I'm a storyteller who wants to tell untold, meaningful, universal stories in unforgettable ways. I want to do it all, study it all, and find my place in it.
Janelle MonaeRead
I have a great body, I really do. But I want to be taken seriously as an artist, and wearing anything that shows it off will be a distraction from the music. That's how my signature uniform, my tuxedo, came about. It's classic and timeless. You'll see me in black, white, and a pop of color on my lips. That pop adds a little magic.
Interpretation
What this quote means
This quote emphasizes the importance of being taken seriously in one's craft over physical appearance.
In this quote, Janelle Monae expresses how she values her artistry and strives to be recognized for her musical talents rather than her physical appearance. She describes her choice of a signature tuxedo as a means to maintain focus on her music, suggesting that revealing too much of her body could detract from her artistic expression. The addition of a pop of color symbolizes her unique flair and creativity within a classic presentation.
Themes
ArtIdentityExpressionCreativityAppearance
In practice
Example use cases
In a speech about personal branding at a fashion event.
More from Janelle Monae
All quotes →Redefine what it means to be sexy and what it means to be a woman. Showing my skin is not what makes me sexy. I like skirts and dresses just like everyone else, but I had a message I needed to put out there. It was up to me to show people and young girls there was another way.
Janelle MonaeRead
Even if it makes others comfortable, I will LOVE who I am
Janelle MonaeRead
I have not lost any of my crazy, fearless, raw, soulful, eclectic side and I plan on continuing to tell universal stories in an unforgettable way.
Janelle MonaeRead
Perfection is often the enemy of greatness.
Janelle MonaeRead
It's unfortunate that a lot of people think African-American female artists are monolithically R&B this-or-that, don't have to do anything by default.
Janelle MonaeRead
Similar quotes
Poetry is the journal of the sea animal living on land, wanting to fly in the air. Poetry is a search for syllables to shoot at the barriers of the unknown and the unknowable. Poetry is a phantom script telling how rainbows are made and why they go away.
Carl SandburgRead
In the course of our daily lives, we're bombarded with a barrage of visual messages, some blatantly aggressive, some subtle. The trick is to find a way to break through without adding to the clutter and the ugliness. We have to be responsible about that.
Saul BassRead
Music expresses that which cannot be said and on which it is impossible to be silent.
Victor HugoRead
Right angles don't attract me. Nor straight, hard and inflexible lines created by man.
Oscar NiemeyerRead
I'm not interested in seeing a film just made by a woman - not unless she is looking for new images.
Agnes VardaRead
I was very influenced by movies; I was very influenced by a world that had a sense of dream.
Ralph LaurenRead