--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: If I don't have an erection when I'm…" description: "\"If I don't have an erection when I'm doing a drawing, I know it's no good.\" — Tom of Finland" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e5c/tom-of-finland-56028_artist_if-i-don-t-have-an-erection-when-i-m-doi_771498.jpg" --- # If I don't have an erection when I'm doing a drawing, I… ![“If I don't have an erection when I'm doing a drawing, I know it's no good.” quote by Tom of Finland](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e5c/tom-of-finland-56028_artist_if-i-don-t-have-an-erection-when-i-m-doi_771498.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e5c/tom-of-finland-56028_artist_if-i-don-t-have-an-erection-when-i-m-doi_771498.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e5c/tom-of-finland-56028_artist_if-i-don-t-have-an-erection-when-i-m-doi_771498.jpg) > “If I don't have an erection when I'm doing a drawing, I know it's no good.” [Tom of Finland](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-of-finland/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The quote humorously links creative confidence to sexual performance, implying that artistic flow feels like an erection. **In simple terms:** Creative confidence feels like a physical response. Key Takeaway Embrace the feeling of confidence. Themes creativity confidence humor Mood playful provocative Type humorous inspirational When to use this quote - drawing - artistic work - performance anxiety - creative blocks Key Concepts artistic flow psychology of performance Questions to Reflect On - How do you separate ego from artistic process? - What other physical metaphors help you gauge confidence? A Different Perspective Confidence can be fleeting and not always reliable. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Artist](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/artist/) [Doing Drawing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/doing-drawing-786933/) [Drawing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/drawing/) [Drawing Know](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/drawing-know-4588275/) [Erection](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/erection/) [Erection Doing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/erection-doing-5962878/) [Funny](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/funny/) [Ifs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ifs/) [Inspirational](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/inspirational/) [Knows](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/knows/) [Love](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/love/) ## Related quotes > [Let whoever may have attained to so much as to have the power of drawing know that he holds a great treasure.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michelangelo/let-whoever-may-have-attained-to-so-much-as-to-have-the-power-of/) [Michelangelo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michelangelo/) > [When I'm doing a drawing, I'm personifying the place that is empty. A place that is unmarked.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jim-denevan/when-i-m-doing-a-drawing-i-m-personifying-the-place-that-is-empty-a/) [Jim Denevan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jim-denevan/) > [Ever since I met you it hasnt been the same. All youve got me doing is drawing hearts around your name !!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aaron-cchan-2/ever-since-i-met-you-it-hasnt-been-the-same-all-youve-got-me-doing-is/) [AaRon\_CcHan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aaron-cchan-2/) > [Every since I've met you it hasn't been the same, all you got me doing is drawing hearts around your name.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/simone-wood/every-since-i-ve-met-you-it-hasn-t-been-the-same-all-you-got-me-doing/) [Simone Wood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/simone-wood/) > [Shape and color are my two strong things. And by doing this, drawing plants has always led me into my paintings and my sculptures.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ellsworth-kelly/shape-and-color-are-my-two-strong-things-and-by-doing-this-drawing/) [Ellsworth Kelly](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ellsworth-kelly/) > [When I'm doing a drawing, I get lots of ideas I use them in my songs, even. I do a lot of drawings because…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-johnston/when-i-m-doing-a-drawing-i-get-lots-of-ideas-i-use-them-in-my-songs/) [Daniel Johnston](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-johnston/) > [Ever since I met you.. it hadn't been the same. All you got me doing is drawing hearts around your name.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tanya-bianco/ever-since-i-met-you-it-hadn-t-been-the-same-all-you-got-me-doing-is/) [Tanya Bianco](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tanya-bianco/) > [I had two major activities as a child. I was trying to put on shows with kids in my street, or I was drawing.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marjane-satrapi/i-had-two-major-activities-as-a-child-i-was-trying-to-put-on-shows/) [Marjane Satrapi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marjane-satrapi/) > [I spent a long time in art school so I can really draw. I'll doodle and suddenly I'll find the beginning of the movie…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leonardo-dicaprio/i-spent-a-long-time-in-art-school-so-i-can-really-draw-i-ll-doodle/) [Leonardo DiCaprio](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leonardo-dicaprio/) > [“Every time I so much as blink you get an erection.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carla-h-krueger/every-time-i-so-much-as-blink-you-get-an-erection/) [Carla H Krueger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carla-h-krueger/) > [“Don’t mock my dress. I’ve got a dance recital after work. You’re invited—but it’s bring your own erection. You can’t borrow mine, because I’ll…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jarod-kintz/don-t-mock-my-dress-i-ve-got-a-dance-recital-after-work-you-re/) [Jarod Kintz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jarod-kintz/) > [“My eyes unapologetically trailed down the length of his torso, down the thin line of hair leading into his underwear and stopped on his…massive…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/penelope-ward/my-eyes-unapologetically-trailed-down-the-length-of-his-torso-down/) [Penelope Ward](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/penelope-ward/) > [Whenever he composes a critical review, I have been told, he gets an enormous erection.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/whenever-he-composes-a-critical-review-i-have-been-told-he-gets-an/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [A man doesn't need a study to know if he's feeling amorous. There is no such thing as a placebo erection.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chris-kilham/a-man-doesn-t-need-a-study-to-know-if-he-s-feeling-amorous-there-is/) [Chris Kilham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chris-kilham/) > [“Perhaps the blood that was flooding into his dick, bringing it to full erection, was starving his brain of oxygen.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-lear/perhaps-the-blood-that-was-flooding-into-his-dick-bringing-it-to-full/) [James Lear](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-lear/) ## More by Tom of Finland > [I know my little 'dirty drawings' are never going to hang in the main salons of the Louvre, but it would be nice if…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-of-finland/i-know-my-little-dirty-drawings-are-never-going-to-hang-in-the-main/) [Tom of Finland](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-of-finland/) > [In those days, a gay man was made to feel nothing but shame about his feelings and his sexuality. I wanted my drawings to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-of-finland/in-those-days-a-gay-man-was-made-to-feel-nothing-but-shame-about-his/) [Tom of Finland](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-of-finland/) > [I almost never draw a completely naked man. He has to have at least a pair of boots or something on. To me, a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-of-finland/i-almost-never-draw-a-completely-naked-man-he-has-to-have-at-least-a/) [Tom of Finland](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-of-finland/) > [The abstract, especially in those rough sketches, is very important to me, perhaps because of my advertising background, where layout is so important. Sometimes…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-of-finland/the-abstract-especially-in-those-rough-sketches-is-very-important-to/) [Tom of Finland](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-of-finland/) > [My whole life long I have done nothing but interpret my dreams of ultimate masculinity, and draw them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-of-finland/my-whole-life-long-i-have-done-nothing-but-interpret-my-dreams-of/) [Tom of Finland](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-of-finland/) [Explore all 6 Tom of Finland quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-of-finland/) ## 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": "If I don't have an erection when I'm doing a drawing, I know it's no good.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Tom of Finland" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-of-finland/if-i-don-t-have-an-erection-when-i-m-doing-a-drawing-i-know-it-s-no/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Artist" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-of-finland/if-i-don-t-have-an-erection-when-i-m-doing-a-drawing-i-know-it-s-no/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e5c/tom-of-finland-56028_artist_if-i-don-t-have-an-erection-when-i-m-doi_771498.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e5c/tom-of-finland-56028_artist_if-i-don-t-have-an-erection-when-i-m-doi_771498.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e5c/tom-of-finland-56028_artist_if-i-don-t-have-an-erection-when-i-m-doi_771498.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“If I don't have an erection when I'm doing a drawing, I know it's no good.” — Tom of Finland", "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": "Tom of Finland", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-of-finland/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "If I don't have an erection...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-of-finland/if-i-don-t-have-an-erection-when-i-m-doing-a-drawing-i-know-it-s-no/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-of-finland/if-i-don-t-have-an-erection-when-i-m-doing-a-drawing-i-know-it-s-no/#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 } } ] } ```