--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I've always been interested in art and…" description: "\"I've always been interested in art and making things, but I chose not to go to art school because I thought I needed to do something else. Art was a to..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/662/stephen-hillenburg-10039_art_i-ve-always-been-interested-in-art-and-m_1364823.jpg" --- # I've always been interested in art and making things, but… ![“I've always been interested in art and making things, but I chose not to go to art school because I thought I needed to do something else. Art was a tough way to make a living.” quote by Stephen Hillenburg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/662/stephen-hillenburg-10039_art_i-ve-always-been-interested-in-art-and-m_1364823.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/662/stephen-hillenburg-10039_art_i-ve-always-been-interested-in-art-and-m_1364823.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/662/stephen-hillenburg-10039_art_i-ve-always-been-interested-in-art-and-m_1364823.jpg) > “I've always been interested in art and making things, but I chose not to go to art school because I thought I needed to do something else. Art was a tough way to make a living.” [Stephen Hillenburg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-hillenburg/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Choosing a practical path over passion due to financial concerns, leading to regret. **In simple terms:** Practical choices can suppress creativity. Key Takeaway Balance passion and practicality. Themes career art risk Mood reflective cautious Type career creative When to use this quote - career planning - art education - freelance work Key Concepts economic reality creative fulfillment Questions to Reflect On - How can you fund artistic pursuits? - What compromises are acceptable? A Different Perspective Financial stability may limit artistic growth. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Art](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/art/) [Art making](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/art-making/) [Art school](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/art-school/) [Artist](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/artist/) [Chose Art](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/chose-art-679862/) [Interested Art](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/interested-art-702983/) [Life](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/life/) [Living](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/living/) [Needed Art](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/needed-art-1366179/) [School](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/school/) [Tough](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/tough/) [Way](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/way/) ## Related quotes > [“When was the last time an American president found it worth his while to write a speech on the importance of art and literature?…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/viet-thanh-nguyen/when-was-the-last-time-an-american-president-found-it-worth-his-while/) [Viet Thanh Nguyen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/viet-thanh-nguyen/) > [“Too much war, hatred and fear in the world. Desperately needed: More art, love and poetry.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/melody-lee/too-much-war-hatred-and-fear-in-the-world-desperately-needed-more-art/) [Melody Lee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/melody-lee/) > [I chose to do art in the way I always do it, which is with all the crazy contradictions of life in there.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/boots-riley/i-chose-to-do-art-in-the-way-i-always-do-it-which-is-with-all-the/) [Boots Riley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/boots-riley/) > [When I started I would have called myself an artist but the discipline I chose in art was music and text.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/blixa-bargeld/when-i-started-i-would-have-called-myself-an-artist-but-the/) [Blixa Bargeld](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/blixa-bargeld/) > [I chose art, music, of course fashion, clothes, colors. I'm just expressing what I have inside and bringing it out.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tierra-whack/i-chose-art-music-of-course-fashion-clothes-colors-i-m-just/) [Tierra Whack](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tierra-whack/) > [I am interested in the art. I'm a professional woman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/claire-bloom/i-am-interested-in-the-art-i-m-a-professional-woman/) [Claire Bloom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/claire-bloom/) > [We need more drag king role models for all those interested in the art](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bebe-zahara-benet/we-need-more-drag-king-role-models-for-all-those-interested-in-the-art/) [BeBe Zahara Benet](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bebe-zahara-benet/) > [“God is not interested in your art but, your heart.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ifeanyi-enoch-onuoha/god-is-not-interested-in-your-art-but-your-heart/) [Ifeanyi Enoch Onuoha](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ifeanyi-enoch-onuoha/) > [I use whatever media I think will best express my ideas and therefore I don't have a lot invested in the idea of photography…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patricia-piccinini/i-use-whatever-media-i-think-will-best-express-my-ideas-and-therefore/) [Patricia Piccinini](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patricia-piccinini/) > [The question if this is a work of art or not is not very interesting for us. 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And that's something I am interested in and so is the art world:…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mike-mills/life-doesn-t-just-happen-it-s-constructed-through-the-history-of/) [Mike Mills](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mike-mills/) > [Art experts are unfailingly opposed to Art for the simple reason that they are interested in Art - but Art is not interested in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-vizinczey/art-experts-are-unfailingly-opposed-to-art-for-the-simple-reason-that/) [Stephen Vizinczey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-vizinczey/) > [I was attracted to things that combined art and science equally. I've always been equally interested in art design, science and engineering.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bran-ferren/i-was-attracted-to-things-that-combined-art-and-science-equally-i-ve/) [Bran Ferren](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bran-ferren/) ## More by Stephen Hillenburg > [When I pitched the show, I made this special seashell. You could pick it up and hear me singing, 'Spongeboy, Spongeboy!' I also made…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-hillenburg/when-i-pitched-the-show-i-made-this-special-seashell-you-could-pick/) [Stephen Hillenburg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-hillenburg/) > [I eventually thought of SpongeBob, but he needed a last name - SquarePants came to mind.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-hillenburg/i-eventually-thought-of-spongebob-but-he-needed-a-last-name/) [Stephen Hillenburg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-hillenburg/) > [I was just looking at a packet that had SpongeBob thong underwear, so it goes farther than I would imagine.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-hillenburg/i-was-just-looking-at-a-packet-that-had-spongebob-thong-underwear-so/) [Stephen Hillenburg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-hillenburg/) > [Laurel and Hardy are among my strongest influences, and I think they're perfect examples of two naive, kid-like characters that are still funny today.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-hillenburg/laurel-and-hardy-are-among-my-strongest-influences-and-i-think-they/) [Stephen Hillenburg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-hillenburg/) > [Anyone who knows me knows that I will continue to work on 'SpongeBob SquarePants' and my other passions for as long as I am…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-hillenburg/anyone-who-knows-me-knows-that-i-will-continue-to-work-on-spongebob/) [Stephen Hillenburg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-hillenburg/) > [On TV, it is more efficient to use voice-over people because it is really hard to get celebrity voices to recur in a series.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-hillenburg/on-tv-it-is-more-efficient-to-use-voice-over-people-because-it-is/) [Stephen Hillenburg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-hillenburg/) > [In the show, the whole point of the fast food - the fact that SpongeBob loves being part of the fast-food chain and that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-hillenburg/in-the-show-the-whole-point-of-the-fast-food-the-fact-that-spongebob/) [Stephen Hillenburg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-hillenburg/) > [I studied marine biology, even taught marine science before I got into animation, so I had an interest in that field and those animals.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-hillenburg/i-studied-marine-biology-even-taught-marine-science-before-i-got-into/) [Stephen Hillenburg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-hillenburg/) > [When you set out to do a show about a sponge, you can't anticipate this kind of craze. We just try to make ourselves…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-hillenburg/when-you-set-out-to-do-a-show-about-a-sponge-you-can-t-anticipate/) [Stephen Hillenburg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-hillenburg/) > [Everybody's got some fascination with undersea life, don't you think?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-hillenburg/everybody-s-got-some-fascination-with-undersea-life-don-t-you-think/) [Stephen Hillenburg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-hillenburg/) > [The characters are likable. Even the villainous Plankton - he's still flawed, and you still root for him, in a way, and the style…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-hillenburg/the-characters-are-likable-even-the-villainous-plankton-he-s-still/) [Stephen Hillenburg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-hillenburg/) > [I knew I wanted to create a character who was nerdy and kind of square, so when I drew a square sponge, everything came…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-hillenburg/i-knew-i-wanted-to-create-a-character-who-was-nerdy-and-kind-of/) [Stephen Hillenburg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-hillenburg/) > [I thought, well, what about a show that stars undersea creatures, and some of the ones you rarely see animated. So, from there, I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-hillenburg/i-thought-well-what-about-a-show-that-stars-undersea-creatures-and/) [Stephen Hillenburg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-hillenburg/) > [Most sponges in the ocean are sedentary: They attach themselves to a rock and sit and filter-feed the rest of their lives and reproduce,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-hillenburg/most-sponges-in-the-ocean-are-sedentary-they-attach-themselves-to-a/) [Stephen Hillenburg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-hillenburg/) > [I was always interested in the ocean and also in art. I had to figure out how to put the two together, but painting…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-hillenburg/i-was-always-interested-in-the-ocean-and-also-in-art-i-had-to-figure/) [Stephen Hillenburg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-hillenburg/) [Explore all 68 Stephen Hillenburg quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-hillenburg/) ## 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. 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