--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: When I was 16, I created this online…" description: "\"When I was 16, I created this online platform for female artists. I messaged women who I loved; that's how I got work and connected with people. You do..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a7b/petra-collins-4546_art_when-i-was-16-i-created-this-online-plat_1641634.jpg" --- # When I was 16, I created this online platform for female… ![“When I was 16, I created this online platform for female artists. I messaged women who I loved; that's how I got work and connected with people. You don't need to plead for entry into a system that doesn't want you anyway.” quote by Petra Collins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a7b/petra-collins-4546_art_when-i-was-16-i-created-this-online-plat_1641634.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a7b/petra-collins-4546_art_when-i-was-16-i-created-this-online-plat_1641634.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a7b/petra-collins-4546_art_when-i-was-16-i-created-this-online-plat_1641634.jpg) > “When I was 16, I created this online platform for female artists. I messaged women who I loved; that's how I got work and connected with people. You don't need to plead for entry into a system that doesn't want you anyway.” [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. She built a platform by directly contacting artists she admired, bypassing gatekeepers. **In simple terms:** Create your own opportunities by reaching out directly. Key Takeaway Take initiative and network without waiting for invitations. Themes entrepreneurship networking empowerment art gender initiative Mood inspirational determined Type entrepreneurial empowering When to use this quote - starting a business - female artist community - online networking Key Concepts digital platforms grassroots organizing self‑advocacy Questions to Reflect On - What barriers can you bypass by direct outreach? - How do you maintain authentic relationships? A Different Perspective Requires time and persistence to sustain connections. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Art](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/art/) [Female artists](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/female-artists/) [Internet](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/internet/) [Women](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/women/) [Work](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/work/) ## Related quotes > [Prior to the online platform, I had to make sure I go around and have conversations and go to schools and make appearances. But…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bebe-zahara-benet/prior-to-the-online-platform-i-had-to-make-sure-i-go-around-and-have/) [BeBe Zahara Benet](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bebe-zahara-benet/) > [We talked about the Internet and Wikipedia and how facts and history are being collectively created online.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joichi-ito/we-talked-about-the-internet-and-wikipedia-and-how-facts-and-history/) [Joichi Ito](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joichi-ito/) > [I created an online program that has audio lessons and PDF worksheets and two hours of video. So it's like a course you can…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/josh-pais/i-created-an-online-program-that-has-audio-lessons-and-pdf-worksheets/) [Josh Pais](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/josh-pais/) > [I didn't see spaces where female artists could exist and exhibit their work. So I created a platform for this - one that allowed…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/petra-collins/i-didn-t-see-spaces-where-female-artists-could-exist-and-exhibit/) [Petra Collins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/petra-collins/) > [The state of female artists is very good. But the very definition of art has been biased in that 'art' was what men did…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gloria-steinem/the-state-of-female-artists-is-very-good-but-the-very-definition-of/) [Gloria Steinem](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gloria-steinem/) > [Female artists are the perfect example of a creator: They know how to make life and art with their bodies. Life comes from their…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brandon-boyd/female-artists-are-the-perfect-example-of-a-creator-they-know-how-to/) [Brandon Boyd](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brandon-boyd/) > [As female artists, we have to be constantly criticized for the way that we look, the way that we dress, on a whole other…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kali-uchis/as-female-artists-we-have-to-be-constantly-criticized-for-the-way/) [Kali Uchis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kali-uchis/) > [I definitely hope that I'm inspiring a lot of different female artists to run with the boys.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kodie-shane/i-definitely-hope-that-i-m-inspiring-a-lot-of-different-female/) [Kodie Shane](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kodie-shane/) > [I truly believe that diversity is so important, and I hope that I can use my platform to encourage and inspire other aspiring female…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/madison-beer/i-truly-believe-that-diversity-is-so-important-and-i-hope-that-i-can/) [Madison Beer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/madison-beer/) > [The song "This Is Not Surreal," was inspired by a painter I love, Frida Kahlo. She really did suffer for her art. She speaks…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lindi-ortega/the-song-this-is-not-surreal-was-inspired-by-a-painter-i-love-frida/) [Lindi Ortega](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lindi-ortega/) > [It's unfortunate that a lot of people think African-American female artists are monolithically R&B this-or-that, don't have to do anything by default.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/janelle-monae/it-s-unfortunate-that-a-lot-of-people-think-african-american-female/) [Janelle Monae](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/janelle-monae/) > [Most female artists - to do what you have to do and to be as honest as you have to be, to be as…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/viv-albertine/most-female-artists-to-do-what-you-have-to-do-and-to-be-as-honest-as/) [Viv Albertine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/viv-albertine/) > [I think the Internet really sussed things into perspective. Because twelve years ago, I could spend my days on writing and running my band…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amanda-palmer/i-think-the-internet-really-sussed-things-into-perspective-because/) [Amanda Palmer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amanda-palmer/) > [I signed with Big Yellow Dog and have been with them for years. The president of the company is a woman named Carla Wallace,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jessie-james-decker/i-signed-with-big-yellow-dog-and-have-been-with-them-for-years-the/) [Jessie James Decker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jessie-james-decker/) > [One argument goes that recessions are good for female artists because when money flies out the window, women are allowed in the house. The…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jerry-saltz/one-argument-goes-that-recessions-are-good-for-female-artists-because/) [Jerry Saltz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jerry-saltz/) ## 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 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": "When I was 16, I created this online platform for female artists. 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