--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I used to wish I would be a painter or a…" description: "\"I used to wish I would be a painter or a violinist, where maybe I wouldn't need to travel as much. Or maybe if I were a writer, I wouldn't need to trav..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/af6/kathy-baker-32433_hours_i-used-to-wish-i-would-be-a-painter-or-a_1030019.jpg" --- # I used to wish I would be a painter or a violinist, where… ![“I used to wish I would be a painter or a violinist, where maybe I wouldn't need to travel as much. Or maybe if I were a writer, I wouldn't need to travel as much. It's the travel that kind of killed me. And the hours. I always pictured if I were a painter you could make your own hours maybe…” quote by Kathy Baker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/af6/kathy-baker-32433_hours_i-used-to-wish-i-would-be-a-painter-or-a_1030019.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/af6/kathy-baker-32433_hours_i-used-to-wish-i-would-be-a-painter-or-a_1030019.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/af6/kathy-baker-32433_hours_i-used-to-wish-i-would-be-a-painter-or-a_1030019.jpg) > “I used to wish I would be a painter or a violinist, where maybe I wouldn't need to travel as much. Or maybe if I were a writer, I wouldn't need to travel as much. It's the travel that kind of killed me. And the hours. I always pictured if I were a painter you could make your own hours maybe... work after the kids were asleep.” [Kathy Baker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kathy-baker/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. She longs for a creative career that offers flexible hours and less travel, but feels trapped by her current profession's demands. **In simple terms:** Wants creative work with flexible schedule. Key Takeaway Seek work that fits lifestyle. Themes career creativity work-life balance Mood reflective hopeful Type advice personal narrative When to use this quote - freelance art - remote writing - parenting schedule - career change Key Concepts flexibility artist identity travel constraints Questions to Reflect On - What career could blend creativity and flexibility? - How can you redesign current work for more freedom? A Different Perspective Creative fields also demand discipline and income stability. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Artist](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/artist/) [Kids](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/kids/) [Painter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/painter/) [Travel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/travel/) [Violinist](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/violinist/) [Wish](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/wish/) [Writing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writing/) ## Related quotes > [I want to travel. Maybe I'll end up living in Norway, making cakes.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eva-green/i-want-to-travel-maybe-i-ll-end-up-living-in-norway-making-cakes/) [Eva Green](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eva-green/) > [“Travel is little beds and cramped bathrooms. It’s old television sets and slow Internet connections. Travel is extraordinary conversations with ordinary people. It’s waiters,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nick-miller/travel-is-little-beds-and-cramped-bathrooms-it-s-old-television-sets/) [Nick Miller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nick-miller/) > [We never came into the business with a plan beyond the next three months. It's all been a natural thing for us to go…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/keren-woodward/we-never-came-into-the-business-with-a-plan-beyond-the-next-three/) [Keren Woodward](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/keren-woodward/) > [At one point, I wanted to be a wildlife photographer. I also love to travel, so maybe I'd do travel writing.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nithya-menen/at-one-point-i-wanted-to-be-a-wildlife-photographer-i-also-love-to/) [Nithya Menen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nithya-menen/) > [“I run for I don’t know how long. Hours, maybe, or days. Alex told me to run. And so I run. You”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lauren-oliver/i-run-for-i-don-t-know-how-long-hours-maybe-or-days-alex-told-me-to-2/) [Lauren Oliver](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lauren-oliver/) > [A line will take us hours maybe; / Yet if it does not seem a moment's thought, / Our stitching and unstitching has been…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-butler-yeats/a-line-will-take-us-hours-maybe-yet-if-it-does-not-seem-a-moment-s-2/) [William Butler Yeats](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-butler-yeats/) > [“I run for I don't know how long. Hours, maybe, or days. Alex told me to run. So I run.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lauren-oliver/i-run-for-i-don-t-know-how-long-hours-maybe-or-days-alex-told-me-to-3/) [Lauren Oliver](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lauren-oliver/) > [You guys are going to bed? Ok, Ill just go down to the lobby and read for a bit. Like, three hours maybe. Um,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/you-guys-are-going-to-bed-ok-ill-just-go-down-to-the-lobby-and-read/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [A line will take us hours maybe; Yet if it does not seem a moment's thought, our stitching and unstitching has been naught.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-butler-yeats/a-line-will-take-us-hours-maybe-yet-if-it-does-not-seem-a-moment-s/) [William Butler Yeats](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-butler-yeats/) > [Being on time is a practice I imbibed from my dad. He would be ready with make-up on at least three hours ahead of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/radha-ravi/being-on-time-is-a-practice-i-imbibed-from-my-dad-he-would-be-ready/) [Radha Ravi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/radha-ravi/) > [Pleasure and action make the hours seem short.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-shakespeare/pleasure-and-action-make-the-hours-seem-short/) [William Shakespeare](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-shakespeare/) > [If you have a passion and love for something, it's hard to give it up. I had jobs where the people were helpful and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vicky-mcclure/if-you-have-a-passion-and-love-for-something-it-s-hard-to-give-it-up/) [Vicky McClure](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vicky-mcclure/) > [The writer has to force himself to work. He has to make his own hours and if he doesn't go to his desk at…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roald-dahl/the-writer-has-to-force-himself-to-work-he-has-to-make-his-own-hours/) [Roald Dahl](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roald-dahl/) > [I'd love most of the movies I make to be four hours long.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/toby-jones/i-d-love-most-of-the-movies-i-make-to-be-four-hours-long/) [Toby Jones](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/toby-jones/) > [ I need to be out earning. I can make more in two hours at a card show than I did \[as a minor-league manager\]… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mike-schmidt/i-need-to-be-out-earning-i-can-make-more-in-two-hours-at-a-card-show/) [Mike Schmidt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mike-schmidt/) ## More by Kathy Baker > [I've heard that kind of weird backward compliment often - 'She's so talented, but not pretty.'](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kathy-baker/i-ve-heard-that-kind-of-weird-backward-compliment-often-she-s-so/) [Kathy Baker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kathy-baker/) > [I try to give all my characters a sense of humor, so I guess I feel like I have done comedy, but maybe I'm…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kathy-baker/i-try-to-give-all-my-characters-a-sense-of-humor-so-i-guess-i-feel/) [Kathy Baker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kathy-baker/) > [Relationships are hard regardless! But I think they feed the artist: relationships, children, life, family - it all feeds the artist. Loss. Joy. Sacrifice.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kathy-baker/relationships-are-hard-regardless-but-i-think-they-feed-the-artist/) [Kathy Baker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kathy-baker/) > [I've always believed that if you are willing to play your age that you will work, so it's the thing of continuing to play…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kathy-baker/i-ve-always-believed-that-if-you-are-willing-to-play-your-age-that/) [Kathy Baker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kathy-baker/) > [For me, the acting part - and I have to say it makes me a little worried about my own psychological make-up - is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kathy-baker/for-me-the-acting-part-and-i-have-to-say-it-makes-me-a-little-worried/) [Kathy Baker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kathy-baker/) > [I did not see myself as a leading lady. I thought I was really funny-looking and I would never be the lead, and I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kathy-baker/i-did-not-see-myself-as-a-leading-lady-i-thought-i-was-really-funny/) [Kathy Baker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kathy-baker/) > [The Quaker upbringing was not strict, but it was frugal. Extremely frugal. One was always encouraged to give away one's worldly goods.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kathy-baker/the-quaker-upbringing-was-not-strict-but-it-was-frugal-extremely/) [Kathy Baker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kathy-baker/) > [Some of the greater things are unseen. That's why you close your eyes when you kiss, cry, or dream.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kathy-baker/some-of-the-greater-things-are-unseen-that-s-why-you-close-your-eyes/) [Kathy Baker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kathy-baker/) > [I love to do comedy, and I don't think of things as drama or comedy. I think that if it's a funny line, it's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kathy-baker/i-love-to-do-comedy-and-i-don-t-think-of-things-as-drama-or-comedy-i/) [Kathy Baker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kathy-baker/) > [When you're younger, the mental strain of being a successful actor, jumping from role to role, and trying to have some kind of personal…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kathy-baker/when-you-re-younger-the-mental-strain-of-being-a-successful-actor/) [Kathy Baker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kathy-baker/) > [There's different kinds of love, darling. Some people you love no matter what, and others you love when the situation is right. To me,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kathy-baker/there-s-different-kinds-of-love-darling-some-people-you-love-no/) [Kathy Baker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kathy-baker/) > [I worry about my face not having expression. I've never been known for glamour, so it's probably easier for me than it is for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kathy-baker/i-worry-about-my-face-not-having-expression-i-ve-never-been-known-for/) [Kathy Baker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kathy-baker/) > [I heard Tony Bennett say that when you're a big deal early on, you have to maintain that level forever, and it's very scary.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kathy-baker/i-heard-tony-bennett-say-that-when-you-re-a-big-deal-early-on-you/) [Kathy Baker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kathy-baker/) > [I want to be the only American actress who doesn't do any plastic surgery or anything. I think older faces are great.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kathy-baker/i-want-to-be-the-only-american-actress-who-doesn-t-do-any-plastic/) [Kathy Baker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kathy-baker/) [Explore all 15 Kathy Baker quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kathy-baker/) ## More Artist quotes > [One is a painter because one wants so-called freedom; one doesn't want to go to the office every morning.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marcel-duchamp/one-is-a-painter-because-one-wants-so-called-freedom-one-doesn-t-want/) [Marcel Duchamp](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marcel-duchamp/) > [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/) > [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/) > [“People in coats and ties were milling around the Talley gallery, and on the wall were the minimally rendered still lifes by Giorgio Morandi,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steve-martin/people-in-coats-and-ties-were-milling-around-the-talley-gallery-and/) [Steve Martin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steve-martin/) > [The prophet who fails to present a bearable alternative and yet preaches doom is part of the trap that he postulates. Not only does…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-mead/the-prophet-who-fails-to-present-a-bearable-alternative-and-yet/) [Margaret Mead](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-mead/) > [“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 > [From as long as I can remember, I was always fond of drawing.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/st-lucia/from-as-long-as-i-can-remember-i-was-always-fond-of-drawing/) [St. Lucia](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/st-lucia/) > [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 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/) > [Designers shouldn’t design for museums any more than mummies should die for them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ralph-caplan/designers-shouldn-t-design-for-museums-any-more-than-mummies-should/) [Ralph Caplan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ralph-caplan/) > [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/) > [I am not the avant-garde. I am the artist who comes after the advancing guard. I am more concerned with continuity of ideas and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nathan-oliveira/i-am-not-the-avant-garde-i-am-the-artist-who-comes-after-the/) [Nathan Oliveira](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nathan-oliveira/) > [I am a horrible visual artist. I can't fix a car, sew, knit, cook, etc. Statistically, there is more I don't do than do.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carrie-brownstein/i-am-a-horrible-visual-artist-i-can-t-fix-a-car-sew-knit-cook-etc/) [Carrie Brownstein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carrie-brownstein/) [Browse all 32,600 Artist quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/artist/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "I used to wish I would be a painter or a violinist, where maybe I wouldn't need to travel as much. Or maybe if I were a writer, I wouldn't need to travel as much. It's the travel that kind of killed me. And the hours. 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