--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: When I started out, I wrote the songs…" description: "\"When I started out, I wrote the songs, recorded the songs, mastered, mixed, did the artwork, made the packaging and did the distribution, all myself. N..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6e4/aloe-blacc-23268_artwork_when-i-started-out-i-wrote-the-songs-rec_1157609.png" --- # When I started out, I wrote the songs, recorded the songs… ![“When I started out, I wrote the songs, recorded the songs, mastered, mixed, did the artwork, made the packaging and did the distribution, all myself. Now I understand what everyone's jobs are, who is doing them right, and who isn't.” quote by Aloe Blacc](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6e4/aloe-blacc-23268_artwork_when-i-started-out-i-wrote-the-songs-rec_1157609.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6e4/aloe-blacc-23268_artwork_when-i-started-out-i-wrote-the-songs-rec_1157609.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6e4/aloe-blacc-23268_artwork_when-i-started-out-i-wrote-the-songs-rec_1157609.png) > “When I started out, I wrote the songs, recorded the songs, mastered, mixed, did the artwork, made the packaging and did the distribution, all myself. Now I understand what everyone's jobs are, who is doing them right, and who isn't.” [Aloe Blacc](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aloe-blacc/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Early solo effort revealed the complexity of creative production, leading to appreciation of specialized roles and collaborative efficiency. **In simple terms:** Doing everything alone shows the value of teamwork. Key Takeaway Recognize and respect others’ expertise. Themes collaboration industry insight skill specialization growth Mood pragmatic motivational Type business reflective When to use this quote - music production - entrepreneurship - career development - skill delegation Key Concepts project management creative process team dynamics Questions to Reflect On - Which tasks could you delegate now? - How does teamwork improve quality? A Different Perspective Overreliance on self can cause burnout; balance is key. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Artwork](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/artwork/) [Jobs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/jobs/) [Music](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/music/) [Song](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/song/) ## Related quotes > [When I first started, I wrote some songs with Linda Perry. She's so instrumental in a lot of artist's lives, listening to you and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/juliette-lewis/when-i-first-started-i-wrote-some-songs-with-linda-perry-she-s-so/) [Juliette Lewis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/juliette-lewis/) > [When I started that's how I wrote because I didn't know any better. I was just like "I want to make music." Then there…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mikky-ekko/when-i-started-that-s-how-i-wrote-because-i-didn-t-know-any-better-i/) [Mikky Ekko](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mikky-ekko/) > [“I have been mastered at last, sweet Cyn, helpless in the face of that most human of failings, I love you.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/d-b-reynolds/i-have-been-mastered-at-last-sweet-cyn-helpless-in-the-face-of-that/) [D.B. Reynolds](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/d-b-reynolds/) > [I cook everything from Italian to Cajun food. I have now mastered the roux for gumbo. I love cooking.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yolanda-adams/i-cook-everything-from-italian-to-cajun-food-i-have-now-mastered-the/) [Yolanda Adams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yolanda-adams/) > [StumbleUpon has humanized the Web and mastered a way for people to discover online content by incorporating an individual's personal preferences and recommendations of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mitch-kapor/stumbleupon-has-humanized-the-web-and-mastered-a-way-for-people-to/) [Mitch Kapor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mitch-kapor/) > [I haven't mastered the art of sitting and smiling.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ashley-wagner/i-haven-t-mastered-the-art-of-sitting-and-smiling/) [Ashley Wagner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ashley-wagner/) > [“Fear can only be mastered outside of your comfort zone.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matshona-dhliwayo/fear-can-only-be-mastered-outside-of-your-comfort-zone/) [Matshona Dhliwayo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matshona-dhliwayo/) > [The aim is never to become a master of the Word, but to be mastered by it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/d-a-carson/the-aim-is-never-to-become-a-master-of-the-word-but-to-be-mastered-by/) [D. A. Carson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/d-a-carson/) > [“I was learning to differentiate between my needs and my wants and this powerful lesson had to be mastered before I could move forward.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-ban-breathnach/i-was-learning-to-differentiate-between-my-needs-and-my-wants-and/) [Sarah Ban Breathnach](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-ban-breathnach/) > [“When you have mastered fear then you have mastered all.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-richards/when-you-have-mastered-fear-then-you-have-mastered-all/) [Stephen Richards](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-richards/) > [Meekness is the mark of a man who has been mastered by God.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/geoffrey-b-wilson/meekness-is-the-mark-of-a-man-who-has-been-mastered-by-god/) Geoffrey B. Wilson > [Personally, I need to learn every word on the page before I go in and audition. I have not mastered the skill of holding…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/freddy-rodriguez/personally-i-need-to-learn-every-word-on-the-page-before-i-go-in-and/) [Freddy Rodriguez](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/freddy-rodriguez/) > [“The police have mastered the art of poor customer service!”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-magee/the-police-have-mastered-the-art-of-poor-customer-service/) [Steven Magee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-magee/) > [It's big production. It's huge. It's using studio technology to your benefit. You don't go in and play live and then just take the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joe-elliott/it-s-big-production-it-s-huge-it-s-using-studio-technology-to-your/) [Joe Elliott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joe-elliott/) > [I've never mastered the guitar. Either I was playing it, or it was playing me; it depends how you look at it. As a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jimmy-page/i-ve-never-mastered-the-guitar-either-i-was-playing-it-or-it-was/) [Jimmy Page](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jimmy-page/) ## More by Aloe Blacc > [You can feel a lot of things, and that's okay. Channel that into your passion.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aloe-blacc/you-can-feel-a-lot-of-things-and-that-s-okay-channel-that-into-your/) [Aloe Blacc](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aloe-blacc/) > [We develop social systems for the handicapped, but when you're handicapped in your mind, society doesn't handle those situations well. I think we don't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aloe-blacc/we-develop-social-systems-for-the-handicapped-but-when-you-re/) [Aloe Blacc](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aloe-blacc/) > [In school, I studied psychology, linguistics, neuroscience. I understand that there is a real lack of respect for the brain.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aloe-blacc/in-school-i-studied-psychology-linguistics-neuroscience-i-understand/) [Aloe Blacc](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aloe-blacc/) > [Music, especially as an adolescent, helps to build identity because that's when people start developing a sense of self. You can kind of tell…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aloe-blacc/music-especially-as-an-adolescent-helps-to-build-identity-because/) [Aloe Blacc](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aloe-blacc/) > [I continue to write songs that are topically related to social, political and economic issues of our time, but I also recognize that onstage,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aloe-blacc/i-continue-to-write-songs-that-are-topically-related-to-social/) [Aloe Blacc](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aloe-blacc/) > [Life is a game and love is the prize. So wake me when its all over, when I'm wiser and I'm older.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aloe-blacc/life-is-a-game-and-love-is-the-prize-so-wake-me-when-its-all-over/) [Aloe Blacc](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aloe-blacc/) > [I felt I had an opportunity to follow in the footsteps of great soul musicians of the past, who made a lot of social…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aloe-blacc/i-felt-i-had-an-opportunity-to-follow-in-the-footsteps-of-great-soul/) [Aloe Blacc](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aloe-blacc/) > [Music critics think of lyrics first and don't consider melody but so many songs are lyrically depressing but musically great, and that's why they…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aloe-blacc/music-critics-think-of-lyrics-first-and-don-t-consider-melody-but-so/) [Aloe Blacc](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aloe-blacc/) > [We live in an era of consumerism and it's all about desire-based consumerism and it has nothing to do with things we actually need.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aloe-blacc/we-live-in-an-era-of-consumerism-and-it-s-all-about-desire-based/) [Aloe Blacc](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aloe-blacc/) > [People in the Middle East may consider the U.S. an evil hegemony that has tainted their culture, but when I look at the growth…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aloe-blacc/people-in-the-middle-east-may-consider-the-u-s-an-evil-hegemony-that/) [Aloe Blacc](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aloe-blacc/) > [Hip-hop educated me about other forms of music, because it sampled from all different styles.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aloe-blacc/hip-hop-educated-me-about-other-forms-of-music-because-it-sampled/) [Aloe Blacc](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aloe-blacc/) > [In hip-hop, I wasn't very focused on delivering a message. It was just a string of lines that didn't connect. What I wanted to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aloe-blacc/in-hip-hop-i-wasn-t-very-focused-on-delivering-a-message-it-was-just/) [Aloe Blacc](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aloe-blacc/) > [I think a lot of self-identity and inner-personal development is hampered by consumerism and capitalism because we see ourselves as a reflection of the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aloe-blacc/i-think-a-lot-of-self-identity-and-inner-personal-development-is/) [Aloe Blacc](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aloe-blacc/) > [Compassion can change a lot of things, including the world. Young people especially need to know that, because they're the future.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aloe-blacc/compassion-can-change-a-lot-of-things-including-the-world-young/) [Aloe Blacc](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aloe-blacc/) > [We live in an era of consumerism and it's all about desire - based consumerism and it has nothing to do with things we…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aloe-blacc/we-live-in-an-era-of-consumerism-and-it-s-all-about-desire-based-2/) [Aloe Blacc](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aloe-blacc/) [Explore all 26 Aloe Blacc quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aloe-blacc/) ## More Artwork quotes > [The seed of your next artwork lies embedded in the imperfections of your current piece.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-bayles/the-seed-of-your-next-artwork-lies-embedded-in-the-imperfections-of/) [David Bayles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-bayles/) > [CD's are amazing because you get the artwork, you get to look at the lyrics, you get to look at the behind-the-scenes photos or…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-patrick/cd-s-are-amazing-because-you-get-the-artwork-you-get-to-look-at-the/) [Richard Patrick](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-patrick/) > [The boundaries between contemporary art and cinema are so rigid. It's unbelievable. The film critics don't know my artwork and the art world doesn't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/agnes-varda/the-boundaries-between-contemporary-art-and-cinema-are-so-rigid-it-s/) [Agnes Varda](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/agnes-varda/) > [The seed of your next artwork lies embedded in the imperfections of your current piece. Such imperfections are your guides - valuable, objective, non-judgmental…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-bayles/the-seed-of-your-next-artwork-lies-embedded-in-the-imperfections-of-2/) [David Bayles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-bayles/) > [I'm still trying to discover my position on my own artwork and hopefully at this exhibition someone will come and tell me. I'm open…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/graham-coxon/i-m-still-trying-to-discover-my-position-on-my-own-artwork-and/) [Graham Coxon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/graham-coxon/) > [I have to speak for myself. As far as videos go - casting, the artwork, everything - I'm completely hands-on. You have to be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pink/i-have-to-speak-for-myself-as-far-as-videos-go-casting-the-artwork/) [Pink](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pink/) > [With the 'Watchmen' comic, we attempted to tell it in an accessible way. I deliberately made the artwork very clear, deceptively so. You think…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dave-gibbons/with-the-watchmen-comic-we-attempted-to-tell-it-in-an-accessible-way/) [Dave Gibbons](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dave-gibbons/) > [A Grand Design we couldn't see because we were part of it. A Grand Design we only got occasional, fleeting glimpses of. A Grand…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/connie-willis/a-grand-design-we-couldn-t-see-because-we-were-part-of-it-a-grand/) [Connie Willis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/connie-willis/) > [Any artwork is part of something larger, grander and, you know, the situation that it's in is very important.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-barry/any-artwork-is-part-of-something-larger-grander-and-you-know-the/) [Robert Barry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-barry/) > [I always believed that my work should be unfinished in the sense that I encourage people to add their creativity to it, either conceptually…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yoko-ono/i-always-believed-that-my-work-should-be-unfinished-in-the-sense-that/) [Yoko Ono](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yoko-ono/) > [I always hope that the artwork will complement and enrich a story.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-paul-weston/i-always-hope-that-the-artwork-will-complement-and-enrich-a-story/) [Robert Paul Weston](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-paul-weston/) > [I like using LEGO bricks as a medium because I enjoy seeing people’s reaction to artwork created from something with which they are familiar.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nathan-sawaya/i-like-using-lego-bricks-as-a-medium-because-i-enjoy-seeing-people-s/) [Nathan Sawaya](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nathan-sawaya/) > [I was always creative with the artwork. Always creative with the visuals. That's what made me standout.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/redman/i-was-always-creative-with-the-artwork-always-creative-with-the/) [Redman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/redman/) > [I think that artworks are like these spiritual objects: I think that they have energies and powers beyond what the eye can see.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dan-colen/i-think-that-artworks-are-like-these-spiritual-objects-i-think-that/) [Dan Colen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dan-colen/) > [I guess if you take yourself seriously as an artist there starts either the problem or the beauty of doing good artwork.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-griffith/i-guess-if-you-take-yourself-seriously-as-an-artist-there-starts/) [Bill Griffith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-griffith/) [Browse all 290 Artwork quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/artwork/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "When I started out, I wrote the songs, recorded the songs, mastered, mixed, did the artwork, made the packaging and did the distribution, all myself. Now I understand what everyone's jobs are, who is doing them right, and who isn't.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Aloe Blacc" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aloe-blacc/when-i-started-out-i-wrote-the-songs-recorded-the-songs-mastered/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Artwork" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aloe-blacc/when-i-started-out-i-wrote-the-songs-recorded-the-songs-mastered/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6e4/aloe-blacc-23268_artwork_when-i-started-out-i-wrote-the-songs-rec_1157609.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6e4/aloe-blacc-23268_artwork_when-i-started-out-i-wrote-the-songs-rec_1157609.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6e4/aloe-blacc-23268_artwork_when-i-started-out-i-wrote-the-songs-rec_1157609.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“When I started out, I wrote the songs, recorded the songs, mastered, mixed, did the artwork, made the…” — Aloe Blacc", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } }, { "@type": "BreadcrumbList", "itemListElement": [ { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 1, "name": "Home", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 2, "name": "Quotes", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 3, "name": "Aloe Blacc", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aloe-blacc/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "When I started out, I wrote...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aloe-blacc/when-i-started-out-i-wrote-the-songs-recorded-the-songs-mastered/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aloe-blacc/when-i-started-out-i-wrote-the-songs-recorded-the-songs-mastered/#breadcrumb" }, { "@type": "WebSite", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "publisher": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } }, { "@type": "Organization", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "logo": { "@type": "ImageObject", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png", "width": 512, "height": 512 } } ] } ```