--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I always had a sketchbook with me when I…" description: "\"I always had a sketchbook with me when I was young. I was hiding behind it, basically, hiding behind drawing because I couldn't cope with people in rea..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/055/robert-crumb-10597_artist_i-always-had-a-sketchbook-with-me-when-i_775816.jpg" --- # I always had a sketchbook with me when I was young. I was… ![“I always had a sketchbook with me when I was young. I was hiding behind it, basically, hiding behind drawing because I couldn't cope with people in real life; I was very shy and very nervous around people.” quote by Robert Crumb](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/055/robert-crumb-10597_artist_i-always-had-a-sketchbook-with-me-when-i_775816.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/055/robert-crumb-10597_artist_i-always-had-a-sketchbook-with-me-when-i_775816.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/055/robert-crumb-10597_artist_i-always-had-a-sketchbook-with-me-when-i_775816.jpg) > “I always had a sketchbook with me when I was young. I was hiding behind it, basically, hiding behind drawing because I couldn't cope with people in real life; I was very shy and very nervous around people.” [Robert Crumb](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-crumb/) ## 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 used drawing as a shield to avoid social discomfort, turning art into a coping mechanism. **In simple terms:** Drawing helped him avoid social anxiety. Key Takeaway Use creative outlets to manage anxiety. Themes creativity social anxiety self‑expression Mood reflective introspective Type personal psychological When to use this quote - school - therapy - public speaking - social events Key Concepts psychology coping strategies Questions to Reflect On - How can art be balanced with direct social practice? - What other outlets help you face anxiety? A Different Perspective Creative escape may limit real‑world social skill development. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Artist](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/artist/) [Life](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/life/) [Nervous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/nervous/) [People](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/people/) [Real life](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/real-life/) [Sketchbooks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/sketchbooks/) ## Related quotes > [When I see someone with an immaculate sketchbook, I don't trust that person.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kody-chamberlain/when-i-see-someone-with-an-immaculate-sketchbook-i-don-t-trust-that/) Kody Chamberlain > [Many years after animating Ariel, I continue to draw her, doodling as I talk on the phone, absent-mindedly passing time in a sketchbook. She…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/glen-keane/many-years-after-animating-ariel-i-continue-to-draw-her-doodling-as-i/) [Glen Keane](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/glen-keane/) > [My father was a painter, so I was encouraged to take a sketchbook everywhere. Cameras are perishable, but I still have tonnes of sketchbooks…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jane-birkin/my-father-was-a-painter-so-i-was-encouraged-to-take-a-sketchbook/) [Jane Birkin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jane-birkin/) > [My sketchbook is a witness of what I am experiencing, scribbling things whenever they happen.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vincent-van-gogh/my-sketchbook-is-a-witness-of-what-i-am-experiencing-scribbling/) [Vincent Van Gogh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vincent-van-gogh/) > [Poetry is any page from a sketchbook of outlines of a doorknob with thumb-prints of dust, blood, dreams.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carl-sandburg/poetry-is-any-page-from-a-sketchbook-of-outlines-of-a-doorknob-with/) [Carl Sandburg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carl-sandburg/) > [I used to bring my sketchbook to gym class and doodle, because I am a very uncoordinated athlete.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kate-voegele/i-used-to-bring-my-sketchbook-to-gym-class-and-doodle-because-i-am-a/) [Kate Voegele](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kate-voegele/) > [When it comes to my art work I would say that I am a perfectionist, although my sketchbook, and my process, is a mess.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/noma-bar/when-it-comes-to-my-art-work-i-would-say-that-i-am-a-perfectionist/) [Noma Bar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/noma-bar/) > [I filled my sketchbook with drawings, very much as any educated girl of my generation might have kept a diary.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gabriele-munter/i-filled-my-sketchbook-with-drawings-very-much-as-any-educated-girl/) Gabriele Munter > [When I was either 7 or 8 years old, I did a sketch every day of my teacher and what she wore. At the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alber-elbaz/when-i-was-either-7-or-8-years-old-i-did-a-sketch-every-day-of-my/) [Alber Elbaz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alber-elbaz/) > [When I was young I drew constantly in my sketchbooks to learn to see things. My first teacher in school, Gilbert Stone, taught me…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/douglas-florian/when-i-was-young-i-drew-constantly-in-my-sketchbooks-to-learn-to-see/) [Douglas Florian](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/douglas-florian/) > [Ever since I was very young, as far back as I can remember, I have loved making pictures. I knew even as a child…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eric-carle/ever-since-i-was-very-young-as-far-back-as-i-can-remember-i-have/) [Eric Carle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eric-carle/) > [The sketch hunter moves through life as he finds it, not passing negligently the things he loves, but stopping to know them, and to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-henri/the-sketch-hunter-moves-through-life-as-he-finds-it-not-passing/) [Robert Henri](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-henri/) > [I thought the iPhone was great, but this takes it to a new level - simply because it's eight times the size of the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-hockney/i-thought-the-iphone-was-great-but-this-takes-it-to-a-new-level/) [David Hockney](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-hockney/) > [I think I do become someone else. In real life, I’m very shy, but people think I’m this angry, sexy kind of... god knows…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lara-stone/i-think-i-do-become-someone-else-in-real-life-i-m-very-shy-but-people/) [Lara Stone](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lara-stone/) > [If you feel strongly about someone, go up to them. Pursue what you want in life. Why be shy about something like that?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yohji-yamamoto/if-you-feel-strongly-about-someone-go-up-to-them-pursue-what-you-want/) [Yohji Yamamoto](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yohji-yamamoto/) ## More by Robert Crumb > [I would call myself a Gnostic. Which means, I'm interested in pursuing and understanding the spiritual nature of things. A Gnostic is somebody seeking…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-crumb/i-would-call-myself-a-gnostic-which-means-i-m-interested-in-pursuing/) [Robert Crumb](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-crumb/) > [I draw the line at some things. Some things I won't do for any amount of money. Like for instance, there's a couple of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-crumb/i-draw-the-line-at-some-things-some-things-i-won-t-do-for-any-amount/) [Robert Crumb](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-crumb/) > [I do covers for CDs and LPs of music that I like, reissues of old-time music, and then I'm inspired to make some kind…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-crumb/i-do-covers-for-cds-and-lps-of-music-that-i-like-reissues-of-old-time/) [Robert Crumb](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-crumb/) > [I use the old Strathmore vellum surface paper, which is the best paper you can get in the Western world for ink line drawing.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-crumb/i-use-the-old-strathmore-vellum-surface-paper-which-is-the-best-paper/) [Robert Crumb](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-crumb/) > [Oh, yes. I knew I was weird by the time I was four. I knew I wasn't like other boys. I knew I was…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-crumb/oh-yes-i-knew-i-was-weird-by-the-time-i-was-four-i-knew-i-wasn-t-like/) [Robert Crumb](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-crumb/) > [In my midteens I went through a brief stage of religious fanaticism, but it was very much about just saying prayers and stuff like…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-crumb/in-my-midteens-i-went-through-a-brief-stage-of-religious-fanaticism/) [Robert Crumb](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-crumb/) > [Most of my adult life I had this towering contempt for America.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-crumb/most-of-my-adult-life-i-had-this-towering-contempt-for-america/) [Robert Crumb](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-crumb/) > [I still can't spend a lot of money on records at collector prices. There's something in me that just won't allow me to do…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-crumb/i-still-can-t-spend-a-lot-of-money-on-records-at-collector-prices/) [Robert Crumb](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-crumb/) > [I'm just a negative person, a deeply negative person. I see the worst aspects of everything.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-crumb/i-m-just-a-negative-person-a-deeply-negative-person-i-see-the-worst/) [Robert Crumb](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-crumb/) > [I use photos a lot for drawing people and personalities, but they're almost never photos that I've taken.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-crumb/i-use-photos-a-lot-for-drawing-people-and-personalities-but-they-re/) [Robert Crumb](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-crumb/) > [You don’t have journalists over there anymore, what they have is public relations people. That’s what they have over in America now. Two-hundred and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-crumb/you-don-t-have-journalists-over-there-anymore-what-they-have-is/) [Robert Crumb](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-crumb/) > [If you're trying to work the art game, if you're like Andy Warhol or something, then you're in with cake-eaters of society. You want…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-crumb/if-you-re-trying-to-work-the-art-game-if-you-re-like-andy-warhol-or/) [Robert Crumb](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-crumb/) > [They were just snapshots, nothing special, nothing particularly artistic. They were used for utility purposes. (On photographs of mundane streetscapes he had Stanley Something-or-other…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-crumb/they-were-just-snapshots-nothing-special-nothing-particularly/) [Robert Crumb](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-crumb/) > [I couldn't find any good pictures in magazines of ordinary modern street corners in America, so I persuaded this guy I knew in Sacramento…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-crumb/i-couldn-t-find-any-good-pictures-in-magazines-of-ordinary-modern/) [Robert Crumb](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-crumb/) > [People still make me nervous, but gradually over the years I've developed kind of like a public personality, so I can talk. I have…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-crumb/people-still-make-me-nervous-but-gradually-over-the-years-i-ve/) [Robert Crumb](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-crumb/) [Explore all 64 Robert Crumb quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-crumb/) ## More Artist quotes > [One is a painter because one wants so-called freedom; one doesn't want to go to the office every morning.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marcel-duchamp/one-is-a-painter-because-one-wants-so-called-freedom-one-doesn-t-want/) [Marcel Duchamp](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marcel-duchamp/) > [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/) > [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/) > [“People in coats and ties were milling around the Talley gallery, and on the wall were the minimally rendered still lifes by Giorgio Morandi,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steve-martin/people-in-coats-and-ties-were-milling-around-the-talley-gallery-and/) [Steve Martin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steve-martin/) > [The prophet who fails to present a bearable alternative and yet preaches doom is part of the trap that he postulates. Not only does…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-mead/the-prophet-who-fails-to-present-a-bearable-alternative-and-yet/) [Margaret Mead](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-mead/) > [“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 > [From as long as I can remember, I was always fond of drawing.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/st-lucia/from-as-long-as-i-can-remember-i-was-always-fond-of-drawing/) [St. Lucia](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/st-lucia/) > [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 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/) > [Designers shouldn’t design for museums any more than mummies should die for them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ralph-caplan/designers-shouldn-t-design-for-museums-any-more-than-mummies-should/) [Ralph Caplan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ralph-caplan/) > [I don't believe in competitions between artists. This is insane. Who has the authority to say someone is better?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-arkin/i-don-t-believe-in-competitions-between-artists-this-is-insane-who/) [Alan Arkin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-arkin/) > [I am not the avant-garde. I am the artist who comes after the advancing guard. I am more concerned with continuity of ideas and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nathan-oliveira/i-am-not-the-avant-garde-i-am-the-artist-who-comes-after-the/) [Nathan Oliveira](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nathan-oliveira/) > [I am a horrible visual artist. I can't fix a car, sew, knit, cook, etc. Statistically, there is more I don't do than do.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carrie-brownstein/i-am-a-horrible-visual-artist-i-can-t-fix-a-car-sew-knit-cook-etc/) [Carrie Brownstein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carrie-brownstein/) [Browse all 32,600 Artist quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/artist/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "I always had a sketchbook with me when I was young. 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