--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: It's a hard thing to be an artist and not…" description: "\"It's a hard thing to be an artist and not give up.\" — Robert Hilburn" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5e6/robert-hilburn-9299_art_it-s-a-hard-thing-to-be-an-artist-and-no_1798171.jpg" --- # It's a hard thing to be an artist and not give up. ![“It's a hard thing to be an artist and not give up.” quote by Robert Hilburn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5e6/robert-hilburn-9299_art_it-s-a-hard-thing-to-be-an-artist-and-no_1798171.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5e6/robert-hilburn-9299_art_it-s-a-hard-thing-to-be-an-artist-and-no_1798171.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5e6/robert-hilburn-9299_art_it-s-a-hard-thing-to-be-an-artist-and-no_1798171.jpg) > “It's a hard thing to be an artist and not give up.” [Robert Hilburn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-hilburn/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Artists face persistent challenges; perseverance is essential to avoid quitting. **In simple terms:** Being an artist is tough and demands persistence. Key Takeaway Never give up. Themes art perseverance challenge Mood determined hopeful Type motivational inspirational When to use this quote - gallery shows - songwriting - film directing - entrepreneurship Key Concepts creative resilience career longevity Questions to Reflect On - What fuels your artistic persistence? - How do you handle setbacks? A Different Perspective Financial insecurity can erode resolve. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Art](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/art/) [Artist](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/artist/) [Give](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/give/) [Hard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/hard/) [Hard thing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/hard-thing/) [Thing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/thing/) [Thing Artist](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/thing-artist-471502/) [Up](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/up/) ## Related quotes > [It's a hard thing to describe. It's just this sense that you got something to say.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonah-lehrer/it-s-a-hard-thing-to-describe-it-s-just-this-sense-that-you-got/) [Jonah Lehrer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonah-lehrer/) > [Stand-up comedy is a very hard thing on the spirit. There are people who transcend it, like Jack Benny and Steve Martin, but in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mike-nichols/stand-up-comedy-is-a-very-hard-thing-on-the-spirit-there-are-people/) [Mike Nichols](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mike-nichols/) > [It's a hard thing to be a fighter.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sean-strickland/it-s-a-hard-thing-to-be-a-fighter/) [Sean Strickland](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sean-strickland/) > [The awesome thing about being an artist? You can't be fired from your own mind.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rose-mcgowan/the-awesome-thing-about-being-an-artist-you-can-t-be-fired-from-your/) [Rose McGowan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rose-mcgowan/) > [The cruelest thing you can do to an artist is tell them their work is flawless when it isn't](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yahtzee-croshaw/the-cruelest-thing-you-can-do-to-an-artist-is-tell-them-their-work-is/) [Yahtzee Croshaw](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yahtzee-croshaw/) > [There is actually no such thing as an Artist type. 'Artist' is just an economic designation, a box you tick on a form. We…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/russell-smith/there-is-actually-no-such-thing-as-an-artist-type-artist-is-just-an/) [Russell Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/russell-smith/) > [The only thing you can do as an artist is to come to the world, see what no one is doing, and leave behind…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/guillermo-del-toro/the-only-thing-you-can-do-as-an-artist-is-to-come-to-the-world-see/) [Guillermo del Toro](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/guillermo-del-toro/) > [The most important thing an artist can discover is a love of process.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kody-chamberlain/the-most-important-thing-an-artist-can-discover-is-a-love-of-process/) [Kody Chamberlain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kody-chamberlain/) > [The important thing for me as an artist is to keep going back to the page and doing what I do.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matthew-quick/the-important-thing-for-me-as-an-artist-is-to-keep-going-back-to-the/) [Matthew Quick](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matthew-quick/) > [Branding is quite an important thing. As an artist, you want to be able to explore facets of yourself.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nick-offerman/branding-is-quite-an-important-thing-as-an-artist-you-want-to-be-able/) [Nick Offerman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nick-offerman/) > [The good thing about being an artist, is it's a legitimate way of looking at things cross-eyed.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-chamberlain/the-good-thing-about-being-an-artist-is-it-s-a-legitimate-way-of/) [John Chamberlain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-chamberlain/) > [The only thing one can give an artist is leisure in which to work. To give an artist leisure is actually to take part…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ezra-pound/the-only-thing-one-can-give-an-artist-is-leisure-in-which-to-work-to/) [Ezra Pound](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ezra-pound/) > [The thing about being an artist is that you evolve so quickly, you grow, you learn, you change, you find yourself hating work that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/halsey/the-thing-about-being-an-artist-is-that-you-evolve-so-quickly-you/) [Halsey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/halsey/) > [I think the most important thing for an artist is to not worry about what anybody else thinks. You just have to do what…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rosanna-arquette/i-think-the-most-important-thing-for-an-artist-is-to-not-worry-about/) [Rosanna Arquette](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rosanna-arquette/) > [When you have celebrity, it's a whole different thing than being an artist.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jimmy-smits/when-you-have-celebrity-it-s-a-whole-different-thing-than-being-an/) [Jimmy Smits](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jimmy-smits/) ## More by Robert Hilburn > [To many, Courtney Love smells like rock hype. Reviewers may be excited about her, but the rock audience may be skeptical of the credentials…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-hilburn/to-many-courtney-love-smells-like-rock-hype-reviewers-may-be-excited/) [Robert Hilburn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-hilburn/) > [When I began to interview people from the '60s, my first question was always, 'What was your favorite record?'](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-hilburn/when-i-began-to-interview-people-from-the-60s-my-first-question-was/) [Robert Hilburn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-hilburn/) > [I didn't have any idea that Gwen Stefani would evolve into this symbol of womanhood in America, but to me, that's not a musical…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-hilburn/i-didn-t-have-any-idea-that-gwen-stefani-would-evolve-into-this/) [Robert Hilburn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-hilburn/) > [When I was in high school in the '50s, all pop music - Elvis, Chuck Berry, Little Richard - was aimed at teenagers. I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-hilburn/when-i-was-in-high-school-in-the-50s-all-pop-music-elvis-chuck-berry/) [Robert Hilburn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-hilburn/) > [Because record companies do not routinely release sales figures the way film studios do, the weekly charts in trade publications like 'Billboard' provide the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-hilburn/because-record-companies-do-not-routinely-release-sales-figures-the/) [Robert Hilburn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-hilburn/) > [Even though The Cure helped pioneer the jangly, dance-oriented guitar and keyboard style it continues to embrace, there are other bands that now employ…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-hilburn/even-though-the-cure-helped-pioneer-the-jangly-dance-oriented-guitar/) [Robert Hilburn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-hilburn/) > [The first time I saw Pearl Jam, I thought Eddie Vedder had seen too many Jim Morrison videos, and I didn't like the music…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-hilburn/the-first-time-i-saw-pearl-jam-i-thought-eddie-vedder-had-seen-too/) [Robert Hilburn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-hilburn/) > [His belief in the power of music to convey ideas - not just entertain - has filtered down to musicians in every field, from…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-hilburn/his-belief-in-the-power-of-music-to-convey-ideas-not-just-entertain/) [Robert Hilburn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-hilburn/) > [Some writers sit down every day for two or three hours, at least, to write, whether they are in the mood or not. Others…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-hilburn/some-writers-sit-down-every-day-for-two-or-three-hours-at-least-to/) [Robert Hilburn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-hilburn/) > [At times, Singer Johnny Cash rubbed dirt from the earth under his fingernails in order to avoid any arrogance which might stem from his…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-hilburn/at-times-singer-johnny-cash-rubbed-dirt-from-the-earth-under-his/) [Robert Hilburn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-hilburn/) > [Some people will never take Madonna seriously - just as many never took Marilyn Monroe seriously. Novelty images - especially that of a sex…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-hilburn/some-people-will-never-take-madonna-seriously-just-as-many-never-took/) [Robert Hilburn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-hilburn/) > [By 27, Bob Dylan had already written 'Highway 61 Revisited,' the Beatles had released 'Rubber Soul,' Bruce Springsteen had recorded 'Born to Run' and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-hilburn/by-27-bob-dylan-had-already-written-highway-61-revisited-the-beatles/) [Robert Hilburn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-hilburn/) > [Without people like Dylan and the Beatles and people like Paul Simon, I think rock n' roll would have died out like Dixieland jazz.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-hilburn/without-people-like-dylan-and-the-beatles-and-people-like-paul-simon/) [Robert Hilburn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-hilburn/) > [In the role of Ziggy Stardust, Bowie seemed in 1972 like a strange alien creature, not so much coming from another planet as from…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-hilburn/in-the-role-of-ziggy-stardust-bowie-seemed-in-1972-like-a-strange/) [Robert Hilburn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-hilburn/) > [I'm guilty of being perceived as having narrow taste. I went after the artists that I thought were important - Dylan, Joni Mitchell, Bruce…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-hilburn/i-m-guilty-of-being-perceived-as-having-narrow-taste-i-went-after-the/) [Robert Hilburn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-hilburn/) [Explore all 74 Robert Hilburn quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-hilburn/) ## 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](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/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": "It's a hard thing to be an artist and not give up.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Robert Hilburn" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-hilburn/it-s-a-hard-thing-to-be-an-artist-and-not-give-up/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Art" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-hilburn/it-s-a-hard-thing-to-be-an-artist-and-not-give-up/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5e6/robert-hilburn-9299_art_it-s-a-hard-thing-to-be-an-artist-and-no_1798171.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5e6/robert-hilburn-9299_art_it-s-a-hard-thing-to-be-an-artist-and-no_1798171.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5e6/robert-hilburn-9299_art_it-s-a-hard-thing-to-be-an-artist-and-no_1798171.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“It's a hard thing to be an artist and not give up.” — Robert Hilburn", "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": "Robert Hilburn", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-hilburn/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "It's a hard thing to be...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-hilburn/it-s-a-hard-thing-to-be-an-artist-and-not-give-up/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-hilburn/it-s-a-hard-thing-to-be-an-artist-and-not-give-up/#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 } } ] } ```