--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: My work has been about making a record of…" description: "\"My work has been about making a record of my life that no one can revise. I photograph myself in times of trouble or change in order to find the ground..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/90c/nan-goldin-6289_change_my-work-has-been-about-making-a-record-o_2440061.jpg" --- # My work has been about making a record of my life that no… ![“My work has been about making a record of my life that no one can revise. I photograph myself in times of trouble or change in order to find the ground to stand on in the change. I was coming out of a melancholic phase. This was taken when I was traveling extensively, on the road from hotel to…” quote by Nan Goldin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/90c/nan-goldin-6289_change_my-work-has-been-about-making-a-record-o_2440061.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/90c/nan-goldin-6289_change_my-work-has-been-about-making-a-record-o_2440061.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/90c/nan-goldin-6289_change_my-work-has-been-about-making-a-record-o_2440061.jpg) > “My work has been about making a record of my life that no one can revise. I photograph myself in times of trouble or change in order to find the ground to stand on in the change. I was coming out of a melancholic phase. This was taken when I was traveling extensively, on the road from hotel to hotel. You get displaced, and then taking self-portraits becomes a way of hanging on to yourself.” [Nan Goldin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nan-goldin/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. She documents her life through self‑portraits to anchor identity amid change and melancholy. **In simple terms:** Self‑photos help maintain self‑sense during upheaval. Key Takeaway Use self‑reflection to stay grounded. Themes identity memory resilience Mood reflective introspective Type artistic personal When to use this quote - travel - personal crisis - mental health - artistic process Key Concepts self‑portraiture personal narrative Questions to Reflect On - How do you preserve self‑identity in flux? - What role does art play in emotional recovery? A Different Perspective Self‑portraits may not capture deeper systemic issues. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Change](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/change/) [Coming out](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/coming-out/) [Hotel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/hotel/) [Life](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/life/) [Order](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/order/) [Photography](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/photography/) [Self](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/self/) [Self portrait](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/self-portrait/) [Time](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/time/) [Times of trouble](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/times-of-trouble/) ## Related quotes > [Self-portraits are a way of revealing something about oneself.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eric-kandel/self-portraits-are-a-way-of-revealing-something-about-oneself/) [Eric Kandel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eric-kandel/) > [There are ways of angling the camera. I don't just use a tripod. The only time I did that was in '88 when I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nan-goldin/there-are-ways-of-angling-the-camera-i-don-t-just-use-a-tripod-the/) [Nan Goldin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nan-goldin/) > [Painting self-portraits without clothes on has also given me some publicity.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cleo-moore/painting-self-portraits-without-clothes-on-has-also-given-me-some/) [Cleo Moore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cleo-moore/) > [I have always loved the amateur side of photography, automatic photographs, accidental photographs with uncentered compositions, heads cut off, whatever. I incite people to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-klein/i-have-always-loved-the-amateur-side-of-photography-automatic/) [William Klein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-klein/) > [Many of Bonnard's later paintings are shot through with a powerful sense of morbidity. The self-portraits he painted after catching sight of himself in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrew-graham-dixon/many-of-bonnard-s-later-paintings-are-shot-through-with-a-powerful/) [Andrew Graham-Dixon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrew-graham-dixon/) > [I think self-portraits are very difficult. I’ve always seen mine as straightforward, very stripped down, hair pulled back. No shirt. Whatever light happened to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/annie-leibovitz/i-think-self-portraits-are-very-difficult-i-ve-always-seen-mine-as/) [Annie Leibovitz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/annie-leibovitz/) > [I think that deprecation part is a very important aspect because when someone looks into themselves, if they're going to be honest, they're going…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrew-w-k/i-think-that-deprecation-part-is-a-very-important-aspect-because-when/) [Andrew W.K](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrew-w-k/) > [I do not care about my own appearance, but I would hope that people could see into my soul, and that is presented better…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/august-strindberg/i-do-not-care-about-my-own-appearance-but-i-would-hope-that-people/) [August Strindberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/august-strindberg/) > [I felt that the beach portraits were all self-portraits. That moment of unease, that attempt to find a pose, it was all about me.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rineke-dijkstra/i-felt-that-the-beach-portraits-were-all-self-portraits-that-moment/) [Rineke Dijkstra](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rineke-dijkstra/) > [When I look in the mirror, I am slightly reminded of self-portraits by Durer and by Rembrandt, because they both show a degree of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-winston/when-i-look-in-the-mirror-i-am-slightly-reminded-of-self-portraits-by/) [Robert Winston](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-winston/) > [Everyone thinks these are self-portraits but they aren't meant to be. I just use myself as a model because I know I can push…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cindy-sherman/everyone-thinks-these-are-self-portraits-but-they-aren-t-meant-to-be/) [Cindy Sherman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cindy-sherman/) > [I always take a close look at those who lose themselves in self portraits. They are solitary souls, prone to introspection, who have really…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/young-ha-kim/i-always-take-a-close-look-at-those-who-lose-themselves-in-self/) [Young-Ha Kim](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/young-ha-kim/) > [Self-portraits have been done in painting, but never in music or literature. It has no meaning, it makes no sense. And in movies I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-luc-godard/self-portraits-have-been-done-in-painting-but-never-in-music-or/) [Jean-Luc Godard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-luc-godard/) > [I paint self-portraits because I am so often alone, because I am the person I know best.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frida-kahlo/i-paint-self-portraits-because-i-am-so-often-alone-because-i-am-the/) [Frida Kahlo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frida-kahlo/) > [My early self-portraits appeared effortlessly and seemed like equivalents for my deeper emotions. Many critics remarked that the images had an almost other-worldly haunting…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joyce-tenneson/my-early-self-portraits-appeared-effortlessly-and-seemed-like/) [Joyce Tenneson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joyce-tenneson/) ## More by Nan Goldin > [I shot for French and British Vogue. The British Vogue one featured clothes by Chloe and was shot at Highgate and the John Soane…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nan-goldin/i-shot-for-french-and-british-vogue-the-british-vogue-one-featured/) [Nan Goldin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nan-goldin/) > [No place could be less sympathetic to my politics than America.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nan-goldin/no-place-could-be-less-sympathetic-to-my-politics-than-america/) [Nan Goldin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nan-goldin/) > [I'm very much interested in water and women in water. I've been photographing that for years although I didn't really know it at the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nan-goldin/i-m-very-much-interested-in-water-and-women-in-water-i-ve-been/) [Nan Goldin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nan-goldin/) > [I think it killed my sister as the times she was living in were so conformist. This is a subject I really want to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nan-goldin/i-think-it-killed-my-sister-as-the-times-she-was-living-in-were-so/) [Nan Goldin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nan-goldin/) > [American magazines are becoming very patriotic beyond belief to the point that I can't live there any more.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nan-goldin/american-magazines-are-becoming-very-patriotic-beyond-belief-to-the/) [Nan Goldin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nan-goldin/) > [I'm very flattered when people I respect like my work. It's like a dream of a little kid when somebody I idolised likes my…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nan-goldin/i-m-very-flattered-when-people-i-respect-like-my-work-it-s-like-a/) [Nan Goldin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nan-goldin/) > [I always thought if I photographed anyone or anything enough, I would never lose the person, I would never lose the memory, I would…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nan-goldin/i-always-thought-if-i-photographed-anyone-or-anything-enough-i-would/) [Nan Goldin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nan-goldin/) > [As a non-Catholic, and since I was a child, I have been obsessed with the ritual and the beauty of Catholic art. I look…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nan-goldin/as-a-non-catholic-and-since-i-was-a-child-i-have-been-obsessed-with/) [Nan Goldin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nan-goldin/) > [The main thing that I want to say is that I don't think women are at their most beautiful in their adolescence or in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nan-goldin/the-main-thing-that-i-want-to-say-is-that-i-don-t-think-women-are-at/) [Nan Goldin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nan-goldin/) > [Each time I spend with Stella McCartney, I like her better. So I was excited to be asked by her.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nan-goldin/each-time-i-spend-with-stella-mccartney-i-like-her-better-so-i-was/) [Nan Goldin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nan-goldin/) > [A lot of people seem to think that art or photography is about the way things look, or the surface of things. That's not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nan-goldin/a-lot-of-people-seem-to-think-that-art-or-photography-is-about-the/) [Nan Goldin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nan-goldin/) > [ Some people have become \[in U.S\] a lot more conservative but I can't really speak about that because I wasn't there. I feel compassion… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nan-goldin/some-people-have-become-in-u-s-a-lot-more-conservative-but-i-can-t/) [Nan Goldin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nan-goldin/) > [I used to think that I could never lose anyone if I photographed them enough. In fact, my pictures show me how much I’ve…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nan-goldin/i-used-to-think-that-i-could-never-lose-anyone-if-i-photographed-them/) [Nan Goldin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nan-goldin/) > [ I know somewhat about Kate \[Moss who featured in the Vogue spread\]. I always thought that Kate's look had come from my old friend… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nan-goldin/i-know-somewhat-about-kate-moss-who-featured-in-the-vogue-spread-i/) [Nan Goldin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nan-goldin/) > [I have very healthy strong relationships with women.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nan-goldin/i-have-very-healthy-strong-relationships-with-women/) [Nan Goldin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nan-goldin/) [Explore all 99 Nan Goldin quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nan-goldin/) ## More Change quotes > [Only within yourself exists the other reality for which you long. I can give you nothing that has not already its being within yourself.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hermann-hesse/only-within-yourself-exists-the-other-reality-for-which-you-long-i/) [Hermann Hesse](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hermann-hesse/) > [Life is full of change. That's how we learn and grow.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/life-is-full-of-change-that-s-how-we-learn-and-grow/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [I can't believe that I'm sitting in meetings with Steven Spielberg, Tom Hanks, and Annette Bening. I want to take on that responsibility to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roger-ross-williams/i-can-t-believe-that-i-m-sitting-in-meetings-with-steven-spielberg/) [Roger Ross Williams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roger-ross-williams/) > [“…progress isn't necessarily about change but about things turning out as we want them to”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/phil-hogan/progress-isn-t-necessarily-about-change-but-about-things-turning-out/) Phil Hogan > [Nobody can tell me that no changes are necessary in Washington.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-weld/nobody-can-tell-me-that-no-changes-are-necessary-in-washington/) [William Weld](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-weld/) > [If my campaign is not in the debate, we will not be talking about how we really fix this problem of endless and expanding…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jill-stein/if-my-campaign-is-not-in-the-debate-we-will-not-be-talking-about-how/) [Jill Stein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jill-stein/) > [When you walk down the street of Kabul your values for life changes, they do change.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marco-pierre-white/when-you-walk-down-the-street-of-kabul-your-values-for-life-changes/) [Marco Pierre White](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marco-pierre-white/) > [Your world will change whether or not you choose to change, but you have the power to choose it's direction.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/napoleon-hill/your-world-will-change-whether-or-not-you-choose-to-change-but-you/) [Napoleon Hill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/napoleon-hill/) > [I hope I continue to evolve.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charlotte-flair/i-hope-i-continue-to-evolve/) [Charlotte Flair](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charlotte-flair/) > [“Stay focused on bringing people together and more on positive messaging so that you can be the change you wish to see in the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/germany-kent/stay-focused-on-bringing-people-together-and-more-on-positive/) [Germany Kent](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/germany-kent/) > [The biggest change for me as a mom was realizing I needed to put someone else before me. Now the hardest part about the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kim-alexis/the-biggest-change-for-me-as-a-mom-was-realizing-i-needed-to-put/) [Kim Alexis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kim-alexis/) > [“After the funeral, my life changed. I felt as if time were suddenly precious, water going down an open drain, and I could not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mitch-albom/after-the-funeral-my-life-changed-i-felt-as-if-time-were-suddenly/) [Mitch Albom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mitch-albom/) > [You practice mindfulness, on the one hand, to be calm and peaceful. On the other hand, as you practice mindfulness and live a life…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/you-practice-mindfulness-on-the-one-hand-to-be-calm-and-peaceful-on/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Irish research will contribute to global progress and have the potential to help all countries realise the potential of their land sectors in addressing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/enda-kenny/irish-research-will-contribute-to-global-progress-and-have-the/) [Enda Kenny](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/enda-kenny/) > [No man can change himself into anything from sheer reason; he can only change into what he potentially is.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carl-jung/no-man-can-change-himself-into-anything-from-sheer-reason-he-can-only/) [Carl Jung](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carl-jung/) [Browse all 33,920 Change quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/change/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "My work has been about making a record of my life that no one can revise. 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