--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I'm not very good at working for other…" description: "\"I'm not very good at working for other people. I mostly make pictures because of some whim. With luck, I get a glimpse of something, and then it turns ..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/390/nicholas-nixon-83542_adventure_i-m-not-very-good-at-working-for-other-p_1497002.jpg" --- # I'm not very good at working for other people. I mostly… ![“I'm not very good at working for other people. I mostly make pictures because of some whim. With luck, I get a glimpse of something, and then it turns into an adventure, and then into a project.” quote by Nicholas Nixon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/390/nicholas-nixon-83542_adventure_i-m-not-very-good-at-working-for-other-p_1497002.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/390/nicholas-nixon-83542_adventure_i-m-not-very-good-at-working-for-other-p_1497002.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/390/nicholas-nixon-83542_adventure_i-m-not-very-good-at-working-for-other-p_1497002.jpg) > “I'm not very good at working for other people. I mostly make pictures because of some whim. With luck, I get a glimpse of something, and then it turns into an adventure, and then into a project.” Nicholas Nixon ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The creator admits difficulty in conventional work, preferring spontaneous, whimsical inspiration that evolves into larger projects. **In simple terms:** He works best when ideas start playfully and grow. Key Takeaway Embrace whimsy to spark larger endeavors. Themes creativity independence process artistic flow Mood inspirational thoughtful Type creative motivational When to use this quote - personal art practice - collaborative brainstorming - creative workshops Key Concepts spontaneity project development Questions to Reflect On - How can you balance spontaneity with discipline? - What habits help turn fleeting ideas into lasting work? A Different Perspective Whimsy can lack structure and focus. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Adventure](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/adventure/) [Luck](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/luck/) [People](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/people/) [Photography](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/photography/) ## Related quotes > [I like to make pictures about people who make a difference.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jerry-bruckheimer/i-like-to-make-pictures-about-people-who-make-a-difference/) [Jerry Bruckheimer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jerry-bruckheimer/) > [The thing that makes me want to make pictures now is just looking without many prejudices. The stuff right under your eyes is the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/abelardo-morell/the-thing-that-makes-me-want-to-make-pictures-now-is-just-looking/) [Abelardo Morell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/abelardo-morell/) > [It is the spectators who make the pictures.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marcel-duchamp/it-is-the-spectators-who-make-the-pictures/) [Marcel Duchamp](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marcel-duchamp/) > [I just make the pictures and where they fall is where they fall. If somebody likes them, that's always nice. And if they don't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/clint-eastwood/i-just-make-the-pictures-and-where-they-fall-is-where-they-fall-if/) [Clint Eastwood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/clint-eastwood/) > [...I think finding that room to make pictures that don't jump off the wall as, or detonate as dramatic, either in lighting or in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/larry-sultan/i-think-finding-that-room-to-make-pictures-that-don-t-jump-off-the/) [Larry Sultan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/larry-sultan/) > [I sometimes make pictures which are not up to my standard, but then it can only be said of a mediocrity that all his…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ernst-lubitsch/i-sometimes-make-pictures-which-are-not-up-to-my-standard-but-then-it/) [Ernst Lubitsch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ernst-lubitsch/) > [My aim in life is to make pictures and drawings, as many and as well as I can; then, at the end of my…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vincent-van-gogh/my-aim-in-life-is-to-make-pictures-and-drawings-as-many-and-as-well/) [Vincent Van Gogh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vincent-van-gogh/) > [Photography is a very forgiving medium. Anybody that can afford film and a camera can make pictures.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/todd-walker/photography-is-a-very-forgiving-medium-anybody-that-can-afford-film/) Todd Walker > [I will only make pictures that I won't be ashamed to have my children see.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/louis-b-mayer/i-will-only-make-pictures-that-i-won-t-be-ashamed-to-have-my-children/) [Louis B. Mayer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/louis-b-mayer/) > [My eyes make pictures when they are shut.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/samuel-taylor-coleridge/my-eyes-make-pictures-when-they-are-shut/) [Samuel Taylor Coleridge](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/samuel-taylor-coleridge/) > [I try to make pictures I would want to see.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-lasseter/i-try-to-make-pictures-i-would-want-to-see/) [John Lasseter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-lasseter/) > [You should never use the camera to make your pictures. You use yourself, your experience to make the picture with the camera. Not the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/antonin-kratochvil/you-should-never-use-the-camera-to-make-your-pictures-you-use/) Antonin Kratochvil > [We make pictures. At the end of the day, we create something potentially significant that did not exist at the beginning of the day.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joe-mcnally/we-make-pictures-at-the-end-of-the-day-we-create-something/) [Joe McNally](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joe-mcnally/) > [If you need to do a movie where you have an army of 10,000 soldiers, that's a very difficult thing to shoot for real.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-knoll/if-you-need-to-do-a-movie-where-you-have-an-army-of-10-000-soldiers/) [John Knoll](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-knoll/) > [I am just trying to find a way to make pictures.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jasper-johns/i-am-just-trying-to-find-a-way-to-make-pictures/) [Jasper Johns](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jasper-johns/) ## More by Nicholas Nixon > [The world is infinitely more interesting than any of my opinions about it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nicholas-nixon/the-world-is-infinitely-more-interesting-than-any-of-my-opinions/) Nicholas Nixon > [People are self-conscious at first. But it gets better as we kind of dance with each other... it's like a date, in a way.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nicholas-nixon/people-are-self-conscious-at-first-but-it-gets-better-as-we-kind-of/) Nicholas Nixon Explore all 3 Nicholas Nixon quotes ## More Adventure quotes > [I'm trying to write a film with my friend. I'd love to get the thrill of speaking actors making my work even funnier.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/russell-howard/i-m-trying-to-write-a-film-with-my-friend-i-d-love-to-get-the-thrill/) [Russell Howard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/russell-howard/) > [I painted the words "GREAT ADVENTURE" in Beijing, Dallas, San Francisco, Copenhagen, and Japan. What it means to me is completely different to everybody…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ben-eine/i-painted-the-words-great-adventure-in-beijing-dallas-san-francisco/) [Ben Eine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ben-eine/) > [I've used the Phoenix Centrifuge to replicate what the body's going to go through on the flight up. I've also done some gravity tests…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-branson/i-ve-used-the-phoenix-centrifuge-to-replicate-what-the-body-s-going/) [Richard Branson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-branson/) > [I have lifted my plane . . . for perhaps a thousand flights and I have never felt her wheels glide from the Earth…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/beryl-markham/i-have-lifted-my-plane-for-perhaps-a-thousand-flights-and-i-have/) [Beryl Markham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/beryl-markham/) > [I am attracted to looking at the different things language can mean even in one sometimes quite ordinary utterance. Writing is partly about listening…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rae-armantrout/i-am-attracted-to-looking-at-the-different-things-language-can-mean/) [Rae Armantrout](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rae-armantrout/) > [What a thrill. You know you've entered new territory when you realise that your outfit cost more than your film.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jessica-yu/what-a-thrill-you-know-you-ve-entered-new-territory-when-you-realise/) Jessica Yu > [“So many people live within unhappy circumstances and yet will not take the initiative to change their situation because they are conditioned by a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alexander-supertramp-chris-mccandless/so-many-people-live-within-unhappy-circumstances-and-yet-will-not/) Alexander Supertramp Chris McCandless > [A common fallacy in much of the adverse criticism to which science is subjected today is that it claims certainty, infallibility and complete emotional…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cyril-norman-hinshelwood/a-common-fallacy-in-much-of-the-adverse-criticism-to-which-science-is/) [Cyril Norman Hinshelwood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cyril-norman-hinshelwood/) > [“Exactly. I think the original tantric Buddhists took notice of was some very wise old people who never studied in their youth, but took…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joe-niemczura/exactly-i-think-the-original-tantric-buddhists-took-notice-of-was/) [Joe Niemczura](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joe-niemczura/) > [As an adventurer...I try to protect against the downside. I make sure I have covered as many eventualities as I can. In the end,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-branson/as-an-adventurer-i-try-to-protect-against-the-downside-i-make-sure-i/) [Richard Branson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-branson/) > [“Love can give you such happiness, then can break the very heart it filled, leaving a hole that can never be fixed or protected…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kevin-mcleod/love-can-give-you-such-happiness-then-can-break-the-very-heart-it/) Kevin McLeod > [“It always gave Wolf a peculiar thrill thus to tighten his grip upon his stick, thus to wrap himself more closely in his faded…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-cowper-powys/it-always-gave-wolf-a-peculiar-thrill-thus-to-tighten-his-grip-upon/) [John Cowper Powys](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-cowper-powys/) > [“It all had to be squeezed and squeezed again, to provide a thrill, to provide enjoyment. What did people mean, with their simply determined…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/d-h-lawrence-2/it-all-had-to-be-squeezed-and-squeezed-again-to-provide-a-thrill-to/) [D.H. Lawrence](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/d-h-lawrence-2/) > [I am not an adventurous person but I am gutsy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rahul-vaidya/i-am-not-an-adventurous-person-but-i-am-gutsy/) [Rahul Vaidya](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rahul-vaidya/) > [Our civilization, bequeathed to us by fierce adventurers, eaters of meat and hunters, is so full of hurry and combat, so busy about many…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-joyce/our-civilization-bequeathed-to-us-by-fierce-adventurers-eaters-of/) [James Joyce](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-joyce/) [Browse all 7,690 Adventure quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/adventure/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "I'm not very good at working for other people. I mostly make pictures because of some whim. With luck, I get a glimpse of something, and then it turns into an adventure, and then into a project.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Nicholas Nixon" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nicholas-nixon/i-m-not-very-good-at-working-for-other-people-i-mostly-make-pictures/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Adventure" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nicholas-nixon/i-m-not-very-good-at-working-for-other-people-i-mostly-make-pictures/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/390/nicholas-nixon-83542_adventure_i-m-not-very-good-at-working-for-other-p_1497002.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/390/nicholas-nixon-83542_adventure_i-m-not-very-good-at-working-for-other-p_1497002.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/390/nicholas-nixon-83542_adventure_i-m-not-very-good-at-working-for-other-p_1497002.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“I'm not very good at working for other people. I mostly make pictures because of some whim. With luck, I get…” — Nicholas Nixon", "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": "Nicholas Nixon", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nicholas-nixon/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "I'm not very good at working...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nicholas-nixon/i-m-not-very-good-at-working-for-other-people-i-mostly-make-pictures/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nicholas-nixon/i-m-not-very-good-at-working-for-other-people-i-mostly-make-pictures/#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 } } ] } ```