Artist Quotes

An artist has gotta be careful never really to arrive at a place where he thinks he's at somewhere. You always have to realize that you're constantly in a state of becoming.

A BIG PART OF SONGWRITING, like all writing, is editing-distilling thought down to essentials. Novice writers often hide behind filigree. In many cases the artistry is in what is unsaid. As the old saying goes, an iceberg moves gracefully because most of it is beneath the surface.

Not 'I don't give a f-' to just be reckless and do whatever, but 'I don't give a f- what they say.' ... I know who I am and what I'm doing in my life and what I've accomplished and continue to accomplish as a performer, as a writer, as an artist, as a person, as a human being. I'm happy with the man I'm becoming.

I am in deep shock. I have lost a beloved friend [George Michael] - the kindest, most generous soul and a brilliant artist. My heart goes out to his family and all of his fans.

It's sort of like my past is an unfinished painting, and as the artist of that painting, I must fill in all the ugly holes and make it beautiful again.

I think that fashion and music go hand-in-hand, and they always should. It's the artist's job to create imagery that matches the music. I think they're very intertwined.

I don't see myself in terms of artifice. I see myself as a real person who chooses to live my life in an open way - artistically.

Knowing that I inspired SAM SMITH is one of the most powerful experiences I've had as an artist. I was Sam. I still am Sam.

Unless I am both capable of and willing to reopen the wound every time I write a song, if I choose to not look inside myself to write music, I'm really not worth being called an artist at all.

My work as an artist is completely separate from my work as a philanthropist.

I remember thinking, "This girl's got it all, and then some!". Unbelievable voice, great dancer and so very beautiful. Without a doubt, she's one of the most talented artists the world has ever seen or heard, and I think she's going to continue to amaze us for many, many years to come.

My voice was the conductor of my life.

I leave the genre labeling to other people. I really do. If I were to think too hard about it, that would stifle you creatively. If you think too hard about who other people want you to be as an artist, it stops you from being who you want to be as an artist.

My role in society, or any artist's or poet's role, is to try and express what we all feel. Not to tell people how to feel. Not as a preacher, not as a leader, but as a reflection of us all.

All kids draw and write poetry and everything, and some of us last until we're about eighteen, but most drop off at about twelve when some guy comes up and says, "You're no good." That's all we get told all our lives. "You haven't got the ability. You're a cobbler." It happened to all of us, but if somebody had told me all my life, "Yeah, you're a great artist," I would have been a more secure person.

I have always felt compassion for the planet. Sometimes I just start to get emotional. I cry because I can almost feel the pain in the air. I put it in words, and in song, and in dance, I think that is what artistry is.

There's so much about Dolly Parton that every female artist should look to, whether it's reading her quotes or reading her interviews or going to one of her live shows. She's been such an amazing example to every female songwriter out there.

Of all human struggles there is none so treacherous and remorseless as the struggle between the artist man and the mother woman.

Art is a microscope which the artist fixes on the secrets of his soul, and shows to people these secrets which are common to all.

A real work of art destroys, in the consciousness of the receiver, the separation between himself and the artist.