---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Working a model liberated me from ever…"
description: "\"Working a model liberated me from ever having to hold a day job. I transitioned from doing that to working full-time as an artist. If you're 19 and liv..."
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9a6/molly-crabapple-17140_art_working-a-model-liberated-me-from-ever-h_1480511.jpg"
---

#  Working a model liberated me from ever having to hold a…

![“Working a model liberated me from ever having to hold a day job. I transitioned from doing that to working full-time as an artist. If you're 19 and living cheap, being an artist model can sustain you. I dropped out of college at 21 and my illustration hadn't yet taken off. It is more than working…” quote by Molly Crabapple](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9a6/molly-crabapple-17140_art_working-a-model-liberated-me-from-ever-h_1480511.jpg)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9a6/molly-crabapple-17140_art_working-a-model-liberated-me-from-ever-h_1480511.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9a6/molly-crabapple-17140_art_working-a-model-liberated-me-from-ever-h_1480511.jpg)

> “Working a model liberated me from ever having to hold a day job. I transitioned from doing that to working full-time as an artist. If you're 19 and living cheap, being an artist model can sustain you. I dropped out of college at 21 and my illustration hadn't yet taken off. It is more than working in a store. It is a hard way to make a living but you earn more than in a similarly unskilled job.”

[Molly Crabapple](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/molly-crabapple/)

## About This Quote

This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation.

Modeling can fund artistic pursuits, but it’s a tough, uncertain livelihood requiring sacrifice.

**In simple terms:** Modeling funds art, but is hard.

Key Takeaway

Weigh risks versus rewards.

Themes

career art finance risk independence

Mood

pragmatic realistic

Type

advice reflective

When to use this quote

- budgeting
- portfolio building
- networking

Key Concepts

economics creative industry gig work

Questions to Reflect On

- Is modeling the best bridge to your art?
- What backup plan do you have?

A Different Perspective

Financial instability may outweigh short‑term gains.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Art](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/art/) [Artist](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/artist/) [Artist Model](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/artist-model-1384986/) [Being an artist](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/being-an-artist/) [Cheap Artist](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/cheap-artist-5394888/) [College](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/college/) [Hard way](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/hard-way/) [Model](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/model/) [Model Liberated](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/model-liberated-5394887/) [Modeling](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/modeling/) [Taken](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/taken/) [Working Model](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/working-model-698596/)

## Related quotes

> [“To me she was beautiful, this artist's model, this film extra, a woman who had been married three times. I think she would understand…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/abigail-george/to-me-she-was-beautiful-this-artist-s-model-this-film-extra-a-woman/)

[Abigail George](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/abigail-george/)

> [At first, one sees the person who is modelling; but little by little, all of the possible sculptures that could be made come between…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alberto-giacometti/at-first-one-sees-the-person-who-is-modelling-but-little-by-little/)

[Alberto Giacometti](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alberto-giacometti/)

> [We have a lot of people revolutionizing the world because they've never had to present a working model.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/we-have-a-lot-of-people-revolutionizing-the-world-because-they-ve/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [Working as a model is high-speed, and my own work in every sense is super slow and doubtful.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/saskia-de-brauw/working-as-a-model-is-high-speed-and-my-own-work-in-every-sense-is/)

[Saskia de Brauw](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/saskia-de-brauw/)

> [I enjoyed working as a model a lot as it let me travel and I got to do some really interesting projects.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patricia-velasquez/i-enjoyed-working-as-a-model-a-lot-as-it-let-me-travel-and-i-got-to/)

[Patricia Velasquez](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patricia-velasquez/)

> [I was very involved with school by the time I was 15 and wasn't working much as a model](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rachael-leigh-cook/i-was-very-involved-with-school-by-the-time-i-was-15-and-wasn-t/)

[Rachael Leigh Cook](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rachael-leigh-cook/)

> [I began working as a model because I was born thin. I didn't become thin to be a model.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bianca-balti/i-began-working-as-a-model-because-i-was-born-thin-i-didn-t-become/)

[Bianca Balti](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bianca-balti/)

> [I'm going to continue working as a model. I want to do it all! And I think it's possible to keep working while you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karlie-kloss/i-m-going-to-continue-working-as-a-model-i-want-to-do-it-all-and-i/)

[Karlie Kloss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karlie-kloss/)

> [Throughout the years I've been working as a model, I've gathered lots of information on the process of creating fashion without even trying.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stella-maxwell/throughout-the-years-i-ve-been-working-as-a-model-i-ve-gathered-lots/)

[Stella Maxwell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stella-maxwell/)

> [The life of a working model in L.A. kind of sucks.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/analeigh-tipton/the-life-of-a-working-model-in-l-a-kind-of-sucks/)

[Analeigh Tipton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/analeigh-tipton/)

> [I came up with the Enveloper when I was 20 and it took my dad and me several months to develop the initial concept…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sara-davies/i-came-up-with-the-enveloper-when-i-was-20-and-it-took-my-dad-and-me/)

[Sara Davies](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sara-davies/)

> [Having people around you that are honest with you, and having a team around you that can actually track and communicate where things are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/muneshine/having-people-around-you-that-are-honest-with-you-and-having-a-team/)

[Muneshine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/muneshine/)

> [I hadn't known anything else, other than being an artist, and I needed to be a person for a while, really get to know…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tove-styrke/i-hadn-t-known-anything-else-other-than-being-an-artist-and-i-needed/)

[Tove Styrke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tove-styrke/)

> [Being an artist is a totally godlike thing to do - and I have a god complex.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laurie-anderson/being-an-artist-is-a-totally-godlike-thing-to-do-and-i-have-a-god/)

[Laurie Anderson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laurie-anderson/)

> [The teacher is of course an artist, but being an artist does not mean that he or she can make the profile, can shape…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paulo-freire/the-teacher-is-of-course-an-artist-but-being-an-artist-does-not-mean/)

[Paulo Freire](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paulo-freire/)

## More by Molly Crabapple

> [“Girls like me used the Web in all the ways our parents feared. We read anarchist manifestos and exchanged lurid porn with grown men.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/molly-crabapple/girls-like-me-used-the-web-in-all-the-ways-our-parents-feared-we-read/)

[Molly Crabapple](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/molly-crabapple/)

> [I didn't want to be beholden to one person. So I did something where I had hundreds of people who backed the work. I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/molly-crabapple/i-didn-t-want-to-be-beholden-to-one-person-so-i-did-something-where-i/)

[Molly Crabapple](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/molly-crabapple/)

> [I love comics, but I'd rather cut off my thumbs than do nothing but.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/molly-crabapple/i-love-comics-but-i-d-rather-cut-off-my-thumbs-than-do-nothing-but/)

[Molly Crabapple](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/molly-crabapple/)

> [When I started my own business, I funded it as a naked model. I still think that the sex industry can, for some men…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/molly-crabapple/when-i-started-my-own-business-i-funded-it-as-a-naked-model-i-still/)

[Molly Crabapple](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/molly-crabapple/)

> [I feel like the traditional patron system meant that you would kiss the ass of one rich person and then hide all of the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/molly-crabapple/i-feel-like-the-traditional-patron-system-meant-that-you-would-kiss/)

[Molly Crabapple](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/molly-crabapple/)

> [I had difficulty being friends with women who hadn't worked in either the sex or beauty industries. I felt like other women sometimes overvalued…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/molly-crabapple/i-had-difficulty-being-friends-with-women-who-hadn-t-worked-in-either/)

[Molly Crabapple](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/molly-crabapple/)

> [The thing is, Guantánamo is also a naval base, and they're under the delusion - especially the people on the naval side who are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/molly-crabapple/the-thing-is-guant-namo-is-also-a-naval-base-and-they-re-under-the/)

[Molly Crabapple](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/molly-crabapple/)

> [I can't reasonably pretend to be a transparent and omniscient narrator who brings no personal perspective. That person doesn't exist.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/molly-crabapple/i-can-t-reasonably-pretend-to-be-a-transparent-and-omniscient/)

[Molly Crabapple](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/molly-crabapple/)

> [Rohini Mohan read. While she did, I sketched her. She writes with such beauty and violence, and it seemed like the best way to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/molly-crabapple/rohini-mohan-read-while-she-did-i-sketched-her-she-writes-with-such/)

[Molly Crabapple](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/molly-crabapple/)

> [Mainstream feminism might remember that the war on women always starts with the war on whores.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/molly-crabapple/mainstream-feminism-might-remember-that-the-war-on-women-always/)

[Molly Crabapple](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/molly-crabapple/)

> [Innocence is always the state of being untouched. Sometimes it's synonymous with virginity, so sometimes it's quite literal, but sometimes it's more of a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/molly-crabapple/innocence-is-always-the-state-of-being-untouched-sometimes-it-s/)

[Molly Crabapple](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/molly-crabapple/)

> [I absorbed the lie that any smart woman would use birth control and be responsible for her body. Obviously that's not true.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/molly-crabapple/i-absorbed-the-lie-that-any-smart-woman-would-use-birth-control-and/)

[Molly Crabapple](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/molly-crabapple/)

> [When you hold a graphic novel in your hands, you're holding artist blood made ink.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/molly-crabapple/when-you-hold-a-graphic-novel-in-your-hands-you-re-holding-artist/)

[Molly Crabapple](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/molly-crabapple/)

> [Maybe you shouldn't be working as a jailer in Guantánamo. Maybe that's why you feel spiritually unhealthy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/molly-crabapple/maybe-you-shouldn-t-be-working-as-a-jailer-in-guant-namo-maybe-that-s/)

[Molly Crabapple](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/molly-crabapple/)

> [Despite everything we know about photo manipulation, a photo is still considered an objective document.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/molly-crabapple/despite-everything-we-know-about-photo-manipulation-a-photo-is-still/)

[Molly Crabapple](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/molly-crabapple/)

[Explore all 38 Molly Crabapple quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/molly-crabapple/)

## 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": "Working a model liberated me from ever having to hold a day job. I transitioned from doing that to working full-time as an artist. If you're 19 and living cheap, being an artist model can sustain you. I dropped out of college at 21 and my illustration hadn't yet taken off. It is more than working in a store. It is a hard way to make a living but you earn more than in a similarly unskilled job.",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Molly Crabapple"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/molly-crabapple/working-a-model-liberated-me-from-ever-having-to-hold-a-day-job-i/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Art"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/molly-crabapple/working-a-model-liberated-me-from-ever-having-to-hold-a-day-job-i/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9a6/molly-crabapple-17140_art_working-a-model-liberated-me-from-ever-h_1480511.jpg",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9a6/molly-crabapple-17140_art_working-a-model-liberated-me-from-ever-h_1480511.jpg",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9a6/molly-crabapple-17140_art_working-a-model-liberated-me-from-ever-h_1480511.jpg",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“Working a model liberated me from ever having to hold a day job. I transitioned from doing that to working…” — Molly Crabapple",
                "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": "Molly Crabapple",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/molly-crabapple/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "Working a model liberated me from...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/molly-crabapple/working-a-model-liberated-me-from-ever-having-to-hold-a-day-job-i/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/molly-crabapple/working-a-model-liberated-me-from-ever-having-to-hold-a-day-job-i/#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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
