a roller coaster, you have your ups and downs unless you fall off.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-updike/life-is-a-roller-coaster-you-have-your-ups-and-downs-unless-you-fall/) [John Updike](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-updike/) > [Children are not a zoo of entertainingly exotic creatures, but an array of mirrors in which the human predicament leaps out at us.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-updike/children-are-not-a-zoo-of-entertainingly-exotic-creatures-but-an/) [John Updike](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-updike/) > [I assume my stance, and take back the club, low, slowly; at the top, my eyes fog over, and my joints dip and swirl…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-updike/i-assume-my-stance-and-take-back-the-club-low-slowly-at-the-top-my/) [John Updike](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-updike/) > [The New England spirit does not seek solutions in a crowd; raw light and solitariness are less dreaded than welcomed as enhancers of our…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-updike/the-new-england-spirit-does-not-seek-solutions-in-a-crowd-raw-light/) [John Updike](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-updike/) > [I imagine most of that stuff on the information highway is roadkill anyway.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-updike/i-imagine-most-of-that-stuff-on-the-information-highway-is-roadkill/) [John Updike](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-updike/) > [Families, doing everything for each other out of imagined obligation and always getting in each other's way, what a tangle.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-updike/families-doing-everything-for-each-other-out-of-imagined-obligation/) [John Updike](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-updike/) > [“The fucking world is running out of gas.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-updike/the-fucking-world-is-running-out-of-gas/) [John Updike](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-updike/) > [The theme of old age doesn't seem to fascinate Hollywood.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-updike/the-theme-of-old-age-doesn-t-seem-to-fascinate-hollywood/) [John Updike](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-updike/) > [“The mind cannot fall asleep as long as it watches itself. Only when the mind moves unwatched and becomes absorbed in images that tug…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-updike/the-mind-cannot-fall-asleep-as-long-as-it-watches-itself-only-when/) [John Updike](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-updike/) > [“it was somehow wonderful of her to be, in every detail, herself.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-updike/it-was-somehow-wonderful-of-her-to-be-in-every-detail-herself/) [John Updike](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-updike/) > [In fiction, imaginary people become realer to us than any named celebrity glimpsed in a series of rumored events, whose causes and subtler ramifications…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-updike/in-fiction-imaginary-people-become-realer-to-us-than-any-named/) [John Updike](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-updike/) > [“Her hair had been going gray as long as he could remember; she bundled it behind in a bun held with hairpins that he…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-updike/her-hair-had-been-going-gray-as-long-as-he-could-remember-she-bundled/) [John Updike](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-updike/) > [Possession diminishes perception of value, immediately](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-updike/possession-diminishes-perception-of-value-immediately/) [John Updike](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-updike/) > [I can't bear to finish things, beyond a certain point they get heavy. There's something so dead about a finished painting.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-updike/i-can-t-bear-to-finish-things-beyond-a-certain-point-they-get-heavy/) [John Updike](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-updike/) > [“Some people find fall depressing, others hate spring. I've always been a spring person myself. All that growth, you can feel Nature groaning, the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-updike/some-people-find-fall-depressing-others-hate-spring-i-ve-always-been/) [John Updike](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-updike/) [Explore all 592 John Updike quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-updike/) ## More About quotes > [If you ask an introvert a question, wait until she thinks about it. Introverts think before speaking, not through speaking. If you want to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laurie-helgoe/if-you-ask-an-introvert-a-question-wait-until-she-thinks-about-it/) [Laurie Helgoe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laurie-helgoe/) > [Joking about violence is not funny.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/perez-hilton/joking-about-violence-is-not-funny/) [Perez Hilton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/perez-hilton/) > [I talk to my mates about our kids, being too tired and being worn out.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/holly-willoughby/i-talk-to-my-mates-about-our-kids-being-too-tired-and-being-worn-out/) [Holly Willoughby](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/holly-willoughby/) > [With 'Pretty Girls,' I saw the opportunity to talk not just about crime but what crime leaves behind.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karin-slaughter/with-pretty-girls-i-saw-the-opportunity-to-talk-not-just-about-crime/) [Karin Slaughter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karin-slaughter/) > [I write about presidents. That means I write about guys - so far. I'm interested in the people closest to them, the people they…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/doris-kearns-goodwin/i-write-about-presidents-that-means-i-write-about-guys-so-far-i-m/) [Doris Kearns Goodwin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/doris-kearns-goodwin/) > [That's something a lot of folks don't know about me - I'm pretty darn funny.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-jai-white/that-s-something-a-lot-of-folks-don-t-know-about-me-i-m-pretty-darn/) [Michael Jai White](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-jai-white/) > [I learned a lot about myself at Oakmont.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shane-lowry/i-learned-a-lot-about-myself-at-oakmont/) [Shane Lowry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shane-lowry/) > [I don't think about the press or the crowds or the other leaders of the race. The focus is only on myself. As soon…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/magdalena-neuner/i-don-t-think-about-the-press-or-the-crowds-or-the-other-leaders-of/) [Magdalena Neuner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/magdalena-neuner/) > [Sport is not just about entertainment. It is equally about winning and losing, pooling and galvanising the energy of the youth, upgrading people's physical…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nita-ambani/sport-is-not-just-about-entertainment-it-is-equally-about-winning-and/) [Nita Ambani](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nita-ambani/) > [One of the ways that I discovered my confidence and my ability to overpower is becoming a mother. Suddenly, my world wasn't about myself…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lights/one-of-the-ways-that-i-discovered-my-confidence-and-my-ability-to/) [Lights](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lights/) > [I didn't want to do 'Fashion Police' because I thought, 'This is stupid, this is beneath me, who wants to talk about fashion?' It…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joan-rivers/i-didn-t-want-to-do-fashion-police-because-i-thought-this-is-stupid/) [Joan Rivers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joan-rivers/) > [I just worried about my weight. Worried about my appearance and thought I wan't pretty enough to be a pop star. It was very…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/judith-durham/i-just-worried-about-my-weight-worried-about-my-appearance-and/) [Judith Durham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/judith-durham/) > [I read a couple of books about neuroscience and the relationship between the mind and the body.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joel-kinnaman/i-read-a-couple-of-books-about-neuroscience-and-the-relationship/) [Joel Kinnaman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joel-kinnaman/) > [There are a lot of kids out there copying and distributing movies - not because they care about seeing the movies or sharing them…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-perry-barlow/there-are-a-lot-of-kids-out-there-copying-and-distributing-movies-not/) [John Perry Barlow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-perry-barlow/) > [I have no physical genius about me. I can't dribble a ball and run at the same time, I can't do lay-ups - I'm…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rich-mullins/i-have-no-physical-genius-about-me-i-can-t-dribble-a-ball-and-run-at/) [Rich Mullins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rich-mullins/) Browse all 26,122 About quotes ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "My transition from wanting to be a cartoonist to wanting to be a writer may have come about through that friendly opposition, that even-handed pairing, of pictures and words.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "John Updike" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-updike/my-transition-from-wanting-to-be-a-cartoonist-to-wanting-to-be-a/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "About" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-updike/my-transition-from-wanting-to-be-a-cartoonist-to-wanting-to-be-a/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ab4/john-updike-396_about_my-transition-from-wanting-to-be-a-carto_1814156.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ab4/john-updike-396_about_my-transition-from-wanting-to-be-a-carto_1814156.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ab4/john-updike-396_about_my-transition-from-wanting-to-be-a-carto_1814156.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“My transition from wanting to be a cartoonist to wanting to be a writer may have come about through that…” — John Updike", "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": "John Updike", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-updike/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "My transition from wanting to be...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-updike/my-transition-from-wanting-to-be-a-cartoonist-to-wanting-to-be-a/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-updike/my-transition-from-wanting-to-be-a-cartoonist-to-wanting-to-be-a/#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 } } ] } ```