--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: An artist should write for himself & not…" description: "\"An artist should write for himself & not for an audience. If the audience likes it, great. If not, they can keep away.\" — Artie Shaw" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/681/artie-shaw-18387_art_an-artist-should-write-for-himself-not-f_2685060.png" --- # An artist should write for himself & not for an audience… ![“An artist should write for himself & not for an audience. If the audience likes it, great. If not, they can keep away.” quote by Artie Shaw](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/681/artie-shaw-18387_art_an-artist-should-write-for-himself-not-f_2685060.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/681/artie-shaw-18387_art_an-artist-should-write-for-himself-not-f_2685060.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/681/artie-shaw-18387_art_an-artist-should-write-for-himself-not-f_2685060.png) > “An artist should write for himself & not for an audience. If the audience likes it, great. If not, they can keep away.” [Artie Shaw](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/artie-shaw/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Artists should create for personal fulfillment; audience approval is secondary and optional. **In simple terms:** Create for yourself first. Key Takeaway Prioritize artistic integrity. Themes creativity authenticity audience Mood introspective determined Type philosophical inspirational When to use this quote - songwriting - visual arts - literature - performance - personal branding Key Concepts self‑expression artistic freedom Questions to Reflect On - Do you feel pressure to please others? - How does personal satisfaction influence your work? A Different Perspective Seeking audience approval may dilute originality. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Art](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/art/) [Artist](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/artist/) [Artist Write](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/artist-write-446544/) [Audience](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/audience/) [Audience Likes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/audience-likes-233309/) [Ifs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ifs/) [Jazz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/jazz/) [Likes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/likes/) [Music](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/music/) [Should](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/should/) [Write](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/write/) [Write Audience](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/write-audience-1774087/) [Writing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writing/) ## Related quotes > [I write for an audience that likes what I like, reads what I read, thinks about the things I think about. In many ways,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eric-bogosian/i-write-for-an-audience-that-likes-what-i-like-reads-what-i-read/) [Eric Bogosian](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eric-bogosian/) > [The audience likes to be taken on new journeys.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-copperfield/the-audience-likes-to-be-taken-on-new-journeys/) [David Copperfield](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-copperfield/) > [Because I'm little, I think the audience likes me.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mo-huilan/because-i-m-little-i-think-the-audience-likes-me/) [Mo Huilan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mo-huilan/) > [If the audience likes your work, if they like you, they don't think whether you are married or have children or not. I made…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dimple-kapadia/if-the-audience-likes-your-work-if-they-like-you-they-don-t-think/) [Dimple Kapadia](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dimple-kapadia/) > [If the audience likes and appreciates a move, it gives the wrestlers in a ring a little bit of extra energy, and you can…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cesaro/if-the-audience-likes-and-appreciates-a-move-it-gives-the-wrestlers/) [Cesaro](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cesaro/) > [As an artist, I write and I do what I know and what creatively comes out of me, and I think that other artists…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/salim-akil/as-an-artist-i-write-and-i-do-what-i-know-and-what-creatively-comes/) [Salim Akil](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/salim-akil/) > [I love pop songs so much and I don't put a ton of pressure on myself as a solo artist to always write the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/finneas/i-love-pop-songs-so-much-and-i-don-t-put-a-ton-of-pressure-on-myself/) [Finneas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/finneas/) > [That's just a part of being an artist: you can't write great stuff all the time, because if you did, then you'd be inhuman.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elton-john/that-s-just-a-part-of-being-an-artist-you-can-t-write-great-stuff-all/) [Elton John](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elton-john/) > [I'm self-deprecating, but I'm an artist, too. I have to write new songs to chronicle stuff for myself. I write a song like 'Middle…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steve-forbert/i-m-self-deprecating-but-i-m-an-artist-too-i-have-to-write-new-songs/) [Steve Forbert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steve-forbert/) > [“Every mother should endeavor to be a true artist. I do not mean by this that every woman should be a painter, sculptor, musician,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/every-mother-should-endeavor-to-be-a-true-artist-i-do-not-mean-by/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“Jubal shrugged. "Abstract design is all right-for wall paper or linoleum. But art is the process of evoking pity and terror, which is not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-a-heinlein/jubal-shrugged-abstract-design-is-all-right-for-wall-paper-or/) [Robert A. Heinlein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-a-heinlein/) > [When you're an artist, you can't write with the intent of affecting anyone.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/diana-gabaldon/when-you-re-an-artist-you-can-t-write-with-the-intent-of-affecting/) [Diana Gabaldon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/diana-gabaldon/) > [Usually as an artist I would write relatively within my own playing boundaries.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-tolcher/usually-as-an-artist-i-would-write-relatively-within-my-own-playing/) [Michael Tolcher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-tolcher/) > [As a fan of music, there's nothing I hate more than hearing an artist write a new album off the back of a successful…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jessica-origliasso/as-a-fan-of-music-there-s-nothing-i-hate-more-than-hearing-an-artist/) [Jessica Origliasso](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jessica-origliasso/) > [“The real is the poem. Hence, for the poet—our figure for the writer as artist—to write is to get real.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/g-mino-h-abad/the-real-is-the-poem-hence-for-the-poet-our-figure-for-the-writer-as/) [Gémino H. Abad](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/g-mino-h-abad/) ## More by Artie Shaw > [I'm not comfortable with categories, and I distrust most definitions. The word 'definition' is based on the word 'finite,' which would seem to indicate…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/artie-shaw/i-m-not-comfortable-with-categories-and-i-distrust-most-definitions/) [Artie Shaw](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/artie-shaw/) > [ It \["Begin the Beguine"\] became such a hit that it superseded anything that any band had ever had. It was the first time that… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/artie-shaw/it-begin-the-beguine-became-such-a-hit-that-it-superseded-anything/) [Artie Shaw](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/artie-shaw/) > [An audience is in many respects no more than a mob under loose control.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/artie-shaw/an-audience-is-in-many-respects-no-more-than-a-mob-under-loose-control/) [Artie Shaw](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/artie-shaw/) > [Dance music-as I keep saying, you can dance to a windshield wiper... a windshield wiper that's fairly steady gives you a beat and all…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/artie-shaw/dance-music-as-i-keep-saying-you-can-dance-to-a-windshield-wiper-a/) [Artie Shaw](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/artie-shaw/) > [I'm not conditioned to be an entertainer. An entertainer pleases others while an artist only has to please himself. The problem with that is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/artie-shaw/i-m-not-conditioned-to-be-an-entertainer-an-entertainer-pleases/) [Artie Shaw](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/artie-shaw/) > [Shoot for the moon - if you miss you'll end up in the stars.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/artie-shaw/shoot-for-the-moon-if-you-miss-you-ll-end-up-in-the-stars/) [Artie Shaw](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/artie-shaw/) > [There's such a cynicism about the phrase 'I laughed all the way to the bank.' It's as though money is what you're doing, rather…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/artie-shaw/there-s-such-a-cynicism-about-the-phrase-i-laughed-all-the-way-to-the/) [Artie Shaw](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/artie-shaw/) > [“Presumption is the mother of all fuck-ups.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/artie-shaw/presumption-is-the-mother-of-all-fuck-ups/) [Artie Shaw](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/artie-shaw/) > [People ask what those women saw in me. Let's face it, I wasn't a bad-looking stud. But that's not it. It's the music; it's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/artie-shaw/people-ask-what-those-women-saw-in-me-let-s-face-it-i-wasn-t-a-bad/) [Artie Shaw](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/artie-shaw/) > [When I first met Benny Goodman he wouldn't talk about anything but clarinets, mouthpieces, reeds, etc. When I tried to change the subject, he…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/artie-shaw/when-i-first-met-benny-goodman-he-wouldn-t-talk-about-anything-but/) [Artie Shaw](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/artie-shaw/) > [Any more would have been less.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/artie-shaw/any-more-would-have-been-less/) [Artie Shaw](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/artie-shaw/) > [If I could have done anything more, it would have been less](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/artie-shaw/if-i-could-have-done-anything-more-it-would-have-been-less/) [Artie Shaw](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/artie-shaw/) > [The bandleader is a musician trying to sell a mass commodity; and in order to do so successfully he must accommodate himself to mass…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/artie-shaw/the-bandleader-is-a-musician-trying-to-sell-a-mass-commodity-and-in/) [Artie Shaw](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/artie-shaw/) > [You have no idea of the people I didn't marry.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/artie-shaw/you-have-no-idea-of-the-people-i-didn-t-marry/) [Artie Shaw](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/artie-shaw/) > [ Listening to Benny \[Goodman\] talk about the clarinet was like listening to a surgeon get hung up on a scalpel. ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/artie-shaw/listening-to-benny-goodman-talk-about-the-clarinet-was-like-listening/) [Artie Shaw](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/artie-shaw/) [Explore all 35 Artie Shaw quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/artie-shaw/) ## More Art quotes > [True works of art contain their own theory and give us the measurement according to which we should judge them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/johann-wolfgang-von-goethe/true-works-of-art-contain-their-own-theory-and-give-us-the/) [Johann Wolfgang von Goethe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/johann-wolfgang-von-goethe/) > [Before Noah, men having only water to drink, could not find the truth. Accordingly...they became abominably wicked, and they were justly exterminated by the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/benjamin-franklin/before-noah-men-having-only-water-to-drink-could-not-find-the-truth/) [Benjamin Franklin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/benjamin-franklin/) > [“Hear the sum of the whole matter in the compass of one brief word — every art possessed by man comes from Prometheus.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aeschylus/hear-the-sum-of-the-whole-matter-in-the-compass-of-one-brief-word/) [Aeschylus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aeschylus/) > [I think most artists feel like they're outside society - no matter how many accolades they receive, or how much money is in your…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aaron-rose/i-think-most-artists-feel-like-they-re-outside-society-no-matter-how/) [Aaron Rose](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aaron-rose/) > [The capacity to be puzzled is the premise of all creation, be it in art or in science.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/erich-fromm/the-capacity-to-be-puzzled-is-the-premise-of-all-creation-be-it-in/) [Erich Fromm](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/erich-fromm/) > [That's the great secret of creativity. You treat ideas like cats: you make them follow you.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ray-bradbury/that-s-the-great-secret-of-creativity-you-treat-ideas-like-cats-you/) [Ray Bradbury](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ray-bradbury/) > [“So, really," continued Jacob as if this were perfectly normal to expound on art in these circumstances, "when you think about it, the artists…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/justina-chen-headley/so-really-continued-jacob-as-if-this-were-perfectly-normal-to-expound/) [Justina Chen Headley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/justina-chen-headley/) > [“There are two options in art; either to adopt philosophical life by dissecting art, or to write your own philosophical life and claim it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/taf-teh/there-are-two-options-in-art-either-to-adopt-philosophical-life-by/) [Taf Teh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/taf-teh/) > [The house has to serve comfort. The work of art is revolutionary; the house is conservative.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adolf-loos/the-house-has-to-serve-comfort-the-work-of-art-is-revolutionary-the/) [Adolf Loos](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adolf-loos/) > [During human progress, every science is evolved out of its corresponding art.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/herbert-spencer/during-human-progress-every-science-is-evolved-out-of-its/) [Herbert Spencer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/herbert-spencer/) > [In literature and art memory is a synonym for invention. It is the life-blood of imagination, which faints and dies when the veins are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-aris-willmott/in-literature-and-art-memory-is-a-synonym-for-invention-it-is-the/) [Robert Aris Willmott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-aris-willmott/) > [I think a business guy is different from an artist. They walk different paths. Artists create the best outputs when they're having fun. And…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/g-dragon/i-think-a-business-guy-is-different-from-an-artist-they-walk/) [G-Dragon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/g-dragon/) > [“The only thing--I tell you this straight from the heart--that disgusts me in Salzburg is that one can't have any proper social intercourse with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wolfgang-amadeus-mozart/the-only-thing-i-tell-you-this-straight-from-the-heart-that-disgusts/) [Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wolfgang-amadeus-mozart/) > [The sublime in art is the attempt to express the infinite without finding in the realm of phenomena any object which proves itself fitting…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/georg-wilhelm-friedrich-hegel/the-sublime-in-art-is-the-attempt-to-express-the-infinite-without/) [Georg Wilhelm Friedrich Hegel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/georg-wilhelm-friedrich-hegel/) > [Art isn't done to decorate apartments, but to wage war against the enemy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pablo-picasso/art-isn-t-done-to-decorate-apartments-but-to-wage-war-against-the/) [Pablo Picasso](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pablo-picasso/) [Browse all 48,643 Art quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/art/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "An artist should write for himself & not for an audience. 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