--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I always had this feeling, what I wanted…" description: "\"I always had this feeling, what I wanted to do. I was trying to work out myself, my frustrations, my body. I couldn't really pinpoint. I started taking..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3c9/petra-collins-4546_body_i-always-had-this-feeling-what-i-wanted_1103068.jpg" --- # I always had this feeling, what I wanted to do. I was… ![“I always had this feeling, what I wanted to do. I was trying to work out myself, my frustrations, my body. I couldn't really pinpoint. I started taking photos of my sister and her friends. I was 15, exploring what it meant to be a 15-year-old girl.” quote by Petra Collins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3c9/petra-collins-4546_body_i-always-had-this-feeling-what-i-wanted_1103068.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3c9/petra-collins-4546_body_i-always-had-this-feeling-what-i-wanted_1103068.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3c9/petra-collins-4546_body_i-always-had-this-feeling-what-i-wanted_1103068.jpg) > “I always had this feeling, what I wanted to do. I was trying to work out myself, my frustrations, my body. I couldn't really pinpoint. I started taking photos of my sister and her friends. I was 15, exploring what it meant to be a 15-year-old girl.” [Petra Collins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/petra-collins/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Exploring identity through photography helps a teen understand self and gender. **In simple terms:** Photography aids teen self‑discovery. Key Takeaway Capture moments to learn who you are. Themes identity adolescence creativity Mood introspective curious Type artistic personal When to use this quote - school projects - personal journals - social media sharing Key Concepts self‑expression gender visual storytelling Questions to Reflect On - What does photographing others reveal about yourself? - How can you expand beyond visual self‑exploration? A Different Perspective Self‑portrait may reinforce stereotypes. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Body](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/body/) [Feeling wanted](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/feeling-wanted/) [Girl](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/girl/) [Taking Photos](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/taking-photos/) [Work](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/work/) ## Related quotes > [I started out taking photos of my friends on, like, disposable cameras, and I documented my younger sister and her friends all through high…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/petra-collins/i-started-out-taking-photos-of-my-friends-on-like-disposable-cameras/) [Petra Collins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/petra-collins/) > [I didn't want to do a zoo show. I didn't want to do a study of someone with mental illness. I just wanted to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-craig/i-didn-t-want-to-do-a-zoo-show-i-didn-t-want-to-do-a-study-of-someone/) [Daniel Craig](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-craig/) > [They always said on TV you could do anything you wanted, but here I was trying to do something and it wasn't working. I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ned-vizzini/they-always-said-on-tv-you-could-do-anything-you-wanted-but-here-i/) [Ned Vizzini](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ned-vizzini/) > [It would be the ultimate dream for me to win an Academy Award, be in love and have kids. Then I would say, 'Life…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tara-reid/it-would-be-the-ultimate-dream-for-me-to-win-an-academy-award-be-in/) [Tara Reid](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tara-reid/) > [Even though you're gone now, I still find myself becoming the person I wanted to be for you. I still find myself trying to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/even-though-you-re-gone-now-i-still-find-myself-becoming-the-person-i/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“Even when you wanted a guy to leave you alone, in some small place inside, you kind of wanted him to keep trying.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alyssa-rose-ivy/even-when-you-wanted-a-guy-to-leave-you-alone-in-some-small-place/) [Alyssa Rose Ivy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alyssa-rose-ivy/) > [But everything that I did starting out, every job that I had, I haven't regretted any of them. They've all been informative, interesting in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/julianne-moore/but-everything-that-i-did-starting-out-every-job-that-i-had-i-haven-t/) [Julianne Moore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/julianne-moore/) > [This is the one thing I hope: that she never stopped. I hope when her body couldn't run any farther she left it behind…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tana-french/this-is-the-one-thing-i-hope-that-she-never-stopped-i-hope-when-her/) [Tana French](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tana-french/) > [My body couldn't escape, but my thoughts could.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/my-body-couldn-t-escape-but-my-thoughts-could/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“It was indeed as though ice was flooding his body. He put the bottle down and walked forward; he braced himself, saw the black…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-k-rowling/it-was-indeed-as-though-ice-was-flooding-his-body-he-put-the-bottle/) [J.K. Rowling](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/j-k-rowling/) > [“I always figured people'd fuck with my body, and whatever. I couldn't stop that. But when the bastard started fucking with my head…”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kit-rocha/i-always-figured-people-d-fuck-with-my-body-and-whatever-i-couldn-t/) [Kit Rocha](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kit-rocha/) > [I think about making a comeback every single day. I went running, I went training, did that for a few days. But my body…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oscar-de-la-hoya/i-think-about-making-a-comeback-every-single-day-i-went-running-i/) [Oscar De La Hoya](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oscar-de-la-hoya/) > [I remember as a teen being able to eat more than my father. I was growing so fast and my body couldn’t keep up.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/saskia-de-brauw/i-remember-as-a-teen-being-able-to-eat-more-than-my-father-i-was/) [Saskia de Brauw](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/saskia-de-brauw/) > [“How sometimes your body couldn't tell the difference between not loving someone enough and loving someone too much.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leesa-cross-smith/how-sometimes-your-body-couldn-t-tell-the-difference-between-not/) Leesa Cross-Smith > [“I felt disincarnate, cut loose from myself. How it would feel to be back in my body again I couldn’t imagine.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donna-tartt/i-felt-disincarnate-cut-loose-from-myself-how-it-would-feel-to-be/) [Donna Tartt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donna-tartt/) ## More by Petra Collins > [Success doesn't happen overnight.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/petra-collins/success-doesn-t-happen-overnight/) [Petra Collins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/petra-collins/) > [When you see stories about women that aren't being told by women, it can make you feel like you don't exist.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/petra-collins/when-you-see-stories-about-women-that-aren-t-being-told-by-women-it/) [Petra Collins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/petra-collins/) > [With social media and all the new technology, there's just more interfaces around and reminders to constantly be working on our body.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/petra-collins/with-social-media-and-all-the-new-technology-there-s-just-more/) [Petra Collins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/petra-collins/) > [Just being with a group of girls and experiencing sadness together - it's a pretty powerful thing.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/petra-collins/just-being-with-a-group-of-girls-and-experiencing-sadness-together-it/) [Petra Collins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/petra-collins/) > [I remember being 12 or 13 and reading 'Seventeen' and 'CosmoGirl.' They were all about self-improvement.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/petra-collins/i-remember-being-12-or-13-and-reading-seventeen-and-cosmogirl-they/) [Petra Collins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/petra-collins/) > [I'm used to seeing women being degraded, slut shamed, harassed for what they look like. Even the most powerful women in the world are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/petra-collins/i-m-used-to-seeing-women-being-degraded-slut-shamed-harassed-for-what/) [Petra Collins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/petra-collins/) > [My mom had been a script supervisor in Hungary, but you can't just jump into that in Canada without knowing any English. She worked…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/petra-collins/my-mom-had-been-a-script-supervisor-in-hungary-but-you-can-t-just/) [Petra Collins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/petra-collins/) > [I started out taking photos of my friends on, like, disposable cameras, and I documented my younger sister and her friends all through high…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/petra-collins/i-started-out-taking-photos-of-my-friends-on-like-disposable-cameras/) [Petra Collins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/petra-collins/) > [There's definitely a romanticism of youth, like, everywhere. Specifically with women, they kind of only exist between the age of 15 to 25.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/petra-collins/there-s-definitely-a-romanticism-of-youth-like-everywhere/) [Petra Collins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/petra-collins/) > [Hashtag activism is a catalyst, but things have to actually happen in real life.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/petra-collins/hashtag-activism-is-a-catalyst-but-things-have-to-actually-happen-in/) [Petra Collins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/petra-collins/) > [Social media has been such a big important thing for young artists and minorities because it's a community to get noticed. It's having an…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/petra-collins/social-media-has-been-such-a-big-important-thing-for-young-artists/) [Petra Collins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/petra-collins/) > [I'm either working or I'm lying in bed the entire day.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/petra-collins/i-m-either-working-or-i-m-lying-in-bed-the-entire-day/) [Petra Collins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/petra-collins/) > [The selfie is a powerful tool, but it can also be dangerous, and I am fascinated with the process of it because there is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/petra-collins/the-selfie-is-a-powerful-tool-but-it-can-also-be-dangerous-and-i-am/) [Petra Collins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/petra-collins/) > [I look for subjects who have stories to tell - who are looking to tell something.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/petra-collins/i-look-for-subjects-who-have-stories-to-tell-who-are-looking-to-tell/) [Petra Collins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/petra-collins/) > [It's so important for women to create images of women - or any group, at that.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/petra-collins/it-s-so-important-for-women-to-create-images-of-women-or-any-group-at/) [Petra Collins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/petra-collins/) [Explore all 109 Petra Collins quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/petra-collins/) ## More Body quotes > [Most of us are convinced that we are our egos, which is who we think we are. The ego is part of our incarnation.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ram-dass/most-of-us-are-convinced-that-we-are-our-egos-which-is-who-we-think/) [Ram Dass](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ram-dass/) > [The very purpose for being in this body, for every one of us, is to live and rejoice in that virgin area, that untouched,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sri-sri-ravi-shankar/the-very-purpose-for-being-in-this-body-for-every-one-of-us-is-to/) [Sri Sri Ravi Shankar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sri-sri-ravi-shankar/) > [Because of the womb being a central phenomenon in the feminine body, the whole psychology of woman differs: she is non-aggressive, non-inquiring, non-questioning, non-doubting,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rajneesh/because-of-the-womb-being-a-central-phenomenon-in-the-feminine-body/) [Rajneesh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rajneesh/) > [When you're scared - and I mean really scared, not just hearing a noise in the night, or standing toe to toe with someone…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alexander-gordon-smith/when-you-re-scared-and-i-mean-really-scared-not-just-hearing-a-noise/) [Alexander Gordon Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alexander-gordon-smith/) > [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/) > [Practically all animals which move fast in a homogeneous medium have found means of giving their body a streamlined shape, thereby reducing friction to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/konrad-lorenz/practically-all-animals-which-move-fast-in-a-homogeneous-medium-have/) [Konrad Lorenz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/konrad-lorenz/) > [If the media is sending girls the message that their value lies in their bodies, this can only leave them feeling disempowered and distract…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jennifer-siebel-newsom/if-the-media-is-sending-girls-the-message-that-their-value-lies-in/) Jennifer Siebel Newsom > [Boys and boys' body image and clothes have become just as important an issue for boys as for girls.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rosalind-wiseman/boys-and-boys-body-image-and-clothes-have-become-just-as-important-an/) [Rosalind Wiseman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rosalind-wiseman/) > [By making conscious choices in our behavior and where we focus our attention, we can transform our experience of our body, decrease our biological…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/deepak-chopra/by-making-conscious-choices-in-our-behavior-and-where-we-focus-our/) [Deepak Chopra](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/deepak-chopra/) > [Racism is a cancer. You cannot ignore it and it'll go away. If you ignore cancer, it simply metastasizes and consumes the whole body.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daryl-davis/racism-is-a-cancer-you-cannot-ignore-it-and-it-ll-go-away-if-you/) [Daryl Davis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daryl-davis/) > [America, you're sending girls a mixed message. On one hand, you're saying to have positive body image and love who we are; on the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adora-svitak/america-you-re-sending-girls-a-mixed-message-on-one-hand-you-re/) [Adora Svitak](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adora-svitak/) > [I read a couple of books about neuroscience and the relationship between the mind and the body.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joel-kinnaman/i-read-a-couple-of-books-about-neuroscience-and-the-relationship/) [Joel Kinnaman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joel-kinnaman/) > [If japa is maintained, no useless talk during work will be possible. The mind will always remain peaceful. Modern day diseases are mostly psychosomatic.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mata-amritanandamayi/if-japa-is-maintained-no-useless-talk-during-work-will-be-possible/) [Mata Amritanandamayi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mata-amritanandamayi/) > [It is the incongruous thing in my entire life, this isolation.. ... My work requires it - but I myself have no need or…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marsden-hartley/it-is-the-incongruous-thing-in-my-entire-life-this-isolation-my-work/) [Marsden Hartley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marsden-hartley/) > [My friends, this body - perhaps more than any other gathering in human history - now faces that difficult task.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leonardo-dicaprio/my-friends-this-body-perhaps-more-than-any-other-gathering-in-human/) [Leonardo DiCaprio](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leonardo-dicaprio/) [Browse all 20,814 Body quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/body/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "I always had this feeling, what I wanted to do. I was trying to work out myself, my frustrations, my body. I couldn't really pinpoint. I started taking photos of my sister and her friends. 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