--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I think being an artist and taking on…" description: "\"I think being an artist and taking on those challenges is just how it is for me. Because I was always a foreigner, I was always the outsider.\" — Tavare..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5ac/tavares-strachan-31840_art_i-think-being-an-artist-and-taking-on-th_981525.jpg" --- # I think being an artist and taking on those challenges is… ![“I think being an artist and taking on those challenges is just how it is for me. Because I was always a foreigner, I was always the outsider.” quote by Tavares Strachan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5ac/tavares-strachan-31840_art_i-think-being-an-artist-and-taking-on-th_981525.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5ac/tavares-strachan-31840_art_i-think-being-an-artist-and-taking-on-th_981525.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5ac/tavares-strachan-31840_art_i-think-being-an-artist-and-taking-on-th_981525.jpg) > “I think being an artist and taking on those challenges is just how it is for me. Because I was always a foreigner, I was always the outsider.” [Tavares Strachan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tavares-strachan/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The speaker sees art as a natural response to feeling like an outsider, turning foreignness into creative drive. **In simple terms:** Being an outsider fuels artistic expression. Key Takeaway Embrace your outsider perspective as creative fuel. Themes identity creativity belonging Mood reflective determined Type personal inspirational When to use this quote - personal growth - art projects - community building Key Concepts cultural outsider artistic identity Questions to Reflect On - How does feeling foreign shape your art? - Can outsider perspective be a bridge rather than a barrier? A Different Perspective The outsider view may limit collaboration with mainstream audiences. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Art](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/art/) [Artist](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/artist/) [Being an artist](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/being-an-artist/) [Challenges](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/challenges/) [Foreigner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/foreigner/) [Foreigner Outsider](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/foreigner-outsider-1950873/) [Foreigners](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/foreigners/) [Just Foreigner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/just-foreigner-1039758/) [Outsider](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/outsider/) [Outsiders](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/outsiders/) [Taking Challenges](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/taking-challenges-1578636/) [Thinking](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/thinking/) ## Related quotes > [I wasn't a club kid. I wasn't an artist. I was just a foreigner, trying to soak it all up. I had quite a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/francisco-costa/i-wasn-t-a-club-kid-i-wasn-t-an-artist-i-was-just-a-foreigner-trying/) [Francisco Costa](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/francisco-costa/) > [I've moved around so much my whole life, and I've gotten so used to being the Other in situations - the foreigner, the outsider.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/abigail-washburn/i-ve-moved-around-so-much-my-whole-life-and-i-ve-gotten-so-used-to/) [Abigail Washburn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/abigail-washburn/) > [“gaijin, n. 1. foreigner, outsider 2. pest, big fat alien, one who must be stared at on trains”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tim-anderson/gaijin-n-1-foreigner-outsider-2-pest-big-fat-alien-one-who-must-be/) [Tim Anderson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tim-anderson/) > [I think being a foreigner and talking about Hollywood allowed me to use some cliches and some references that an American would maybe not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michel-hazanavicius/i-think-being-a-foreigner-and-talking-about-hollywood-allowed-me-to/) [Michel Hazanavicius](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michel-hazanavicius/) > [In America, I'm a foreigner because of my Korean heritage. In Asia, because I was born in America, I'm a foreigner. I'm always a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-cho/in-america-i-m-a-foreigner-because-of-my-korean-heritage-in-asia/) [Margaret Cho](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-cho/) > [But I don't think of myself as a foreigner or a Frenchman! I just think of myself as a director. Whether I'm French or…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michel-hazanavicius/but-i-don-t-think-of-myself-as-a-foreigner-or-a-frenchman-i-just-2/) [Michel Hazanavicius](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michel-hazanavicius/) > [A person who speaks good English in New York sounds like a foreigner.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jackie-mason/a-person-who-speaks-good-english-in-new-york-sounds-like-a-foreigner/) [Jackie Mason](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jackie-mason/) > [You think you're the foreigner here, and I'm the American, and I just look the other way while the President or somebody sends down…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barbara-kingsolver/you-think-you-re-the-foreigner-here-and-i-m-the-american-and-i-just/) [Barbara Kingsolver](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barbara-kingsolver/) > [I was going to be living there and I didn't want to sound like a foreigner all my life.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-mahoney/i-was-going-to-be-living-there-and-i-didn-t-want-to-sound-like-a/) [John Mahoney](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-mahoney/) > [The moment there's a foreigner in a film it gives a novelty to the script. We make regional films and we need to hype…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arin-paul/the-moment-there-s-a-foreigner-in-a-film-it-gives-a-novelty-to-the/) [Arin Paul](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arin-paul/) > [I am an Indian. In fact, I feel like a foreigner when I go abroad.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sonia-gandhi/i-am-an-indian-in-fact-i-feel-like-a-foreigner-when-i-go-abroad/) [Sonia Gandhi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sonia-gandhi/) > [India is a place where one of the great pleasures for a foreigner is that you're constantly surprised. Everywhere you look is something that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wes-anderson/india-is-a-place-where-one-of-the-great-pleasures-for-a-foreigner-is/) [Wes Anderson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wes-anderson/) > [A foreigner and an hired servant shall not eat thereof.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bible/a-foreigner-and-an-hired-servant-shall-not-eat-thereof/) [Bible](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bible/) > [I loved this idea of always being a foreigner. There's this thing where people bring cultures, bring the music together. I love it when…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hans-zimmer/i-loved-this-idea-of-always-being-a-foreigner-there-s-this-thing/) [Hans Zimmer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hans-zimmer/) > [A foreigner is an individual who is considered either comic or sinister. When the victim of a disaster - preferably natural but sometimes political…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-ralston-saul/a-foreigner-is-an-individual-who-is-considered-either-comic-or/) [John Ralston Saul](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-ralston-saul/) ## More by Tavares Strachan > [I was approached by Neville Wakefield. I've known Neville for almost a decade, but we had never really worked together. We sort of threatened…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tavares-strachan/i-was-approached-by-neville-wakefield-i-ve-known-neville-for-almost-a/) [Tavares Strachan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tavares-strachan/) > [Poetry makes sense of the parts of human experience that are confusing and not decodable in any other way. It makes accessible the inaccessible.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tavares-strachan/poetry-makes-sense-of-the-parts-of-human-experience-that-are/) [Tavares Strachan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tavares-strachan/) > [I think when you're younger and making things, it's something that you have to fight through, to finish things. I feel like I'm past…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tavares-strachan/i-think-when-you-re-younger-and-making-things-it-s-something-that-you/) [Tavares Strachan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tavares-strachan/) > [I was born in a small clapboard house on an island, but I also have certain privileges that I didn't have when I was…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tavares-strachan/i-was-born-in-a-small-clapboard-house-on-an-island-but-i-also-have/) [Tavares Strachan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tavares-strachan/) > [If you take a flower to Mars, for example, the hostility of Mars probably won't allow the flower to live without oxygen. The process…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tavares-strachan/if-you-take-a-flower-to-mars-for-example-the-hostility-of-mars/) [Tavares Strachan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tavares-strachan/) > [I don't really feel pressure. I'm so distracted by what we're doing; I'm doing this four-acre project, it's just absorbing all my attention. Before…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tavares-strachan/i-don-t-really-feel-pressure-i-m-so-distracted-by-what-we-re-doing-i/) [Tavares Strachan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tavares-strachan/) > [I think there's an interesting line drawn towards extreme environments, and the way I define extreme is through a sense of otherness. Or foreignness.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tavares-strachan/i-think-there-s-an-interesting-line-drawn-towards-extreme/) [Tavares Strachan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tavares-strachan/) > [There are certain conceptual powers in this project, like the relationship of glass to sand, and the idea of putting glass back into the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tavares-strachan/there-are-certain-conceptual-powers-in-this-project-like-the/) [Tavares Strachan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tavares-strachan/) > [There's always a moment that tilts the scales of the project, and it's always different in every project.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tavares-strachan/there-s-always-a-moment-that-tilts-the-scales-of-the-project-and-it-s/) [Tavares Strachan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tavares-strachan/) > [Sometimes I'm inspired by the material and sometimes there's an idea that speaks to a material.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tavares-strachan/sometimes-i-m-inspired-by-the-material-and-sometimes-there-s-an-idea/) [Tavares Strachan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tavares-strachan/) > [I think if art has one underlying value, it's that.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tavares-strachan/i-think-if-art-has-one-underlying-value-it-s-that/) [Tavares Strachan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tavares-strachan/) > [I think it's every artist's nature to want to escape. It's also human nature in a way, depending on your personality, to want to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tavares-strachan/i-think-it-s-every-artist-s-nature-to-want-to-escape-it-s-also-human/) [Tavares Strachan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tavares-strachan/) > [ When you're in \[ Bahamas\], it feels like a bunch of islands, with keys and things like that. It's an existential archipelago. It's funny,… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tavares-strachan/when-you-re-in-bahamas-it-feels-like-a-bunch-of-islands-with-keys-and/) [Tavares Strachan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tavares-strachan/) > [The idea of being in the desert is fundamental, but it's totally relative, and it's about that membrane: the way that one defines self…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tavares-strachan/the-idea-of-being-in-the-desert-is-fundamental-but-it-s-totally/) [Tavares Strachan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tavares-strachan/) > [The way that I Am is designed, it becomes a kind of archipelago, which the Bahamas are.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tavares-strachan/the-way-that-i-am-is-designed-it-becomes-a-kind-of-archipelago-which/) [Tavares Strachan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tavares-strachan/) [Explore all 16 Tavares Strachan quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tavares-strachan/) ## 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": "I think being an artist and taking on those challenges is just how it is for me. 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