I've had a remarkable life. I seem to be in such good places at the right time. You know, if you were to ask me to sum my life up in one word, gratitude.
Carole KingRead
I'm a songwriter first...In my career I have never felt that my being a woman was an obstacle or an advantage. I guess I've been oblivious...Sensitive, humbug. Everybody thinks I'm sensitive...There is a downside to having one of the biggest-selling albums ever.
Interpretation
Carole King reflects on her identity as a woman in songwriting, seeing it neither as a hindrance nor benefit.
In this quote, Carole King discusses her perspective on being a woman in the music industry, emphasizing that she has not allowed her gender to define her experience as a songwriter. Instead, she seems to focus on her craft and the challenges that come with it, particularly the mixed perceptions about her sensitivity and the pressures of success.
In practice
Referencing this quote during an interview about women in music to highlight the importance of skill over gender.
I've had a remarkable life. I seem to be in such good places at the right time. You know, if you were to ask me to sum my life up in one word, gratitude.
I still believe that everyone is beautiful in some way and by seeing the beauty in others we make ourselves more beautiful.
When I wake up every morning, I smile and say, 'Thank you.' Because out of my window I can see the mountains, then go hiking with my dog and share her bounding joy in the world.
Not what the mind sees, but what the mind imagines the eye must see.
If you think about the way we experience art, the paradigm is still Western European. If I go to the National Gallery, what am I going to see the most of? I'm not going to see a whole lot of black figures in pictures.
Till now I have never shot a scene without taking account of what stands behind the actors because the relationship between people and their surroundings is of prime importance.
Burlesque girls were alchemists. They were steel-tough performers who were willing to use kitchens as dressing rooms, haul their costume bags through the snow, and go into debt over fake diamonds, all for the five minutes onstage when they were goddesses.
You can't read to yourself. It's your inner ear that hears a poem. If you hear a poet read his own work, it becomes very exciting. The melody is a great part of it.
When I discovered the lyric poem, that advanced not by narrative steps but by blocks and layers of imagery, I said, 'Gee, I probably could do that. So let me try that.'
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