Artists can have greater access to reality; they can see patterns and details and connections that other people, distracted by the blur of life, might miss. Just sharing that truth can be a very powerful thing.
Jay-ZRead
When you have a reputation for making not only good songs but great albums, that in itself creates added artistic pressure. But, at the end of the day, I guess that pressure is something I welcome.
Interpretation
What this quote means
A strong reputation can bring pressure to maintain high standards, but embracing that pressure can be beneficial.
This quote expresses the idea that while having a reputation for creating quality music can lead to increased expectations and pressure, the artist welcomes this challenge. It highlights the relationship between artistic integrity and the pressures of maintaining success, suggesting that the pursuit of excellence is worth the stress it can bring.
Themes
ReputationPressureArtisticMusicAlbums
In practice
Example use cases
During a motivational talk about embracing challenges in your career.
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Far from a Harvard student, just had the balls to do it
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It was a very intense and stressful situation. There was playing in the Johnny-pump (an opened fire hydrant) and the ice-cream man coming around and all of these games that we'd play, and suddenly it would turn just violent and there would be shootings at 12 in the afternoon on any given day.
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I would run into the corner store, the bodega, and just grab a paper bag or buy juice - anything just to get a paper bag. And I'd write the words on the paper bag and stuff these ideas in my pocket until I got back. Then I would transfer them into the notebook.
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