--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Going to the office of some stranger and…" description: "\"Going to the office of some stranger and waiting in a line, in a hallway, with five other guys who look just like you, waiting your turn to go in and e..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/faa/thomas-mcdonell-40219_artist_going-to-the-office-of-some-stranger-and_2544456.jpg" --- # Going to the office of some stranger and waiting in a… ![“Going to the office of some stranger and waiting in a line, in a hallway, with five other guys who look just like you, waiting your turn to go in and embarrass yourself, and then waiting around for feedback, which never comes. I really like that. For a young artist, it seems like the perfect thing…” quote by Thomas McDonell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/faa/thomas-mcdonell-40219_artist_going-to-the-office-of-some-stranger-and_2544456.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/faa/thomas-mcdonell-40219_artist_going-to-the-office-of-some-stranger-and_2544456.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/faa/thomas-mcdonell-40219_artist_going-to-the-office-of-some-stranger-and_2544456.jpg) > “Going to the office of some stranger and waiting in a line, in a hallway, with five other guys who look just like you, waiting your turn to go in and embarrass yourself, and then waiting around for feedback, which never comes. I really like that. For a young artist, it seems like the perfect thing to be doing, humiliation, over and over and over and over. Which I'm sure can't be the way that some people look at it, but I thought that was so great. The point of it is if you make your own stuff you don't have to deal with other people's bullshit.” [Thomas McDonell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-mcdonell/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Repeatedly exposing oneself to critique and embarrassment can be a deliberate strategy to avoid external judgment when creating original work. **In simple terms:** Enduring humiliation can free you from others' opinions. Key Takeaway Embrace discomfort to protect creative autonomy. Themes creativity self-reliance vulnerability Mood introspective defiant Type motivational philosophical When to use this quote - artistic development - public performance - feedback loops - personal growth Key Concepts artistic integrity psychology of shame self-imposed challenge Questions to Reflect On - Is humiliation truly liberating for you? - What alternatives exist to maintain creative freedom? A Different Perspective Such self‑inflicted hardship may become self‑sabotage if not balanced. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Artist](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/artist/) [Artist Like](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/artist-like/) [Bullshit](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/bullshit/) [Doing Humiliation](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/doing-humiliation-1463058/) [Feedback](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/feedback/) [Feedback Comes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/feedback-comes-1463061/) [Guy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/guy/) [Hallway Guys](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/hallway-guys-1463060/) [Humiliation](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/humiliation/) [Like you](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/like-you/) [Office](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/office/) [Other guys](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/other-guys/) [People](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/people/) [Perfect](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/perfect/) [Stranger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/stranger/) [Waiting](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/waiting/) [Waiting around](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/waiting-around/) ## Related quotes > [The artist has to be something like a whale swimming with his mouth wide open, absorbing everything until he has what he really needs.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/romare-bearden/the-artist-has-to-be-something-like-a-whale-swimming-with-his-mouth/) [Romare Bearden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/romare-bearden/) > [Trying to launch a career as an artist is like trying to run through a crowd holding hands with five people. 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I hope to become an artist like him as…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lee-tae-min/i-have-always-admired-michael-jackson-and-he-s-the-one-i-get-most/) [Lee Tae-min](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lee-tae-min/) > [It's the honest point of view of an artist: You have to please.I'd like viewers to come away from my films unsure whether they've…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-pierre-melville/it-s-the-honest-point-of-view-of-an-artist-you-have-to-please-i-d/) [Jean-Pierre Melville](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-pierre-melville/) > [“The artist, like the God of creation, remains within or behind or beyond or above his handiwork, invisible, refined out of existence, indifferent, paring…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-joyce/the-artist-like-the-god-of-creation-remains-within-or-behind-or/) [James Joyce](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-joyce/) > [That's kind of the artist I like to be, transparent, honest. I think that's what I'm like in real life.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/raye/that-s-kind-of-the-artist-i-like-to-be-transparent-honest-i-think/) [Raye](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/raye/) > [It's silly to call me the new Ed Sheeran. He can fill stadiums as a solo artist, but I'm not like that.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-bay/it-s-silly-to-call-me-the-new-ed-sheeran-he-can-fill-stadiums-as-a/) [James Bay](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-bay/) > [In this day and age, people have come to expect that artists are going to give everybody information on Twitter about what they're doing,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/josh-trank/in-this-day-and-age-people-have-come-to-expect-that-artists-are-going/) [Josh Trank](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/josh-trank/) ## More by Thomas McDonell > [The time is a thing; you don't have so much time. A good trick is to try and think about a way to use…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-mcdonell/the-time-is-a-thing-you-don-t-have-so-much-time-a-good-trick-is-to/) [Thomas McDonell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-mcdonell/) > [I mean, I like nice girls, and I like people who are generous.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-mcdonell/i-mean-i-like-nice-girls-and-i-like-people-who-are-generous/) [Thomas McDonell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-mcdonell/) > [The cliché about young actors is that they want to diversify the work that they do to show their range, but it's true. Or…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-mcdonell/the-clich-about-young-actors-is-that-they-want-to-diversify-the-work/) [Thomas McDonell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-mcdonell/) > [You really see that the art world bends over for Hollywood sometimes, in this way that is really grotesque, and the other way around…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-mcdonell/you-really-see-that-the-art-world-bends-over-for-hollywood-sometimes/) [Thomas McDonell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-mcdonell/) > [I went to a school in N.Y. that is conceptual and interdisciplinary and modeled after Cal Arts. It is not just painting or sculpture;…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-mcdonell/i-went-to-a-school-in-n-y-that-is-conceptual-and-interdisciplinary/) [Thomas McDonell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-mcdonell/) > [When I was in high school, I wasn't a troublemaker. I didn't get in fights. I was a good student and I had a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-mcdonell/when-i-was-in-high-school-i-wasn-t-a-troublemaker-i-didn-t-get-in/) [Thomas McDonell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-mcdonell/) > [The truth is, I don't really have a type of girl.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-mcdonell/the-truth-is-i-don-t-really-have-a-type-of-girl/) [Thomas McDonell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-mcdonell/) > [Well, it's really important to be honest with the person that you're seeing.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-mcdonell/well-it-s-really-important-to-be-honest-with-the-person-that-you-re/) [Thomas McDonell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-mcdonell/) > [I think there are certain technical things about acting that change between working in film and television. Everything definitely slows down and we have…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-mcdonell/i-think-there-are-certain-technical-things-about-acting-that-change/) [Thomas McDonell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-mcdonell/) > [I wasn't into acting when I was a kid. Maybe because I was shy or it didn't occur to me.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-mcdonell/i-wasn-t-into-acting-when-i-was-a-kid-maybe-because-i-was-shy-or-it/) [Thomas McDonell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-mcdonell/) [Explore all 11 Thomas McDonell quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-mcdonell/) ## 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](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/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": "Going to the office of some stranger and waiting in a line, in a hallway, with five other guys who look just like you, waiting your turn to go in and embarrass yourself, and then waiting around for feedback, which never comes. I really like that. For a young artist, it seems like the perfect thing to be doing, humiliation, over and over and over and over. Which I'm sure can't be the way that some people look at it, but I thought that was so great. 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