---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Parameters are the things you bounce off…"
description: "\"Parameters are the things you bounce off to create art.\" — Neil Gaiman"
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/301/neil-gaiman-29_art_parameters-are-the-things-you-bounce-off_644348.jpg"
---

#  Parameters are the things you bounce off to create art.

![“Parameters are the things you bounce off to create art.” quote by Neil Gaiman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/301/neil-gaiman-29_art_parameters-are-the-things-you-bounce-off_644348.jpg)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/301/neil-gaiman-29_art_parameters-are-the-things-you-bounce-off_644348.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/301/neil-gaiman-29_art_parameters-are-the-things-you-bounce-off_644348.jpg)

> “Parameters are the things you bounce off to create art.”

[Neil Gaiman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neil-gaiman/)

## About This Quote

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

Creating art involves using existing ideas as springboards, not as final products.

**In simple terms:** Art is built by reshaping existing concepts.

Key Takeaway

Use existing ideas as foundations.

Themes

creativity art process

Mood

reflective thoughtful

Type

philosophical inspirational

When to use this quote

- writing
- visual art
- music composition
- design brainstorming

Key Concepts

intertextuality inspiration iteration

Questions to Reflect On

- How do you transform borrowed ideas into something new?
- What boundaries define inspiration versus copying?

A Different Perspective

Risk of plagiarism or lack of originality if not transformed.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Art](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/art/) [Artist](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/artist/) [Creativity](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/creativity/)

## Related quotes

> [It's a wonderful thing, as a writer, to be given parameters and walls and barriers.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neil-gaiman/it-s-a-wonderful-thing-as-a-writer-to-be-given-parameters-and-walls/)

[Neil Gaiman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neil-gaiman/)

> [It is, of course, a luxury to create art and, on top of this, to insist on expressing one's own artistic opinion. Nothing is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/max-beckmann/it-is-of-course-a-luxury-to-create-art-and-on-top-of-this-to-insist/)

[Max Beckmann](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/max-beckmann/)

> [Normal people do not create art.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/irving-stone/normal-people-do-not-create-art/)

[Irving Stone](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/irving-stone/)

> [“Be remarkable Be generous Create art Make judgment calls Connect people and ideas . . . and we have no choice but to reward you.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/seth-godin/be-remarkable-be-generous-create-art-make-judgment-calls-connect/)

[Seth Godin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/seth-godin/)

> [“Be committed to creating a life’s work, not a season. If you get overexcited and rush everything for fear of missing out, you run…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rebecca-campbell/be-committed-to-creating-a-life-s-work-not-a-season-if-you-get/)

[Rebecca Campbell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rebecca-campbell/)

> [Only the poor can create art.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrei-codrescu/only-the-poor-can-create-art/)

[Andrei Codrescu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrei-codrescu/)

> [It is my dream to create an art which is filled with balance, purity and calmness, freed from a subject matter that is disconcerting…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henri-matisse/it-is-my-dream-to-create-an-art-which-is-filled-with-balance-purity/)

[Henri Matisse](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henri-matisse/)

> [“after life has broken you open, perhaps you may create art”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-j-geddes/after-life-has-broken-you-open-perhaps-you-may-create-art/)

[john j geddes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-j-geddes/)

> [“Write something that’s worth fighting over. Because that’s how you change things. That’s how you create art.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeff-goins/write-something-that-s-worth-fighting-over-because-that-s-how-you/)

[Jeff Goins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeff-goins/)

> [I hope I will always have the ability to create art and live in a world where I can speak freely, and I can…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/madonna-ciccone/i-hope-i-will-always-have-the-ability-to-create-art-and-live-in-a/)

[Madonna Ciccone](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/madonna-ciccone/)

> [“Every piece of art starts as an empty canvas, a lump of clay, or a mixture of fabrics and colors. It's all raw, stripped-down,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mick-mooney/every-piece-of-art-starts-as-an-empty-canvas-a-lump-of-clay-or-a/)

Mick Mooney

> [If I would not be able to create music, I would create art or something else. Perhaps cooking.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/meshell-ndegeocello/if-i-would-not-be-able-to-create-music-i-would-create-art-or/)

[Meshell Ndegeocello](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/meshell-ndegeocello/)

> [As I create art, it is like a love affair. My days go by loving what I do.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-max/as-i-create-art-it-is-like-a-love-affair-my-days-go-by-loving-what-i/)

[Peter Max](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-max/)

> [All humans are storytellers with their own unique point of view. When we understand this, we no longer feel the need to impose our…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/miguel-angel-ruiz/all-humans-are-storytellers-with-their-own-unique-point-of-view-when/)

[Miguel Angel Ruiz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/miguel-angel-ruiz/)

> [The hidden child wants to be able to participate and to co-create in art, rather than being simply an admiring viewer.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christian-morgenstern/the-hidden-child-wants-to-be-able-to-participate-and-to-co-create-in/)

[Christian Morgenstern](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christian-morgenstern/)

## More by Neil Gaiman

> [“People talk about books that write themselves, and it's a lie. Books don't write themselves. It takes thought and research and a backache and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neil-gaiman/people-talk-about-books-that-write-themselves-and-it-s-a-lie-books/)

[Neil Gaiman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neil-gaiman/)

> [“Like all sentient beings, Fat Charlie had a weirdness quotient. For some days the needle had been over in the red, occasionally banging jerkily…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neil-gaiman/like-all-sentient-beings-fat-charlie-had-a-weirdness-quotient-for/)

[Neil Gaiman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neil-gaiman/)

> [“Shadow crawled across the floor to the yellow foam-rubber pad and climbed onto it, pulling the thin blanket over himself, and closed his eyes,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neil-gaiman/shadow-crawled-across-the-floor-to-the-yellow-foam-rubber-pad-and/)

[Neil Gaiman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neil-gaiman/)

> [ “\[T\]hey could not help being amused every time another little human believed itself the center of its world, as each of us does.” ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neil-gaiman/t-hey-could-not-help-being-amused-every-time-another-little-human/)

[Neil Gaiman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neil-gaiman/)

> [So many things to see, people to do.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neil-gaiman/so-many-things-to-see-people-to-do/)

[Neil Gaiman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neil-gaiman/)

> [“Three may keep a secret, if two of them are dead.’ – Ben Franklin,”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neil-gaiman/three-may-keep-a-secret-if-two-of-them-are-dead-ben-franklin/)

[Neil Gaiman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neil-gaiman/)

> [You need more than a beginning if you're going to start a book. If all you have is a beginning, then once you've written…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neil-gaiman/you-need-more-than-a-beginning-if-you-re-going-to-start-a-book-if-all/)

[Neil Gaiman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neil-gaiman/)

> [You can tell the date of an old science fiction novel by every word on the page. Nothing dates harder and faster and more…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neil-gaiman/you-can-tell-the-date-of-an-old-science-fiction-novel-by-every-word/)

[Neil Gaiman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neil-gaiman/)

> [“The quickest way is sometimes the longest.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neil-gaiman/the-quickest-way-is-sometimes-the-longest/)

[Neil Gaiman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neil-gaiman/)

> [“They were spells, spelled with words to make worlds, waiting for me, in the pages of books.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neil-gaiman/they-were-spells-spelled-with-words-to-make-worlds-waiting-for-me-in/)

[Neil Gaiman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neil-gaiman/)

> [Finish what you're writing. Whatever you have to do to finish it, finish it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neil-gaiman/finish-what-you-re-writing-whatever-you-have-to-do-to-finish-it/)

[Neil Gaiman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neil-gaiman/)

> [What do stars do? They shine.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neil-gaiman/what-do-stars-do-they-shine/)

[Neil Gaiman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neil-gaiman/)

> [“What," asked Mr Croup, "do you want?" "What," asked the Marquis de Carabas, a little more rhetorically, "does anyone want?" "Dead things," suggested Mr…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neil-gaiman/what-asked-mr-croup-do-you-want-what-asked-the-marquis-de-carabas-a/)

[Neil Gaiman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neil-gaiman/)

> [You get on with your own life. Lettie gave it to you. You just have to grow up and try and be worth it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neil-gaiman/you-get-on-with-your-own-life-lettie-gave-it-to-you-you-just-have-to/)

[Neil Gaiman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neil-gaiman/)

> [“Eyes will not see you. Minds will not hold you. Where you are is nothing and nobody”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neil-gaiman/eyes-will-not-see-you-minds-will-not-hold-you-where-you-are-is/)

[neil Gaiman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neil-gaiman/)

[Explore all 2,526 Neil Gaiman quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neil-gaiman/)

## 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

> [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": "Parameters are the things you bounce off to create art.",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Neil Gaiman"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neil-gaiman/parameters-are-the-things-you-bounce-off-to-create-art/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Art"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neil-gaiman/parameters-are-the-things-you-bounce-off-to-create-art/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/301/neil-gaiman-29_art_parameters-are-the-things-you-bounce-off_644348.jpg",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/301/neil-gaiman-29_art_parameters-are-the-things-you-bounce-off_644348.jpg",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/301/neil-gaiman-29_art_parameters-are-the-things-you-bounce-off_644348.jpg",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“Parameters are the things you bounce off to create art.” — Neil Gaiman",
                "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": "Neil Gaiman",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neil-gaiman/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "Parameters are the things you bounce...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neil-gaiman/parameters-are-the-things-you-bounce-off-to-create-art/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neil-gaiman/parameters-are-the-things-you-bounce-off-to-create-art/#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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
