--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: What happens with artists, or people who…" description: "\"What happens with artists, or people who start off doing things for the right reasons, is that you slowly start to paint yourself into a corner by doin..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ddd/lindsey-buckingham-3479_art_what-happens-with-artists-or-people-who_995607.jpg" --- # What happens with artists, or people who start off doing… ![“What happens with artists, or people who start off doing things for the right reasons, is that you slowly start to paint yourself into a corner by doing what people outside of the creative world are asking you to do, and I think that's antithetical to being an artist.” quote by Lindsey Buckingham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ddd/lindsey-buckingham-3479_art_what-happens-with-artists-or-people-who_995607.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ddd/lindsey-buckingham-3479_art_what-happens-with-artists-or-people-who_995607.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ddd/lindsey-buckingham-3479_art_what-happens-with-artists-or-people-who_995607.jpg) > “What happens with artists, or people who start off doing things for the right reasons, is that you slowly start to paint yourself into a corner by doing what people outside of the creative world are asking you to do, and I think that's antithetical to being an artist.” [Lindsey Buckingham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lindsey-buckingham/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Artists risk losing authenticity when they conform to external expectations, contradicting their original creative purpose. **In simple terms:** Conformity erodes artistic authenticity. Key Takeaway Stay true to personal vision. Themes creativity authenticity industry pressure Mood reflective inspirational Type philosophical motivational When to use this quote - music industry - psychology - career development Key Concepts artistic integrity self‑expression Questions to Reflect On - How can artists balance integrity with market demands? - What strategies protect creative freedom? A Different Perspective Commercial pressures can dominate artistic choices. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Antithetical Artist](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/antithetical-artist-2067740/) [Art](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/art/) [Artist](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/artist/) [Artists People](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/artists-people/) [Creativity](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/creativity/) [Doing things](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/doing-things/) [People](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/people/) [Reasons Slowly](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/reasons-slowly-2067741/) [Right](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/right/) [Start](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/start/) [Start Doing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/start-doing/) [Start Paint](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/start-paint-2035224/) [World](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/world/) ## Related quotes > [I start to paint my walls. And I'm heavily influenced by films.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nan-goldin/i-start-to-paint-my-walls-and-i-m-heavily-influenced-by-films/) [Nan Goldin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nan-goldin/) > [When I start to paint, it is real agony. I get nervous. The day before, I am already working up to it. Then I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/luc-tuymans/when-i-start-to-paint-it-is-real-agony-i-get-nervous-the-day-before-i/) [Luc Tuymans](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/luc-tuymans/) > [The important thing is to keep on drawing when you start to paint. Never graduate from drawing.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-french-sloan/the-important-thing-is-to-keep-on-drawing-when-you-start-to-paint/) [John French Sloan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-french-sloan/) > [When someone wants to freshen up their home a bit, and they don't want to spend a ton of money on construction, I always…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bobby-berk/when-someone-wants-to-freshen-up-their-home-a-bit-and-they-don-t-want/) [Bobby Berk](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bobby-berk/) > [When you're not as accessible, you get in a tent and get in your own head, and you start doing things that are a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lena-waithe/when-you-re-not-as-accessible-you-get-in-a-tent-and-get-in-your-own/) [Lena Waithe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lena-waithe/) > [“you’ve spent so much of your life doing what others expect of you. i think it’s time you start doing things for yourself.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kiana-azizian/you-ve-spent-so-much-of-your-life-doing-what-others-expect-of-you-i/) [Kiana Azizian](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kiana-azizian/) > [“Don’t start doing things until you understand the ethos of the neighborhood. Let the spirit of the place make its impression. Fall in love…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lance-ford/don-t-start-doing-things-until-you-understand-the-ethos-of-the/) [Lance Ford](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lance-ford/) > [“It's when you start doing things for free, that you start to grow wings.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gus-van-sant/it-s-when-you-start-doing-things-for-free-that-you-start-to-grow-wings/) [Gus Van Sant](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gus-van-sant/) > [People expect artists to be too normal, I think. I've been around enough of them now to see that they're very extraordinary human beings…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thelma-schoonmaker/people-expect-artists-to-be-too-normal-i-think-i-ve-been-around/) [Thelma Schoonmaker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thelma-schoonmaker/) > [Great artists are people who find the way to be themselves in their art. Any sort of pretension induces mediocrity in art and life…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margot-fonteyn/great-artists-are-people-who-find-the-way-to-be-themselves-in-their/) [Margot Fonteyn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margot-fonteyn/) > [Artists are the people among us who realize creation didn't stop on the sixth day.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joel-peter-witkin/artists-are-the-people-among-us-who-realize-creation-didn-t-stop-on/) [Joel-Peter Witkin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joel-peter-witkin/) > [Artists are the people for whom the world is not enough.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-auster/artists-are-the-people-for-whom-the-world-is-not-enough/) [Paul Auster](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-auster/) > [Artists are people who are subject to irrational convictions of the sacred. Baudelaire said that an artist is a child who has acquired adult…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-schjeldahl/artists-are-people-who-are-subject-to-irrational-convictions-of-the/) [Peter Schjeldahl](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-schjeldahl/) > [Artists are people with a genius for finding a new answer, a new connection, or a new way of getting things done.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/seth-godin/artists-are-people-with-a-genius-for-finding-a-new-answer-a-new/) [Seth Godin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/seth-godin/) > [I don't know if I actually respect other artists as people as much as I should. I look at their work as excellent data…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-berman/i-don-t-know-if-i-actually-respect-other-artists-as-people-as-much-as/) [David Berman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-berman/) ## More by Lindsey Buckingham > [This time, there were no drugs involved. The hours were completely normal daytime hours. I think we were able to appreciate the interplay, where…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lindsey-buckingham/this-time-there-were-no-drugs-involved-the-hours-were-completely/) [Lindsey Buckingham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lindsey-buckingham/) > [The writing is all done, so it's all about verbalizing everything from point A to point B, and certainly there's a bit of politics…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lindsey-buckingham/the-writing-is-all-done-so-it-s-all-about-verbalizing-everything-from/) [Lindsey Buckingham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lindsey-buckingham/) > [It's really touching that we can come back after so long and care about making an album that says as much as this one…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lindsey-buckingham/it-s-really-touching-that-we-can-come-back-after-so-long-and-care/) [Lindsey Buckingham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lindsey-buckingham/) > [Most people don't know who the hell I am. But that's not really important.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lindsey-buckingham/most-people-don-t-know-who-the-hell-i-am-but-that-s-not-really/) [Lindsey Buckingham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lindsey-buckingham/) > [Arcade Fire seems to be doing very well; certainly, Phoenix is doing very well.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lindsey-buckingham/arcade-fire-seems-to-be-doing-very-well-certainly-phoenix-is-doing/) [Lindsey Buckingham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lindsey-buckingham/) > [We're not one of those bands that throws the names of all their songs in a hat and pulls them out right before they…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lindsey-buckingham/we-re-not-one-of-those-bands-that-throws-the-names-of-all-their-songs/) [Lindsey Buckingham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lindsey-buckingham/) > [Defining something being a Fleetwood Mac song is calling it a Fleetwood Mac song, you know? Nothing becomes Fleetwood Mac until that's what you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lindsey-buckingham/defining-something-being-a-fleetwood-mac-song-is-calling-it-a/) [Lindsey Buckingham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lindsey-buckingham/) > [I don't read music. I've never had a lesson. I don't know anything about music other than what my inner knowledge is.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lindsey-buckingham/i-don-t-read-music-i-ve-never-had-a-lesson-i-don-t-know-anything/) [Lindsey Buckingham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lindsey-buckingham/) > [They tried to get me to use a pick when I first joined the band. They had certain things they thought were appropriate. I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lindsey-buckingham/they-tried-to-get-me-to-use-a-pick-when-i-first-joined-the-band-they/) [Lindsey Buckingham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lindsey-buckingham/) > [Some days I would be there at ten in the morning and wouldn't leave till ten at night, and the others would waltz in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lindsey-buckingham/some-days-i-would-be-there-at-ten-in-the-morning-and-wouldn-t-leave/) [Lindsey Buckingham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lindsey-buckingham/) > [A house full of new furniture doesn't mean a whole lot.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lindsey-buckingham/a-house-full-of-new-furniture-doesn-t-mean-a-whole-lot/) [Lindsey Buckingham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lindsey-buckingham/) > [There were a number of false starts where I was trying to make solo albums. They would get constantly folded into group efforts. In…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lindsey-buckingham/there-were-a-number-of-false-starts-where-i-was-trying-to-make-solo/) [Lindsey Buckingham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lindsey-buckingham/) > [When Stevie and I joined the band, we were in the midst of breaking up, as were John and Christine. By the time Rumours…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lindsey-buckingham/when-stevie-and-i-joined-the-band-we-were-in-the-midst-of-breaking-up/) [Lindsey Buckingham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lindsey-buckingham/) > [I think when you work alone - the way I do it, anyway - you could sort of liken it to painting, where there's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lindsey-buckingham/i-think-when-you-work-alone-the-way-i-do-it-anyway-you-could-sort-of/) [Lindsey Buckingham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lindsey-buckingham/) > [I lost my power in the world because I did not use it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lindsey-buckingham/i-lost-my-power-in-the-world-because-i-did-not-use-it/) [Lindsey Buckingham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lindsey-buckingham/) [Explore all 130 Lindsey Buckingham quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lindsey-buckingham/) ## 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": "What happens with artists, or people who start off doing things for the right reasons, is that you slowly start to paint yourself into a corner by doing what people outside of the creative world are asking you to do, and I think that's antithetical to being an artist.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Lindsey Buckingham" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lindsey-buckingham/what-happens-with-artists-or-people-who-start-off-doing-things-for/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Art" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lindsey-buckingham/what-happens-with-artists-or-people-who-start-off-doing-things-for/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ddd/lindsey-buckingham-3479_art_what-happens-with-artists-or-people-who_995607.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ddd/lindsey-buckingham-3479_art_what-happens-with-artists-or-people-who_995607.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ddd/lindsey-buckingham-3479_art_what-happens-with-artists-or-people-who_995607.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“What happens with artists, or people who start off doing things for the right reasons, is that you slowly…” — Lindsey Buckingham", "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": "Lindsey Buckingham", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lindsey-buckingham/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "What happens with artists, or people...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lindsey-buckingham/what-happens-with-artists-or-people-who-start-off-doing-things-for/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lindsey-buckingham/what-happens-with-artists-or-people-who-start-off-doing-things-for/#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 } } ] } ```