--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I feel it's my social responsibility to…" description: "\"I feel it's my social responsibility to shine a light on areas that don't get seen. My personal feeling is that it's an artist's responsibility to be e..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/392/lynn-nottage-4259_active_i-feel-it-s-my-social-responsibility-to_2738910.png" --- # I feel it's my social responsibility to shine a light on… ![“I feel it's my social responsibility to shine a light on areas that don't get seen. My personal feeling is that it's an artist's responsibility to be engaged with the culture. And when the culture is going through turmoil, I think an artist can't ignore that. I don't feel that every artist has to…” quote by Lynn Nottage](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/392/lynn-nottage-4259_active_i-feel-it-s-my-social-responsibility-to_2738910.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/392/lynn-nottage-4259_active_i-feel-it-s-my-social-responsibility-to_2738910.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/392/lynn-nottage-4259_active_i-feel-it-s-my-social-responsibility-to_2738910.png) > “I feel it's my social responsibility to shine a light on areas that don't get seen. My personal feeling is that it's an artist's responsibility to be engaged with the culture. And when the culture is going through turmoil, I think an artist can't ignore that. I don't feel that every artist has to be politically engaged, but I can't imagine that you can be an active participant of this culture and not in some way reflect that in the work you are creating.” [Lynn Nottage](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lynn-nottage/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Artists have a duty to reflect cultural turmoil, though not all must be overtly political. **In simple terms:** Artists should engage with culture. Key Takeaway Create socially aware art. Themes art social responsibility culture Mood critical inspired Type theatrical social When to use this quote - theatre productions - visual arts - music composition Key Concepts political art civic engagement Questions to Reflect On - How does art influence society? - When should artists stay neutral? A Different Perspective Political art can alienate audiences. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Active](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/active/) [Areas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/areas/) [Art](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/art/) [Artist](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/artist/) [Artist Politically](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/artist-politically-3012354/) [Artist Responsibility](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/artist-responsibility-324157/) [Creating](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/creating/) [Culture](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/culture/) [Engaged](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/engaged/) [Feeling Artist](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/feeling-artist-2535357/) [Feelings](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/feelings/) [Feels](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/feels/) [I can](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/i-can/) [Imagine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/imagine/) [Imagine that](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/imagine-that/) [Light](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/light/) [Participants](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/participants/) [Personal feelings](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/personal-feelings/) [Responsibility](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/responsibility/) [Responsibility Engaged](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/responsibility-engaged-3012355/) [Shining](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/shining/) [Social](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/social/) [Social responsibility](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/social-responsibility/) [Think Artist](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/think-artist/) [Thinking](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/thinking/) [Turmoil](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/turmoil/) [Way](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/way/) ## Related quotes > [I think an artist's responsibility is more complex than people realize.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jodie-foster/i-think-an-artist-s-responsibility-is-more-complex-than-people-realize/) [Jodie Foster](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jodie-foster/) > [I think that its an artist's responsibility to have a point of view. Society takes its cue from popular art. People need something to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/madonna-ciccone/i-think-that-its-an-artist-s-responsibility-to-have-a-point-of-view/) [Madonna Ciccone](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/madonna-ciccone/) > [Art is not a handicraft, it is the transmission of feeling the artist has experienced.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leo-tolstoy/art-is-not-a-handicraft-it-is-the-transmission-of-feeling-the-artist/) [Leo Tolstoy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leo-tolstoy/) > [The thrill of creation which we experience which we experience when we see a masterpiece is not unlike the feeling of the artist who…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andre-malraux/the-thrill-of-creation-which-we-experience-which-we-experience-when/) [Andre Malraux](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andre-malraux/) > [In the interests of everyone the artist had a responsibility to use his medium well. In the Tibetan culture, most of the paintings are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dalai-lama/in-the-interests-of-everyone-the-artist-had-a-responsibility-to-use/) [Dalai Lama](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dalai-lama/) > [I just try and get the best out of an artist - we all have a responsibility to fill the world with awesome songs!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matt-squire/i-just-try-and-get-the-best-out-of-an-artist-we-all-have-a/) [Matt Squire](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matt-squire/) > [Art is no crime. It's every artist's responsibility to make art that is meaningful](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shirin-neshat/art-is-no-crime-it-s-every-artist-s-responsibility-to-make-art-that/) [Shirin Neshat](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shirin-neshat/) > [“A musician's or artist's responsibility is a simple one, and that is, through your music to tell the truth,”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-morello/a-musician-s-or-artist-s-responsibility-is-a-simple-one-and-that-is/) [Tom Morello](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-morello/) > [In any society, the artist has a responsibility. His effectiveness is certainly limited and a painter or writer cannot change the world. But they…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/luis-bunuel/in-any-society-the-artist-has-a-responsibility-his-effectiveness-is/) [Luis Bunuel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/luis-bunuel/) > [To some extent I happily don't know what I'm doing. I feel that it's an artist's responsibility to trust that.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-byrne/to-some-extent-i-happily-don-t-know-what-i-m-doing-i-feel-that-it-s/) [David Byrne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-byrne/) > [A work of art does not need an explanation. The work has to speak for itself. The work may be subject to many interpretations,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/louise-bourgeois/a-work-of-art-does-not-need-an-explanation-the-work-has-to-speak-for/) [Louise Bourgeois](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/louise-bourgeois/) > [A martial artist has to take responsibility for himself and accept the consequences of his own doing.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bruce-lee/a-martial-artist-has-to-take-responsibility-for-himself-and-accept/) [Bruce Lee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bruce-lee/) > [To be an artist is to take responsibility for the world's destiny. You shape it by your vision.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laurence-gartel/to-be-an-artist-is-to-take-responsibility-for-the-world-s-destiny-you/) [Laurence Gartel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laurence-gartel/) > [An artist's responsibility is a lot. I can't deny and escape from the responsibility. You have to be very guarded about your personal behaviour,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chiranjeevi/an-artist-s-responsibility-is-a-lot-i-can-t-deny-and-escape-from-the/) [Chiranjeevi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chiranjeevi/) > [The artist seeks contact with his intuitive sense of the gods, but in order to create his work, he cannot stay in this seductive…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patti-smith/the-artist-seeks-contact-with-his-intuitive-sense-of-the-gods-but-in/) [Patti Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patti-smith/) ## More by Lynn Nottage > [There's never any ebb in human misery.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lynn-nottage/there-s-never-any-ebb-in-human-misery/) [Lynn Nottage](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lynn-nottage/) > [I think that human beings were incredibly resilient; otherwise, we wouldn't keep going.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lynn-nottage/i-think-that-human-beings-were-incredibly-resilient-otherwise-we/) [Lynn Nottage](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lynn-nottage/) > [We need to diversify the people who are backstage and producing and marketing these shows. It's the limitations of these people that are holding…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lynn-nottage/we-need-to-diversify-the-people-who-are-backstage-and-producing-and/) [Lynn Nottage](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lynn-nottage/) > [I am a storyteller by trade.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lynn-nottage/i-am-a-storyteller-by-trade/) [Lynn Nottage](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lynn-nottage/) > [The essence of creativity is to look beyond where you can actually see. I don't want to dwell in same place too long.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lynn-nottage/the-essence-of-creativity-is-to-look-beyond-where-you-can-actually/) [Lynn Nottage](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lynn-nottage/) > [African American women in particular have incredible buying power. Statistically, we go to the movies more than anyone. We have made Tyler Perrys career.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lynn-nottage/african-american-women-in-particular-have-incredible-buying-power/) [Lynn Nottage](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lynn-nottage/) > [What I often do when I'm writing, if I can't find that story, I go out and I hunt for it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lynn-nottage/what-i-often-do-when-i-m-writing-if-i-can-t-find-that-story-i-go-out/) [Lynn Nottage](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lynn-nottage/) > [Broadway is a closed ecosystem.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lynn-nottage/broadway-is-a-closed-ecosystem/) [Lynn Nottage](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lynn-nottage/) > [Replace judgment with curiosity.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lynn-nottage/replace-judgment-with-curiosity/) [Lynn Nottage](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lynn-nottage/) > [A play that forces us to question our moral responsibility to the victims of human rights abuse.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lynn-nottage/a-play-that-forces-us-to-question-our-moral-responsibility-to-the/) [Lynn Nottage](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lynn-nottage/) > [My fears about where theater is going - it's the Hollywood model, where people are chasing the almighty dollar and making commercial decisions based…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lynn-nottage/my-fears-about-where-theater-is-going-it-s-the-hollywood-model-where/) [Lynn Nottage](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lynn-nottage/) > [The presence of a bed changes the way people interact.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lynn-nottage/the-presence-of-a-bed-changes-the-way-people-interact/) [Lynn Nottage](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lynn-nottage/) > [I wonder: Would there be a black president if people hadn't already begun imagining, through film and television, that a black man is president?…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lynn-nottage/i-wonder-would-there-be-a-black-president-if-people-hadn-t-already/) [Lynn Nottage](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lynn-nottage/) > [The great thing about 'Vera Stark' is that my research was watching movies, screwball comedies, so I could literally sit back and relax.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lynn-nottage/the-great-thing-about-vera-stark-is-that-my-research-was-watching/) [Lynn Nottage](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lynn-nottage/) > [Before I start, I create a set list that I listen to while I'm writing. For 'Intimate Apparel,' I loaded Erik Satie, Scott Joplin,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lynn-nottage/before-i-start-i-create-a-set-list-that-i-listen-to-while-i-m-writing/) [Lynn Nottage](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lynn-nottage/) [Explore all 113 Lynn Nottage quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lynn-nottage/) ## More Active quotes > [Listening is a very active awareness of the coming together of at least two lives. Listening, as far as I'm concerned, is certainly a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fred-rogers/listening-is-a-very-active-awareness-of-the-coming-together-of-at/) [Fred Rogers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fred-rogers/) > [we need not avoid our active lives, but simply bring to them a new vision and shift of gravity. for in the center we…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sue-monk-kidd/we-need-not-avoid-our-active-lives-but-simply-bring-to-them-a-new/) [Sue Monk Kidd](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sue-monk-kidd/) > [We in US need active intelligence: people being on the streets, people being able to stop and ask questions of individuals that they suspect…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kimberly-guilfoyle/we-in-us-need-active-intelligence-people-being-on-the-streets-people/) [Kimberly Guilfoyle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kimberly-guilfoyle/) > [Nothing is worse than active ignorance.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/johann-wolfgang-von-goethe/nothing-is-worse-than-active-ignorance/) [Johann Wolfgang von Goethe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/johann-wolfgang-von-goethe/) > [I eat healthy most of the time. Whole foods are the best for you when you are super active, so I get plenty of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/witney-carson/i-eat-healthy-most-of-the-time-whole-foods-are-the-best-for-you-when/) [Witney Carson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/witney-carson/) > [Art shows us how to see things that are constructive and good, and to be an active part of that.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gerhard-richter/art-shows-us-how-to-see-things-that-are-constructive-and-good-and-to/) [Gerhard Richter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gerhard-richter/) > [Love, like truth and beauty, is concrete. Love is not fundamentally a sweet feeling; not, at heart, a matter of sentiment, attachment, or being…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carter-heyward/love-like-truth-and-beauty-is-concrete-love-is-not-fundamentally-a/) [Carter Heyward](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carter-heyward/) > [Studying Sol's interior by looking for analogous patterns on its incandescent face is known as helioseismology, an active - if largely unpronounceable - research…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/seth-shostak/studying-sol-s-interior-by-looking-for-analogous-patterns-on-its/) [Seth Shostak](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/seth-shostak/) > [Science manipulates things and gives up living in them. 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Because essentially they were a three-piece band and the way he structured his chords and took…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alex-lifeson/pete-townsend-for-me-was-a-huge-influence-because-essentially-they/) [Alex Lifeson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alex-lifeson/) > [There is an enemy. There is an intelligent, active, malign force working against us. Step one is to recognize this. This recognition alone is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-pressfield/there-is-an-enemy-there-is-an-intelligent-active-malign-force-working/) [Steven Pressfield](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-pressfield/) > [Few, if any, creatures are equally active all night.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-david-thoreau/few-if-any-creatures-are-equally-active-all-night/) [Henry David Thoreau](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-david-thoreau/) > [You need to enjoy yourself and just get into the routine of keeping fit and enjoying being active. That's always easier once you've made…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alistair-brownlee/you-need-to-enjoy-yourself-and-just-get-into-the-routine-of-keeping/) [Alistair Brownlee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alistair-brownlee/) [Browse all 2,212 Active quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/active/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "I feel it's my social responsibility to shine a light on areas that don't get seen. My personal feeling is that it's an artist's responsibility to be engaged with the culture. And when the culture is going through turmoil, I think an artist can't ignore that. 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