--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: A lot of the work I've been doing on…" description: "\"A lot of the work I've been doing on camera has been me speaking on trans issues and illuminating things in a comedic way. That isn't the focus of my p..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/07f/patti-harrison-6137_art_a-lot-of-the-work-i-ve-been-doing-on-cam_1120960.jpg" --- # A lot of the work I've been doing on camera has been me… ![“A lot of the work I've been doing on camera has been me speaking on trans issues and illuminating things in a comedic way. That isn't the focus of my personal art, I guess, but it's a privilege for any artist to get to make stuff that isn't just about their oppression or strife or struggle.” quote by Patti Harrison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/07f/patti-harrison-6137_art_a-lot-of-the-work-i-ve-been-doing-on-cam_1120960.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/07f/patti-harrison-6137_art_a-lot-of-the-work-i-ve-been-doing-on-cam_1120960.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/07f/patti-harrison-6137_art_a-lot-of-the-work-i-ve-been-doing-on-cam_1120960.jpg) > “A lot of the work I've been doing on camera has been me speaking on trans issues and illuminating things in a comedic way. That isn't the focus of my personal art, I guess, but it's a privilege for any artist to get to make stuff that isn't just about their oppression or strife or struggle.” [Patti Harrison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patti-harrison/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The artist uses humor to discuss trans issues but emphasizes that art should not be limited to oppression narratives. **In simple terms:** Comedy can address trans topics; art should explore broader themes. Key Takeaway Create art beyond personal struggle. Themes humor trans rights artistic freedom Mood playful insightful Type comedic social commentary When to use this quote - stand‑up shows - social media - visual art Key Concepts social commentary creative expression Questions to Reflect On - How can humor responsibly discuss marginalized experiences? - What topics broaden artistic scope? A Different Perspective Risk of trivializing serious issues. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Art](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/art/) [Focus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/focus/) [Oppression](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/oppression/) [Struggle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/struggle/) [Work](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/work/) ## Related quotes > [Somewhere within all of us is a wordless center, a part of us that hopes to be immortal in some way, a part that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-schmid/somewhere-within-all-of-us-is-a-wordless-center-a-part-of-us-that/) [Richard Schmid](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-schmid/) > [Art is for healing ourselves, and everybody needs their own personal art to heal up their problems.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/linda-ronstadt/art-is-for-healing-ourselves-and-everybody-needs-their-own-personal/) [Linda Ronstadt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/linda-ronstadt/) > [I like owning my own narrative. It depends: I either give it all up, or I don't have any control. It's really hard to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/selah-louise-marley/i-like-owning-my-own-narrative-it-depends-i-either-give-it-all-up-or/) [Selah Louise Marley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/selah-louise-marley/) > [Art isn't only a painting. Art is anything that is creative, passionate and personal. Art is the unique work of a human being created…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/seth-godin/art-isn-t-only-a-painting-art-is-anything-that-is-creative-passionate/) [Seth Godin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/seth-godin/) > [I believe all of us should have the freedom to have our personal take on how art affects us.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/parvathy/i-believe-all-of-us-should-have-the-freedom-to-have-our-personal-take/) [Parvathy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/parvathy/) > [It's understandable why TV hasn't been diverse because a lot of TV writers are white dudes from Harvard. And white dudes from Harvard aren't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rachel-bloom/it-s-understandable-why-tv-hasn-t-been-diverse-because-a-lot-of-tv/) [Rachel Bloom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rachel-bloom/) > [Trans issues are also environmental issues. They're also healthcare issues. They're also national security issues.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-mcbride/trans-issues-are-also-environmental-issues-they-re-also-healthcare/) [Sarah McBride](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-mcbride/) > [He's trying to do info-tainment. He doesn't really want to talk about trans issues, he wants to sensationalize my life and not really talk…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/janet-mock/he-s-trying-to-do-info-tainment-he-doesn-t-really-want-to-talk-about/) [Janet Mock](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/janet-mock/) > [YouTube has moved culture forward in attitudes - on refugees, on LGBT issues - especially trans issues. There was untapped demand there; a lot…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susan-wojcicki/youtube-has-moved-culture-forward-in-attitudes-on-refugees-on-lgbt/) [Susan Wojcicki](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susan-wojcicki/) > [Trans voices are really underrepresented, and trans stories are really underrepresented, and when they are presented, they're often reductive. I was interested in putting…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ellie-kendrick/trans-voices-are-really-underrepresented-and-trans-stories-are-really/) [Ellie Kendrick](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ellie-kendrick/) > [I think it is necessary to educate folks on trans issues and to make them aware of trans identities and normalise it, because it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nicole-maines/i-think-it-is-necessary-to-educate-folks-on-trans-issues-and-to-make/) [Nicole Maines](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nicole-maines/) > [Many in the trans community are fed up with L.G.B.T. organizations that continue to erase trans identity or just give lip service to trans…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laverne-cox/many-in-the-trans-community-are-fed-up-with-l-g-b-t-organizations/) [Laverne Cox](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laverne-cox/) > [We had so many milestones in America. We were on our way to universal healthcare. We had gay marriage. We were talking about gender…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/beth-ditto/we-had-so-many-milestones-in-america-we-were-on-our-way-to-universal/) [Beth Ditto](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/beth-ditto/) > [America cannot be America in the new century until it deals with these new questions of gender, including the trans issues, and the questions…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/van-jones/america-cannot-be-america-in-the-new-century-until-it-deals-with/) [Van Jones](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/van-jones/) > [It happens all the time! People are always talking about that explosive moment in their family history that sort of changed everything and rattled…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/judith-light/it-happens-all-the-time-people-are-always-talking-about-that/) [Judith Light](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/judith-light/) ## More by Patti Harrison > [I don't think my relationship with the idea of womanhood is that attached to giving birth... like, I'm fully aware that I'll never give…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patti-harrison/i-don-t-think-my-relationship-with-the-idea-of-womanhood-is-that/) [Patti Harrison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patti-harrison/) > [I just want people to know that. I'm not trying to make space for other trans women.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patti-harrison/i-just-want-people-to-know-that-i-m-not-trying-to-make-space-for/) [Patti Harrison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patti-harrison/) > [There's like a little bit of a narcissism - I think there's more than a little bit of narcissism about it, but it's just…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patti-harrison/there-s-like-a-little-bit-of-a-narcissism-i-think-there-s-more-than-a/) [Patti Harrison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patti-harrison/) > [I'm always afraid to talk about stuff because I'm afraid to get ahead of myself or jinx something.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patti-harrison/i-m-always-afraid-to-talk-about-stuff-because-i-m-afraid-to-get-ahead/) [Patti Harrison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patti-harrison/) > [I shouldn't tell anyone that I can't drive or cook.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patti-harrison/i-shouldn-t-tell-anyone-that-i-can-t-drive-or-cook/) [Patti Harrison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patti-harrison/) > [My mom is pretty unimpressed by everything. She loves black-and-white movies, and the only things she watches in color on T.V. are Judge Judy…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patti-harrison/my-mom-is-pretty-unimpressed-by-everything-she-loves-black-and-white/) [Patti Harrison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patti-harrison/) > [It's fun to gossip and stuff. But once it's millions of people - the scale of that, I think, is more damaging to the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patti-harrison/it-s-fun-to-gossip-and-stuff-but-once-it-s-millions-of-people-the/) [Patti Harrison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patti-harrison/) > [If Ohio was a food, it would be Benadryl. If Chicago was pizza, Ohio is Benadryl, or some sort of generic over-the-counter.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patti-harrison/if-ohio-was-a-food-it-would-be-benadryl-if-chicago-was-pizza-ohio-is/) [Patti Harrison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patti-harrison/) > [People assume because you're a comedian that you want to be an actor or that you want to be a writer too. It is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patti-harrison/people-assume-because-you-re-a-comedian-that-you-want-to-be-an-actor/) [Patti Harrison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patti-harrison/) > [A lot of people tweet me things like, 'My 3-year-old son is trans and you inspire us.'](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patti-harrison/a-lot-of-people-tweet-me-things-like-my-3-year-old-son-is-trans-and/) [Patti Harrison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patti-harrison/) > [Cisgender people tend to want trans stories of triumph that are easy to metabolize. I want to make things that are subversive and not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patti-harrison/cisgender-people-tend-to-want-trans-stories-of-triumph-that-are-easy/) [Patti Harrison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patti-harrison/) > [I think I have more fun making jokes online and making stupid Instagram videos than I do in my real life, on stage.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patti-harrison/i-think-i-have-more-fun-making-jokes-online-and-making-stupid/) [Patti Harrison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patti-harrison/) > [I've thought about my relationship to my body, my body dysmorphia, and what that means as someone who's like, 'Oh, I'm going to be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patti-harrison/i-ve-thought-about-my-relationship-to-my-body-my-body-dysmorphia-and/) [Patti Harrison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patti-harrison/) > [A lot of the stuff that I want to create personally is usually pretty absurd or silly comedy stuff.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patti-harrison/a-lot-of-the-stuff-that-i-want-to-create-personally-is-usually-pretty/) [Patti Harrison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patti-harrison/) > [I love coverage. My ideal dress would be a turtleneck that goes all the way up to my chin, and then sleeves that go…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patti-harrison/i-love-coverage-my-ideal-dress-would-be-a-turtleneck-that-goes-all/) [Patti Harrison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patti-harrison/) [Explore all 100 Patti Harrison quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patti-harrison/) ## 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": "A lot of the work I've been doing on camera has been me speaking on trans issues and illuminating things in a comedic way. 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