Often my best work comes from somebody trying to stretch me in a direction that I wouldn't normally want to go in. It's not something I fight at all.
Alan MenkenRead
The act of writing a song involves a degree of letting go of yourself, and that's very much being a child.
Interpretation
What this quote means
Writing a song requires self-expression and a childlike openness to creativity.
Alan Menken emphasizes that songwriting is a process that demands vulnerability and a willingness to release one's ego. This creative act mirrors the innocence and spontaneity of childhood, reminding us that true artistry often comes from a free and uninhibited mindset.
Themes
WritingSongCreativityChildlikeSelf-Expression
In practice
Example use cases
A speaker at a songwriting workshop might use this quote to inspire attendees to embrace their creativity without fear.
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Edward HirschRead
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Albert BrooksRead
That’s one of the nice things about writing, or any art; if the thing’s real, it just lives. All the attendant hoopla about it, the success over it or the critical rejection—none of that really matters. In the end, the thing will survive or not on its own merits. Not that immortality via art is any big deal. Truffaut died, and we all felt awful about it, and there were the appropriate eulogies, and his wonderful films live on. But it’s not much help to Truffaut.
Woody AllenRead