--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Sometimes I'm inspired by the material…" description: "\"Sometimes I'm inspired by the material and sometimes there's an idea that speaks to a material.\" — Tavares Strachan" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/069/tavares-strachan-31840_ideas_sometimes-i-m-inspired-by-the-material-a_2674900.jpg" --- # Sometimes I'm inspired by the material and sometimes… ![“Sometimes I'm inspired by the material and sometimes there's an idea that speaks to a material.” quote by Tavares Strachan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/069/tavares-strachan-31840_ideas_sometimes-i-m-inspired-by-the-material-a_2674900.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/069/tavares-strachan-31840_ideas_sometimes-i-m-inspired-by-the-material-a_2674900.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/069/tavares-strachan-31840_ideas_sometimes-i-m-inspired-by-the-material-a_2674900.jpg) > “Sometimes I'm inspired by the material and sometimes there's an idea that speaks to a material.” [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. Material inspiration can be reciprocal; sometimes ideas emerge from the material itself. **In simple terms:** Materials can inspire ideas. Key Takeaway Embrace material‑driven design. Themes design material inspiration Mood thoughtful inspired Type design philosophical When to use this quote - product design - art installations - fabrication Key Concepts architectural theory creative process Questions to Reflect On - When does material dictate design? - How to balance concept and material? A Different Perspective Overreliance on material may limit conceptual innovation. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Ideas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ideas/) [Inspiration](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/inspiration/) ## Related quotes > [I don't really look for material with the idea it might make a hit record.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frank-sinatra-jr/i-don-t-really-look-for-material-with-the-idea-it-might-make-a-hit/) [Frank Sinatra Jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frank-sinatra-jr/) > [Everything is sculpture. Any material, any idea without hindrance born into space, I consider sculpture.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/isamu-noguchi/everything-is-sculpture-any-material-any-idea-without-hindrance-born/) [Isamu Noguchi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/isamu-noguchi/) > [The idea that human-transforming technology that mingles the dna of natural and synthetic beings and merges man with machines could somehow be used or…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-horn/the-idea-that-human-transforming-technology-that-mingles-the-dna-of/) [Thomas Horn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-horn/) > [I wasn't inspired so much by a person as by reading many good books. I loved to write and I wondered if I might…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peg-kehret/i-wasn-t-inspired-so-much-by-a-person-as-by-reading-many-good-books-i/) [Peg Kehret](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peg-kehret/) > [I wanted to focus on songs that I was inspired by growing up. I love so many of them from the last 100 years,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/josh-groban/i-wanted-to-focus-on-songs-that-i-was-inspired-by-growing-up-i-love/) [Josh Groban](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/josh-groban/) > [“The Spirit inspired the Word and therefore He goes where the Word goes. The more of God's Word you know and love, the more…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-piper/the-spirit-inspired-the-word-and-therefore-he-goes-where-the-word/) [John Piper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-piper/) > [I'm supportive of women, absolutely, and it's so gratifying to have girls come up and say, 'I'm really inspired by your guitar playing.' I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/st-vincent/i-m-supportive-of-women-absolutely-and-it-s-so-gratifying-to-have/) [St. Vincent](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/st-vincent/) > [Muses had a way of killing those whom they inspired.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/katherine-neville/muses-had-a-way-of-killing-those-whom-they-inspired/) [Katherine Neville](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/katherine-neville/) > [I'm inspired by visual stimulation.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-parker/i-m-inspired-by-visual-stimulation/) [Mark Parker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-parker/) > [“In such a regime, I say you died a good death if your life had inspired someone to come forward and shoot your murdered…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chinua-achebe/in-such-a-regime-i-say-you-died-a-good-death-if-your-life-had/) [Chinua Achebe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chinua-achebe/) > [Music is supposed to be inspired.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chris-cornell/music-is-supposed-to-be-inspired/) [Chris Cornell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chris-cornell/) > [My first name was inspired by the character of Aslan, the lion in C.S. Lewis's Chronicles of Narnia.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aselin-debison/my-first-name-was-inspired-by-the-character-of-aslan-the-lion-in-c-s/) Aselin Debison > [Throughout our history, the words of the Declaration have inspired immigrants from around the world to set sail to our shores. These immigrants have…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-w-bush/throughout-our-history-the-words-of-the-declaration-have-inspired/) [George W. Bush](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-w-bush/) > [The amazing thing is that we live our lives with the hope that things will go right, that things will happen. And all along…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laurel-nakadate/the-amazing-thing-is-that-we-live-our-lives-with-the-hope-that-things/) [Laurel Nakadate](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laurel-nakadate/) > [It was only when I went to acting school that I was like, "You are absolutely such a pigheaded freak show that you thought…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/giles-matthey/it-was-only-when-i-went-to-acting-school-that-i-was-like-you-are/) [Giles Matthey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/giles-matthey/) ## 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/) > [I think being an artist and taking on those challenges is just how it is for me. Because I was always a foreigner, I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tavares-strachan/i-think-being-an-artist-and-taking-on-those-challenges-is-just-how-it/) [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/) > [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 Ideas quotes > [I think a new world will arise out of the religious mists when we approach our Bible with the idea that it is not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aiden-wilson-tozer/i-think-a-new-world-will-arise-out-of-the-religious-mists-when-we/) [Aiden Wilson Tozer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aiden-wilson-tozer/) > [Companies with cultures that celebrate diverse opinions and encourage the exchange of ideas have an advantage when solving difficult problems. A company that doesn't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/doug-mcmillon/companies-with-cultures-that-celebrate-diverse-opinions-and-encourage/) [Doug McMillon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/doug-mcmillon/) > [You'd be surprised how hard it can often be to translate an action into an idea.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karl-kraus/you-d-be-surprised-how-hard-it-can-often-be-to-translate-an-action/) [Karl Kraus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karl-kraus/) > [I know for my wife and I, we always loved the idea of being young parents. It is an incredibly inspiring and challenging job…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/taylor-hanson/i-know-for-my-wife-and-i-we-always-loved-the-idea-of-being-young/) [Taylor Hanson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/taylor-hanson/) > [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/) > [I've always been fascinated by the idea that there's no such thing as evil; it's all in your point of view. To one group…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eli-roth/i-ve-always-been-fascinated-by-the-idea-that-there-s-no-such-thing-as/) [Eli Roth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eli-roth/) > [The image of blacks usually is one of people who are suffering from hunger, unemployment, and poverty. The idea of them as agents and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/grace-lee-boggs/the-image-of-blacks-usually-is-one-of-people-who-are-suffering-from/) [Grace Lee Boggs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/grace-lee-boggs/) > [It revealed a cruelty that really made one wonder if the universe was such a good idea after all.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeff-lindsay/it-revealed-a-cruelty-that-really-made-one-wonder-if-the-universe-was/) [Jeff Lindsay](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeff-lindsay/) > [Sometimes it's just enough for me to have the idea. I don't need to see it through to the end. When it actually happens,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amy-sedaris/sometimes-it-s-just-enough-for-me-to-have-the-idea-i-don-t-need-to/) [Amy Sedaris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amy-sedaris/) > [Love is like that, fragile and light. No wonder it rests upon our hearts in intangible moments, bids us follow fleeting thoughts and ideas…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/love-is-like-that-fragile-and-light-no-wonder-it-rests-upon-our/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [But I already saw no great difference between the psyche and spirituality. To amass knowledge without becoming wise is not my idea of progress…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/m-scott-peck/but-i-already-saw-no-great-difference-between-the-psyche-and/) [M. Scott Peck](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/m-scott-peck/) > [Making movies seemed so impossible as far as getting my ideas funded.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/boots-riley/making-movies-seemed-so-impossible-as-far-as-getting-my-ideas-funded/) [Boots Riley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/boots-riley/) > [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/) > [What is music? Music is language. A human being wants to express ideas in this language, but not ideas that can be translated into…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anton-webern/what-is-music-music-is-language-a-human-being-wants-to-express-ideas/) [Anton Webern](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anton-webern/) > [“What does it mean to be a self-conscious animal? The idea is ludicrous, if it is not monstrous. It means to know that one…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ernest-becker/what-does-it-mean-to-be-a-self-conscious-animal-the-idea-is-ludicrous/) [Ernest Becker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ernest-becker/) [Browse all 24,908 Ideas quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ideas/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "Sometimes I'm inspired by the material and sometimes there's an idea that speaks to a material.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Tavares Strachan" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tavares-strachan/sometimes-i-m-inspired-by-the-material-and-sometimes-there-s-an-idea/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Ideas" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tavares-strachan/sometimes-i-m-inspired-by-the-material-and-sometimes-there-s-an-idea/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/069/tavares-strachan-31840_ideas_sometimes-i-m-inspired-by-the-material-a_2674900.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/069/tavares-strachan-31840_ideas_sometimes-i-m-inspired-by-the-material-a_2674900.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/069/tavares-strachan-31840_ideas_sometimes-i-m-inspired-by-the-material-a_2674900.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“Sometimes I'm inspired by the material and sometimes there's an idea that speaks to a material.” — Tavares Strachan", "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": "Tavares Strachan", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tavares-strachan/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "Sometimes I'm inspired by the material...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tavares-strachan/sometimes-i-m-inspired-by-the-material-and-sometimes-there-s-an-idea/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tavares-strachan/sometimes-i-m-inspired-by-the-material-and-sometimes-there-s-an-idea/#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 } } ] } ```