--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Back then, I didn't have a big…" description: "\"Back then, I didn't have a big organization around me. I was just a kid with a guitar, traveling around. My responsibility basically was to the art, an..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9fd/joni-mitchell-1160_art_back-then-i-didn-t-have-a-big-organizati_3100924.png" --- # Back then, I didn't have a big organization around me. I… ![“Back then, I didn't have a big organization around me. I was just a kid with a guitar, traveling around. My responsibility basically was to the art, and I had extra time on my hands. There is no extra time now. There isn't enough time.” quote by Joni Mitchell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9fd/joni-mitchell-1160_art_back-then-i-didn-t-have-a-big-organizati_3100924.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9fd/joni-mitchell-1160_art_back-then-i-didn-t-have-a-big-organizati_3100924.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9fd/joni-mitchell-1160_art_back-then-i-didn-t-have-a-big-organizati_3100924.png) > “Back then, I didn't have a big organization around me. I was just a kid with a guitar, traveling around. My responsibility basically was to the art, and I had extra time on my hands. There is no extra time now. There isn't enough time.” [Joni Mitchell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joni-mitchell/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Youthful freedom allowed artistic focus, but adult responsibilities limit time for creativity. **In simple terms:** Time constraints increase with age and duties. Key Takeaway Prioritize creative time despite obligations. Themes creativity time management growth Mood thoughtful determined Type reflective inspirational When to use this quote - career development - personal projects - family life - education Key Concepts life stages artistic discipline Questions to Reflect On - How can artists protect creative time? - What sacrifices are worth making for art? A Different Perspective Balancing obligations may dilute artistic depth. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Art](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/art/) [Basically Art](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/basically-art-1464308/) [Big Organization](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/big-organization-1485639/) [Enough](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/enough/) [Enough time](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/enough-time/) [Guitar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/guitar/) [Hands](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/hands/) [Organization](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/organization/) [Organization Just](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/organization-just-1588359/) [Responsibility](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/responsibility/) [Responsibility Basically](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/responsibility-basically-5374237/) [Time](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/time/) [Time Isn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/time-isn/) ## Related quotes > [“The rest of the population ought to be deprived of any form of organization, because organization just causes trouble. People have to be atomized…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/noam-chomsky/the-rest-of-the-population-ought-to-be-deprived-of-any-form-of/) [Noam Chomsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/noam-chomsky/) > [We got on his label, and the Bizarre organization is just going up and up. So we have faith.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alice-cooper/we-got-on-his-label-and-the-bizarre-organization-is-just-going-up-and/) [Alice Cooper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alice-cooper/) > [ When you identify with an organization and you want to do stuff \[but\] you get this inexplicable 'no' - a lot of people get… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bob-goff/when-you-identify-with-an-organization-and-you-want-to-do-stuff-but/) [Bob Goff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bob-goff/) > [Basically all the art we know in history books, the business model for that art was not unit sales. It was patronage. It was…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jack-conte/basically-all-the-art-we-know-in-history-books-the-business-model-for/) [Jack Conte](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jack-conte/) > [Basically, art should remain something that is complex, that has many layers, so there's always a possibility to reconsider things and have a different…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/camille-henrot/basically-art-should-remain-something-that-is-complex-that-has-many/) [Camille Henrot](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/camille-henrot/) > [“Photography is basically an art of arranging the angles!”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mehmet-murat-ildan/photography-is-basically-an-art-of-arranging-the-angles/) [Mehmet Murat ildan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mehmet-murat-ildan/) > [It basically was an art before. We're just starting to scratch it into a science.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dennis-conner/it-basically-was-an-art-before-we-re-just-starting-to-scratch-it-into/) [Dennis Conner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dennis-conner/) > [You don't have to be a leader of a big organization. You can be a leader of your brother, of a young kid, of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/masai-ujiri/you-don-t-have-to-be-a-leader-of-a-big-organization-you-can-be-a/) [Masai Ujiri](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/masai-ujiri/) > [Any big organization can be subverted by governments or multinational special interests. They have the resources to cast doubt and fear over any group…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arlo-guthrie/any-big-organization-can-be-subverted-by-governments-or-multinational/) [Arlo Guthrie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arlo-guthrie/) > [I've said many times that people are policy. And to be truly successful in any big organization you need to put people into jobs…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charlie-baker/i-ve-said-many-times-that-people-are-policy-and-to-be-truly/) [Charlie Baker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charlie-baker/) > [Whatever the country, whatever the culture, whatever the time, when you become a big enough organization, you start to collapse and slow down.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/masayoshi-son/whatever-the-country-whatever-the-culture-whatever-the-time-when-you/) [Masayoshi Son](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/masayoshi-son/) > [And I think it's true of any big organization... Bureaucracies and organizations make it hard to do the right thing sometimes.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chris-terrio/and-i-think-it-s-true-of-any-big-organization-bureaucracies-and/) [Chris Terrio](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chris-terrio/) > [When you go into a new city, or any city that you play for, the community is a big part of every organization.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/p-k-subban/when-you-go-into-a-new-city-or-any-city-that-you-play-for-the/) [P.K. Subban](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/p-k-subban/) > [Never inject a man into the top, if it can be avoided. In a big organization, to have to do that, I think, is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alfred-p-sloan/never-inject-a-man-into-the-top-if-it-can-be-avoided-in-a-big/) [Alfred P. Sloan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alfred-p-sloan/) > [NASA is a big organization with a lot of needs that have to be met. So there are a lot of opportunities.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bruce-pittman/nasa-is-a-big-organization-with-a-lot-of-needs-that-have-to-be-met-so/) [Bruce Pittman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bruce-pittman/) ## More by Joni Mitchell > [They paved paradise and put up a parkin lot With a pink hotel, a boutique, and a swingin' hot spot Don't it always seem…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joni-mitchell/they-paved-paradise-and-put-up-a-parkin-lot-with-a-pink-hotel-a/) [Joni Mitchell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joni-mitchell/) > [And the seasons they go 'round and 'round And the painted ponies go up and down We're captive on the carousel of time We…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joni-mitchell/and-the-seasons-they-go-round-and-round-and-the-painted-ponies-go-up/) [Joni Mitchell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joni-mitchell/) > [Abstract Expressionism was invented by New York drunks.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joni-mitchell/abstract-expressionism-was-invented-by-new-york-drunks/) [Joni Mitchell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joni-mitchell/) > [I have one piece of music, since 1997, and I don't see it having lyrics. Where does it go in this world? So I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joni-mitchell/i-have-one-piece-of-music-since-1997-and-i-don-t-see-it-having-lyrics/) [Joni Mitchell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joni-mitchell/) > [Musically, I would never run dry. Any time I sit down to an instrument, I could write a song.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joni-mitchell/musically-i-would-never-run-dry-any-time-i-sit-down-to-an-instrument/) [Joni Mitchell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joni-mitchell/) > [You snipe so steady, you snub so snide, so rip and ready to diminish and deride.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joni-mitchell/you-snipe-so-steady-you-snub-so-snide-so-rip-and-ready-to-diminish/) [Joni Mitchell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joni-mitchell/) > [I loved Debussy, Stravinsky, Chopin, Tchaikovsky, anything with romantic melodies, especially the nocturnes. Nietzsche was a hero, especially with 'Thus Spoke Zarathustra.' He gets…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joni-mitchell/i-loved-debussy-stravinsky-chopin-tchaikovsky-anything-with-romantic/) [Joni Mitchell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joni-mitchell/) > [When the spirit of child's play enters into the creative process, it's a wonderful force and something to be nurtured.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joni-mitchell/when-the-spirit-of-child-s-play-enters-into-the-creative-process-it-s/) [Joni Mitchell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joni-mitchell/) > [Americans have decided to be stupid and shallow since 1980.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joni-mitchell/americans-have-decided-to-be-stupid-and-shallow-since-1980/) [Joni Mitchell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joni-mitchell/) > [I was young for my age. Not as naïve as they expected. I don't know why I seem to bring that out in people.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joni-mitchell/i-was-young-for-my-age-not-as-na-ve-as-they-expected-i-don-t-know-why/) [Joni Mitchell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joni-mitchell/) > [This is a nation that has lost the ability to be self-critical, and that makes a lie out of the freedoms.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joni-mitchell/this-is-a-nation-that-has-lost-the-ability-to-be-self-critical-and/) [Joni Mitchell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joni-mitchell/) > [Land of snap decisions, land of short attention spans, nothing is savored long enough to really understand.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joni-mitchell/land-of-snap-decisions-land-of-short-attention-spans-nothing-is/) [Joni Mitchell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joni-mitchell/) > [I like my freedom. I like to do my own grocery shopping.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joni-mitchell/i-like-my-freedom-i-like-to-do-my-own-grocery-shopping/) [Joni Mitchell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joni-mitchell/) > [I'm not a pitiable creature. It's just that I suffer very eloquently.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joni-mitchell/i-m-not-a-pitiable-creature-it-s-just-that-i-suffer-very-eloquently/) [Joni Mitchell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joni-mitchell/) > [I can't remember anything I ever wrote.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joni-mitchell/i-can-t-remember-anything-i-ever-wrote/) [Joni Mitchell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joni-mitchell/) [Explore all 281 Joni Mitchell quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joni-mitchell/) ## 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](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/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": "Back then, I didn't have a big organization around me. 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