--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: It's nice that people can call me an…" description: "\"It's nice that people can call me an artist and it's nice that I can refer to myself as such, but it also kind of separates me from the common man in a..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/95e/matana-roberts-36250_art_it-s-nice-that-people-can-call-me-an-art_29584.jpg" --- # It's nice that people can call me an artist and it's nice… ![“It's nice that people can call me an artist and it's nice that I can refer to myself as such, but it also kind of separates me from the common man in a way that I don't wish to be, so craftsperson makes me feel a bit more connected.” quote by Matana Roberts](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/95e/matana-roberts-36250_art_it-s-nice-that-people-can-call-me-an-art_29584.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/95e/matana-roberts-36250_art_it-s-nice-that-people-can-call-me-an-art_29584.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/95e/matana-roberts-36250_art_it-s-nice-that-people-can-call-me-an-art_29584.jpg) > “It's nice that people can call me an artist and it's nice that I can refer to myself as such, but it also kind of separates me from the common man in a way that I don't wish to be, so craftsperson makes me feel a bit more connected.” [Matana Roberts](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matana-roberts/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The speaker prefers the term 'craftsperson' over 'artist' to avoid elitism and stay grounded with everyday people. **In simple terms:** Choosing inclusive language over lofty titles. Key Takeaway Labels shape perceived social distance. Themes identity humility social connection language self-perception Mood thoughtful reflective Type personal philosophical When to use this quote - talking about professional titles - discussing class dynamics - explaining personal branding Key Concepts artistic identity social class authenticity Practical Applications - reframing self-description - building inclusive communities Questions to Reflect On - How do our job titles affect our relationships? - When does a label become a barrier? ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Art](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/art/) [Artist](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/artist/) [Artist Nice](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/artist-nice-422477/) [Bits](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/bits/) [Call me](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/call-me/) [Common](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/common/) [Common man](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/common-man/) [Connected](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/connected/) [Craftsperson Makes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/craftsperson-makes-422478/) [Feels](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/feels/) [I can](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/i-can/) [Kind](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/kind/) [Makes Feel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/makes-feel/) [Men](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/men/) [Nice](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/nice/) [Nice people](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/nice-people/) [People](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/people/) [Way](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/way/) [Wish](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/wish/) [Wish Craftsperson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/wish-craftsperson-422479/) ## Related quotes > [Those who advocate common usage in philosophy sometimes speak in a manner that suggests the mystique of the 'common man.'](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bertrand-russell/those-who-advocate-common-usage-in-philosophy-sometimes-speak-in-a/) [Bertrand Russell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bertrand-russell/) > [I know that a lot of people take inspiration from the fact that I was just a common man with no film background who…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/uday-kiran/i-know-that-a-lot-of-people-take-inspiration-from-the-fact-that-i-was/) [Uday Kiran](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/uday-kiran/) > [Those who respect the intelligence of the common man have always been masters.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/suhasini-maniratnam/those-who-respect-the-intelligence-of-the-common-man-have-always-been/) [Suhasini Maniratnam](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/suhasini-maniratnam/) > [Hathiram Choudhary is a vulnerable, intense and deep character. Like every common man, he just wants to prove himself and better himself. But he…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jaideep-ahlawat/hathiram-choudhary-is-a-vulnerable-intense-and-deep-character-like/) [Jaideep Ahlawat](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jaideep-ahlawat/) > [Common men should esteem learning as silver, noble men prize it as gold, and princes as jewels.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pope-pius-ii/common-men-should-esteem-learning-as-silver-noble-men-prize-it-as/) [Pope Pius II](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pope-pius-ii/) > [The commander of the forces of a large State may be carried off, but the will of even a common man cannot be taken…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/confucius/the-commander-of-the-forces-of-a-large-state-may-be-carried-off-but/) [Confucius](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/confucius/) > [“Creative writer has artistic sensibility. He observes the world like any common men. But his vision observes the world quite differently. He can perceive…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aristotle/creative-writer-has-artistic-sensibility-he-observes-the-world-like/) [Aristotle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aristotle/) > [I am terrified of restrictive religious doctrine, having learned from history that when men who adhere to any form of it are in control,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-a-michener/i-am-terrified-of-restrictive-religious-doctrine-having-learned-from/) [James A. Michener](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-a-michener/) > [The founder of any branch must be more ingenious than the common man. However, if his achievement is not carried on by disciples of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bruce-lee/the-founder-of-any-branch-must-be-more-ingenious-than-the-common-man/) [Bruce Lee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bruce-lee/) > [Under capitalism the common man enjoys amenities which in ages gone by were unknown and therefore inaccessible even to the richest people. But, of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ludwig-von-mises/under-capitalism-the-common-man-enjoys-amenities-which-in-ages-gone/) [Ludwig von Mises](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ludwig-von-mises/) > [No one got rich on a government program. Do not choose to be a common man. You can be uncommon.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dave-ramsey/no-one-got-rich-on-a-government-program-do-not-choose-to-be-a-common/) [Dave Ramsey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dave-ramsey/) > [The common man, finding himself in a world so excellent, technically and socially, believes it has been produced by nature, and never thinks of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jose-ortega-y-gasset/the-common-man-finding-himself-in-a-world-so-excellent-technically/) [Jose Ortega y Gasset](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jose-ortega-y-gasset/) > [Through my singing and acting and speaking, I want to make freedom ring. Maybe I can touch people's hearts better than I can their…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-robeson/through-my-singing-and-acting-and-speaking-i-want-to-make-freedom/) [Paul Robeson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-robeson/) > [In a democracy, voting is a huge and most important right of a common man.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pankaj-tripathi/in-a-democracy-voting-is-a-huge-and-most-important-right-of-a-common/) [Pankaj Tripathi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pankaj-tripathi/) > [I think the common man should not be underestimated.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/akshaye-khanna/i-think-the-common-man-should-not-be-underestimated/) [Akshaye Khanna](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/akshaye-khanna/) ## More by Matana Roberts > [Leading a band is fun, but it's not always something I want to continually focus on. I have my toes in a lot of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matana-roberts/leading-a-band-is-fun-but-it-s-not-always-something-i-want-to/) [Matana Roberts](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matana-roberts/) > [Someone can do anything they want to you on the outside, but whatever they do to me they cannot destroy what's on my inside.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matana-roberts/someone-can-do-anything-they-want-to-you-on-the-outside-but-whatever/) [Matana Roberts](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matana-roberts/) > [The saxophone was created to mimic the human voice and I think that's why I gravitated toward the saxophone eventually. I'd loved the clarinet,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matana-roberts/the-saxophone-was-created-to-mimic-the-human-voice-and-i-think-that-s/) [Matana Roberts](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matana-roberts/) > [I love making people sing. I love group singing, sacred harp singing, choral singing, recordings of people singing sea shanties, work songs, prison songs…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matana-roberts/i-love-making-people-sing-i-love-group-singing-sacred-harp-singing/) [Matana Roberts](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matana-roberts/) > [I love working with my hands. The computer has taken over my life in a way that makes me really uncomfortable. I'm trying to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matana-roberts/i-love-working-with-my-hands-the-computer-has-taken-over-my-life-in-a/) [Matana Roberts](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matana-roberts/) > [ New York is beautiful, but \[the South\] makes it look like a wasteland. ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matana-roberts/new-york-is-beautiful-but-the-south-makes-it-look-like-a-wasteland/) [Matana Roberts](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matana-roberts/) > [Listening to the birds tells you different things about a place. I heard bird sounds I'd never heard before. I heard street sounds and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matana-roberts/listening-to-the-birds-tells-you-different-things-about-a-place-i/) [Matana Roberts](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matana-roberts/) > [I have a really big interest in the spirit world: spooks and the things we can't necessarily see but feel.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matana-roberts/i-have-a-really-big-interest-in-the-spirit-world-spooks-and-the/) [Matana Roberts](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matana-roberts/) > [It's important to interrogate history, it's important to document history, because as a society we need constant reminders of the things that we've done…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matana-roberts/it-s-important-to-interrogate-history-it-s-important-to-document/) [Matana Roberts](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matana-roberts/) > [When you read enough stories about people who have been through different levels of trauma, and it doesn't matter what the history is, trauma…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matana-roberts/when-you-read-enough-stories-about-people-who-have-been-through/) [Matana Roberts](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matana-roberts/) > [I'm a history geek and I love American history. It's so bizarre and so problematic and I love the many conundrums that it represents.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matana-roberts/i-m-a-history-geek-and-i-love-american-history-it-s-so-bizarre-and-so/) [Matana Roberts](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matana-roberts/) > [A lot of my video work is super lo-fi on purpose. I'm not trying to become technically super proficient. The only thing I'm interested…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matana-roberts/a-lot-of-my-video-work-is-super-lo-fi-on-purpose-i-m-not-trying-to/) [Matana Roberts](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matana-roberts/) [Explore all 13 Matana Roberts quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matana-roberts/) ## 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": "It's nice that people can call me an artist and it's nice that I can refer to myself as such, but it also kind of separates me from the common man in a way that I don't wish to be, so craftsperson makes me feel a bit more connected.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Matana Roberts" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matana-roberts/it-s-nice-that-people-can-call-me-an-artist-and-it-s-nice-that-i-can/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Art" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matana-roberts/it-s-nice-that-people-can-call-me-an-artist-and-it-s-nice-that-i-can/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/95e/matana-roberts-36250_art_it-s-nice-that-people-can-call-me-an-art_29584.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/95e/matana-roberts-36250_art_it-s-nice-that-people-can-call-me-an-art_29584.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/95e/matana-roberts-36250_art_it-s-nice-that-people-can-call-me-an-art_29584.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“It's nice that people can call me an artist and it's nice that I can refer to myself as such, but it also…” — Matana Roberts", "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": "Matana Roberts", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matana-roberts/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "It's nice that people can call...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matana-roberts/it-s-nice-that-people-can-call-me-an-artist-and-it-s-nice-that-i-can/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matana-roberts/it-s-nice-that-people-can-call-me-an-artist-and-it-s-nice-that-i-can/#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 } } ] } ```