If you send up a weather vane or put your thumb up in the air every time you want to do something different, to find out what people are going to think about it, you're going to limit yourself. That's a very strange way to live.
Jessye NormanRead
One has to draw upon one's own musical thoughts and one's own musical acumen, and not to be afraid to let that come into one's work. Perhaps that comes with more experience, but perhaps it also comes with daring, and believing that you should.
Interpretation
What this quote means
The quote emphasizes the importance of individual creativity and confidence in one's artistic expression.
Jessye Norman encourages artists to trust their own musical intuition and knowledge when creating their work. She suggests that while experience may contribute to this confidence, it ultimately requires courage and a belief in oneself to express personal ideas and emotions through art.
Themes
MusicArtCreativityConfidenceExpression
In practice
Example use cases
During a workshop on artistic expression, this quote can inspire participants to trust their unique perspectives.
More from Jessye Norman
All quotes →My parents said to us, practically on a daily basis, that we were as good as anyone else on this earth, and that we would simply have to work harder in order to show that.
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Problems arise in that one has to find a balance between what people need from you and what you need for yourself.
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I am grateful that my horizons were not narrowed at the outset.
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As for my voice, it cannot be categorised - and I like it that way, because I sing things that would be considered in the dramatic, mezzo or spinto range.
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It is still more likely that a woman's power would be seen as aggression, and a man's power would be seen as assertion.
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