--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Keith Haring wrote \" You see that's why I…" description: "\"“Keith Haring wrote \" You see that's why I work like a dog and I worked like a dog all my life. I am not interested in the academic status of what I am..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/193/keith-haring-14071_change_keith-haring-wrote-you-see-that-s-why-i_1731044.jpg" --- # Keith Haring wrote " You see that's why I work like a dog… ![“Keith Haring wrote " You see that's why I work like a dog and I worked like a dog all my life. I am not interested in the academic status of what I am doing because my problem is my own transformation. Thats the reason also why, when people say. " Well you thought this a few years ago and now you…” quote by Keith Haring](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/193/keith-haring-14071_change_keith-haring-wrote-you-see-that-s-why-i_1731044.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/193/keith-haring-14071_change_keith-haring-wrote-you-see-that-s-why-i_1731044.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/193/keith-haring-14071_change_keith-haring-wrote-you-see-that-s-why-i_1731044.jpg) > ““Keith Haring wrote " You see that's why I work like a dog and I worked like a dog all my life. I am not interested in the academic status of what I am doing because my problem is my own transformation. Thats the reason also why, when people say. " Well you thought this a few years ago and now you say something else," my answer is\[laughter\]" well, do you think that I have worked like that all those years and not be changed?" This transformation of ones self by ones own knowledge is,I think something rather close to the aesthetic experience. Why should a painter work if he is not transformed by his own painting.”” [Keith Haring](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/keith-haring/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. True artistic work transforms the creator, not just the audience; personal change validates the practice. **In simple terms:** Art should change the artist, not just be academic. Key Takeaway Seek personal growth through creation. Themes art self‑transformation authenticity Mood introspective passionate Type philosophical inspirational When to use this quote - painting - sculpture - performance art - personal journaling Key Concepts creative process aesthetic experience Questions to Reflect On - How has your art changed you? - What does transformation mean to you? A Different Perspective Transformation may be slow or invisible to others. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Artist](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/artist/) [Change](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/change/) [Experience Painter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/experience-painter-1431045/) [Haring Wrote](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/haring-wrote-1431044/) [Keith Haring](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/keith-haring-228794/) [Life](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/life/) [Painter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/painter/) [Painter Work](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/painter-work-888299/) [Painting](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/painting/) [Transformed Painting](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/transformed-painting-1431043/) [Years ago](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/years-ago/) ## Related quotes > [There are different paths that one can pursue as a painter. I work with the thesis that I have not as yet reached my…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jorg-immendorff/there-are-different-paths-that-one-can-pursue-as-a-painter-i-work/) [Jorg Immendorff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jorg-immendorff/) > [The unity in any painter's work arises from the fact that a person, brought to a desperate situation, will behave in a certain way...…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frank-auerbach/the-unity-in-any-painter-s-work-arises-from-the-fact-that-a-person/) [Frank Auerbach](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frank-auerbach/) > [Death is pitch-dark, but colors are light. To be a painter, one must work with rays of light.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edvard-munch/death-is-pitch-dark-but-colors-are-light-to-be-a-painter-one-must/) [Edvard Munch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edvard-munch/) > [A friend of mine back in 1989 did an illegal rave in Vauxhall. He got Keith Haring to come along and tag the side…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ben-eine/a-friend-of-mine-back-in-1989-did-an-illegal-rave-in-vauxhall-he-got/) [Ben Eine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ben-eine/) > [Through my friend Tony Shafrazi, who's an art dealer and an artist himself - he helped to show Basquiat and Keith Haring, and has…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/owen-wilson/through-my-friend-tony-shafrazi-who-s-an-art-dealer-and-an-artist/) [Owen Wilson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/owen-wilson/) > [Obviously there was Keith Haring and Robert Mapplethorpe, but Howard was on the brink of becoming a famous director - it didn't happen because…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aaron-brookner/obviously-there-was-keith-haring-and-robert-mapplethorpe-but-howard/) [Aaron Brookner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aaron-brookner/) > [I met Keith Haring at SVA college where he was having an art show, later we had a group art show at the Mud…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steve-kaufman/i-met-keith-haring-at-sva-college-where-he-was-having-an-art-show/) [Steve Kaufman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steve-kaufman/) > [Time extracts various values from a painter's work. When these values are exhausted the pictures are forgotten, and the more a picture has to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henri-matisse/time-extracts-various-values-from-a-painter-s-work-when-these-values/) [Henri Matisse](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henri-matisse/) > [I don't want to put myself in any kind of a box as far as my sound goes, because being an artist is fluid.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/luke-combs/i-don-t-want-to-put-myself-in-any-kind-of-a-box-as-far-as-my-sound/) [Luke Combs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/luke-combs/) > [“Most of the time they buy what other people buy. They move in great schools, like bluefish, all identical. There is safety in numbers.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-hughes/most-of-the-time-they-buy-what-other-people-buy-they-move-in-great/) [Robert Hughes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-hughes/) > [“To all the secret writers, late-night painters, would-be singers, lapsed and scared artists of every stripe, dig out your paintbrush, or your flute, or…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shauna-niequist/to-all-the-secret-writers-late-night-painters-would-be-singers-lapsed/) [Shauna Niequist](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shauna-niequist/) > [A painter should begin every canvas with a wash of black, because all things in nature are dark except where exposed by the light.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leonardo-da-vinci/a-painter-should-begin-every-canvas-with-a-wash-of-black-because-all/) [Leonardo da Vinci](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leonardo-da-vinci/) > [Not everyone is capable of madness; and of those lucky enough to be capable, not many have the courage for it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/august-strindberg/not-everyone-is-capable-of-madness-and-of-those-lucky-enough-to-be/) [August Strindberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/august-strindberg/) > [While the world of reality has its limits, the world of your imagination is without boundaries](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wayne-dyer/while-the-world-of-reality-has-its-limits-the-world-of-your/) [Wayne Dyer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wayne-dyer/) > [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/) ## More by Keith Haring > [I don't think art is propaganda; it should be something that liberates the soul, provokes the imagination and encourages people to go further. It…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/keith-haring/i-don-t-think-art-is-propaganda-it-should-be-something-that-liberates/) [Keith Haring](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/keith-haring/) > [I think as much as possible, an artist, if he has any kind of social or political concern, has to…expose as much as possible…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/keith-haring/i-think-as-much-as-possible-an-artist-if-he-has-any-kind-of-social-or/) [Keith Haring](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/keith-haring/) > [“There is one question George is asked about life and art and which is more important, and George said art is more important because…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/keith-haring/there-is-one-question-george-is-asked-about-life-and-art-and-which-is/) [Keith Haring](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/keith-haring/) > [The public needs art, and it is the responsibility of a ’self-proclaimed artist’ to realize the public needs art, and not to make bourgeois…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/keith-haring/the-public-needs-art-and-it-is-the-responsibility-of-a-self/) [Keith Haring](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/keith-haring/) > [See, when I paint, it is an experience that, at its best, is transcending reality.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/keith-haring/see-when-i-paint-it-is-an-experience-that-at-its-best-is-transcending/) [Keith Haring](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/keith-haring/) > [If commercialization is putting my art on a shirt so that a kid who can't afford a $30,000 painting can buy one, then I'm…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/keith-haring/if-commercialization-is-putting-my-art-on-a-shirt-so-that-a-kid-who/) [Keith Haring](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/keith-haring/) > [The dripping... well, if it happens, it happens; it does not take anything from the work. The dripping just proves that you were not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/keith-haring/the-dripping-well-if-it-happens-it-happens-it-does-not-take-anything/) [Keith Haring](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/keith-haring/) > [The best reason to paint is that there is no reason to paint...](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/keith-haring/the-best-reason-to-paint-is-that-there-is-no-reason-to-paint/) [Keith Haring](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/keith-haring/) > [Children are the bearers of life in its simplest and most joyous form. Children are color-blind and still free of all the complications, greed,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/keith-haring/children-are-the-bearers-of-life-in-its-simplest-and-most-joyous-form/) [Keith Haring](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/keith-haring/) > [Nothing is important... so everything is important.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/keith-haring/nothing-is-important-so-everything-is-important/) [Keith Haring](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/keith-haring/) > [Drawing is still basically the same as it has been since prehistoric times. It brings together man and the world. It lives through magic.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/keith-haring/drawing-is-still-basically-the-same-as-it-has-been-since-prehistoric/) [Keith Haring](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/keith-haring/) > [There is nothing that makes me happier than making a child smile.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/keith-haring/there-is-nothing-that-makes-me-happier-than-making-a-child-smile/) [Keith Haring](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/keith-haring/) > [I didn't start doing graffiti until two years after I got to New York. Jean Michel Basquiat was one of my main inspirations for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/keith-haring/i-didn-t-start-doing-graffiti-until-two-years-after-i-got-to-new-york/) [Keith Haring](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/keith-haring/) > [“March 28, 1987: Today I read in the New York Times that all of the officers who killed Michael Stewart were again dismissed of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/keith-haring/march-28-1987-today-i-read-in-the-new-york-times-that-all-of-the/) [Keith Haring](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/keith-haring/) > [The act of creation is a kind of ritual. The origins of art and human existence lie hidden in this mystery of creation. Human…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/keith-haring/the-act-of-creation-is-a-kind-of-ritual-the-origins-of-art-and-human/) [Keith Haring](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/keith-haring/) [Explore all 48 Keith Haring quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/keith-haring/) ## 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](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/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": "“Keith Haring wrote \" You see that's why I work like a dog and I worked like a dog all my life. I am not interested in the academic status of what I am doing because my problem is my own transformation. 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