--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: As all creative people, we have our…" description: "\"As all creative people, we have our optimistic side and a darker side. Yes, I would say that I am more optimistic than not. I have written some very lu..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f8f/barbara-harbach-27136_creative_as-all-creative-people-we-have-our-optim_3157398.jpg" --- # As all creative people, we have our optimistic side and a… ![“As all creative people, we have our optimistic side and a darker side. Yes, I would say that I am more optimistic than not. I have written some very lush pieces when I was at low ebb, and some highly energized pieces when carrying a great sadness. It seems that I am getting more optimistic as I…” quote by Barbara Harbach](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f8f/barbara-harbach-27136_creative_as-all-creative-people-we-have-our-optim_3157398.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f8f/barbara-harbach-27136_creative_as-all-creative-people-we-have-our-optim_3157398.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f8f/barbara-harbach-27136_creative_as-all-creative-people-we-have-our-optim_3157398.jpg) > “As all creative people, we have our optimistic side and a darker side. Yes, I would say that I am more optimistic than not. I have written some very lush pieces when I was at low ebb, and some highly energized pieces when carrying a great sadness. It seems that I am getting more optimistic as I get older - life is a lot of fun!” [Barbara Harbach](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barbara-harbach/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Creative people balance optimism and darkness, using both to produce varied work; optimism grows with age. **In simple terms:** Artists use light and dark moods; optimism increases over time. Key Takeaway Channel both sides for richer creativity. Themes creativity optimism emotion growth artistic process Mood hopeful introspective inspired Type psychological creative motivational When to use this quote - songwriting - performance - teaching - personal reflection - career evolution Key Concepts dualism emotional regulation life stages artistic development Questions to Reflect On - How do you transform sadness into art? - What practices sustain optimism? A Different Perspective Focusing only on optimism may ignore valuable lessons from darker experiences. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Creative](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/creative/) [Creative people](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/creative-people/) [Darker side](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/darker-side/) [Fun](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/fun/) [Getting Optimistic](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/getting-optimistic-2260767/) [Hope](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/hope/) [Optimistic](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/optimistic/) [Optimistic Darker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/optimistic-darker-5693458/) [Optimistic Older](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/optimistic-older-5693457/) [Optimistic Written](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/optimistic-written-5693456/) [People](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/people/) [Sadness](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/sadness/) ## Related quotes > [I get more optimistic as I get older.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-flanagan/i-get-more-optimistic-as-i-get-older/) [Richard Flanagan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-flanagan/) > [I'm getting optimistic. I think, as I talk to people around the country - they seem to get it. They want a return to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jim-demint/i-m-getting-optimistic-i-think-as-i-talk-to-people-around-the-country/) [Jim DeMint](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jim-demint/) > [I have always been into the darker side of things and love the mystery and sexiness of vampires.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/madison-mckinley/i-have-always-been-into-the-darker-side-of-things-and-love-the/) [Madison McKinley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/madison-mckinley/) > [That's not part of me that I have to do something dark to prove to people that I'm an actor. The fuel for me…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jerry-trainor/that-s-not-part-of-me-that-i-have-to-do-something-dark-to-prove-to/) [Jerry Trainor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jerry-trainor/) > [I like big escapist films. It's odd because the type of comedian I am and the things I do when I'm writing and directing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ricky-gervais/i-like-big-escapist-films-it-s-odd-because-the-type-of-comedian-i-am/) [Ricky Gervais](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ricky-gervais/) > [Good people struggle against what's imperfect about them. The people that we call 'bad' people embrace that kind of stuff, embrace the darker side.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brian-azzarello/good-people-struggle-against-what-s-imperfect-about-them-the-people/) [Brian Azzarello](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brian-azzarello/) > [We are all like the bright moon, we still have our darker side.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/we-are-all-like-the-bright-moon-we-still-have-our-darker-side/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“MH: In an early letter to William Kennedy you spoke of the "dry rot" of American journalism. Tell me what you think. What's the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hunter-s-thompson/mh-in-an-early-letter-to-william-kennedy-you-spoke-of-the-dry-rot-of/) [Hunter S. Thompson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hunter-s-thompson/) > [“It wasn’t as easy for others to accept the darker side of themselves. Most like to cling to the notion that hesitation still marked…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/teresa-mummert/it-wasn-t-as-easy-for-others-to-accept-the-darker-side-of-themselves/) [Teresa Mummert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/teresa-mummert/) > [For me, comedy starts as a spew, a kind of explosion, and then you sculpt it from there, if at all. It comes out…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robin-williams/for-me-comedy-starts-as-a-spew-a-kind-of-explosion-and-then-you/) [Robin Williams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robin-williams/) > [If u can't find the brighter side of life ,then polish the darker side. Attitude of adjustment is the only instrument to live a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anurag-prakash-ray/if-u-can-t-find-the-brighter-side-of-life-then-polish-the-darker-side/) [Anurag Prakash Ray](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anurag-prakash-ray/) > [Prison is a crash course in the darker side of life. Few survive it without becoming a different person: more cynical, jaded, fearful, angry.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-mcwilliams/prison-is-a-crash-course-in-the-darker-side-of-life-few-survive-it/) [Peter McWilliams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-mcwilliams/) > [My films typically veer towards the darker side, and I enjoy turning things on the audience. I really enjoy working in genre because people…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ari-aster/my-films-typically-veer-towards-the-darker-side-and-i-enjoy-turning/) [Ari Aster](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ari-aster/) > [“I'm 80% done with The Darker Side of Trey : "It was a pitiful truth. That people seemed unwilling to see the abused, even…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tara-spears/i-m-80-done-with-the-darker-side-of-trey-it-was-a-pitiful-truth-that/) [Tara Spears](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tara-spears/) > [Poetry is the dark side of the moon,](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-wright/poetry-is-the-dark-side-of-the-moon/) [Charles Wright](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-wright/) ## More by Barbara Harbach > [I am a morning person and start work, whether composing, rehearsing, preparing syllabi/tests, or proofing an article or manuscript, early in the morning before…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barbara-harbach/i-am-a-morning-person-and-start-work-whether-composing-rehearsing/) [Barbara Harbach](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barbara-harbach/) > [Men have been in the forefront of music for centuries, and they have written glorious music, loved and appreciated by many. In some ways,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barbara-harbach/men-have-been-in-the-forefront-of-music-for-centuries-and-they-have/) [Barbara Harbach](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barbara-harbach/) > [I played for my first church service when I was nine years old. I was sufficiently tall to be able to reach the pedals.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barbara-harbach/i-played-for-my-first-church-service-when-i-was-nine-years-old-i-was/) [Barbara Harbach](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barbara-harbach/) > [Helmut Walcha was a gifted organist, improviser, and composer! He would play Evensong every week at his church for free, the Dreikönigskirche in Frankfurt,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barbara-harbach/helmut-walcha-was-a-gifted-organist-improviser-and-composer-he-would/) [Barbara Harbach](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barbara-harbach/) > [In some ways, it is difficult for contemporary composers to find an audience. Both men and women would love a culture that embraced and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barbara-harbach/in-some-ways-it-is-difficult-for-contemporary-composers-to-find-an/) [Barbara Harbach](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barbara-harbach/) > [As all nocturnal creatures, I have a tendency to wander about during the night, embracing and relishing in its mysteriousness, unexplained sounds, and thick…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barbara-harbach/as-all-nocturnal-creatures-i-have-a-tendency-to-wander-about-during/) [Barbara Harbach](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barbara-harbach/) > [I should mention that I took piano lessons beginning when I was four. My mother was my first teacher, and it was a wonderful…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barbara-harbach/i-should-mention-that-i-took-piano-lessons-beginning-when-i-was-four/) [Barbara Harbach](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barbara-harbach/) > [I thought I wanted to be a performing and recording artist, and played many recitals and performances beginning in the 1970s. In the 1980s…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barbara-harbach/i-thought-i-wanted-to-be-a-performing-and-recording-artist-and-played/) [Barbara Harbach](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barbara-harbach/) > [The culture of suppressing women composers and performers goes centuries back in Germany and other countries. Just think of Fanny Mendelssohn and the struggles…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barbara-harbach/the-culture-of-suppressing-women-composers-and-performers-goes/) [Barbara Harbach](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barbara-harbach/) > [For some reason I seem to absorb the landscape and cultures where I am planted. A State Divided Symphony was inspired by the 150th…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barbara-harbach/for-some-reason-i-seem-to-absorb-the-landscape-and-cultures-where-i/) [Barbara Harbach](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barbara-harbach/) > [For my qualifying concert, Helmut Walcha would not coach Charles-Marie Widor or any American compositions. In his defense, his forte was Germanic composers, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barbara-harbach/for-my-qualifying-concert-helmut-walcha-would-not-coach-charles-marie/) [Barbara Harbach](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barbara-harbach/) > [I have written six symphonies, they are smaller-scale works. I seem to emit my themes, work them out, combine and intertwine them, and then…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barbara-harbach/i-have-written-six-symphonies-they-are-smaller-scale-works-i-seem-to/) [Barbara Harbach](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barbara-harbach/) > [The first part of my career was indeed as a performer and recording artist, and I am still keenly involved with both. While rummaging…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barbara-harbach/the-first-part-of-my-career-was-indeed-as-a-performer-and-recording/) [Barbara Harbach](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barbara-harbach/) > [Thankfully, it is getting better for women composers. We now have five women Pulitzer Prize winners in music since 1983: Ellen Taaffe Zwilich, Shulamit…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barbara-harbach/thankfully-it-is-getting-better-for-women-composers-we-now-have-five/) [Barbara Harbach](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barbara-harbach/) > [I do have to admit that teaching, composing, and editing is a bit easier than sitting at the organ or harpsichord for seven straight…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barbara-harbach/i-do-have-to-admit-that-teaching-composing-and-editing-is-a-bit/) [Barbara Harbach](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barbara-harbach/) [Explore all 21 Barbara Harbach quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barbara-harbach/) ## More Creative quotes > [An artist's creative energy is ephemeral as a flower. It blooms and soon dies. No artist is great forever. Personally, I think I reached…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kim-ki-duk/an-artist-s-creative-energy-is-ephemeral-as-a-flower-it-blooms-and/) [Kim Ki-duk](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kim-ki-duk/) > [When you're being truly creative, time stands still, and you enter a dimension that can carry you beyond the ordinariness of everyday life.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/denise-linn/when-you-re-being-truly-creative-time-stands-still-and-you-enter-a/) [Denise Linn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/denise-linn/) > [I started off playing by ear, and being around a bunch of musicians and playing in the streets and in the different parades and,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/troy-andrews/i-started-off-playing-by-ear-and-being-around-a-bunch-of-musicians/) [Troy Andrews](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/troy-andrews/) > [Can you imagine any better example of divine creative accomplishment that the consummate flying machine that is a bird? The skeleton, very flexible and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/guy-murchie/can-you-imagine-any-better-example-of-divine-creative-accomplishment/) [Guy Murchie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/guy-murchie/) > [Money is only used for two things. One, it's to make you comfortable, and the more comfortable you are the more creative you will…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bob-proctor/money-is-only-used-for-two-things-one-it-s-to-make-you-comfortable/) [Bob Proctor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bob-proctor/) > [Beware of self-indulgence. The romance surrounding the writing profession carries several myths: that one must suffer in order to be creative; that one must…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-brin/beware-of-self-indulgence-the-romance-surrounding-the-writing/) [David Brin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-brin/) > [I can't let fear kill my creative brain. Fear is the killer. Your bad choices come from fear. And I'm constantly combating fear. I'm…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jon-m-chu/i-can-t-let-fear-kill-my-creative-brain-fear-is-the-killer-your-bad/) [Jon M. Chu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jon-m-chu/) > [Many humanists have argued that happiness involves a combination of hedonism and creative moral development; that an exuberant life fuses excellence and enjoyment, meaning…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-kurtz/many-humanists-have-argued-that-happiness-involves-a-combination-of/) [Paul Kurtz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-kurtz/) > [The creative strength is good enough and deep enough to bring itself to flower and to grow in spite of this sickness.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joanne-greenberg/the-creative-strength-is-good-enough-and-deep-enough-to-bring-itself/) [Joanne Greenberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joanne-greenberg/) > [Anytime I get the chance to sing or work with Michael John, it is such an incredibly fertile and incredibly creative and safe and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/audra-mcdonald/anytime-i-get-the-chance-to-sing-or-work-with-michael-john-it-is-such/) [Audra McDonald](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/audra-mcdonald/) > [What Sri Chinmoy does is God-given! He has a tremendous, a fantastic creative urge.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ravi-shankar/what-sri-chinmoy-does-is-god-given-he-has-a-tremendous-a-fantastic/) [Ravi Shankar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ravi-shankar/) > [Majority decisions tend to be made without engaging the systematic thought and critical thinking skills of the individuals in the group. Given the force…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/majority-decisions-tend-to-be-made-without-engaging-the-systematic/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [when times are tough, the weak bail and the tough get creative.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kelley-armstrong/when-times-are-tough-the-weak-bail-and-the-tough-get-creative/) [Kelley Armstrong](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kelley-armstrong/) > [Teasing out the way the world might look through another's eyes is what makes the creative process so fascinating and enjoyable.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-l-carter/teasing-out-the-way-the-world-might-look-through-another-s-eyes-is/) [Stephen L. Carter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-l-carter/) > [The creation lives as genesis beneath the visible surface of the work. All intelligent people see this after the fact, but only the creative…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-klee/the-creation-lives-as-genesis-beneath-the-visible-surface-of-the-work/) [Paul Klee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-klee/) [Browse all 7,284 Creative quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/creative/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "As all creative people, we have our optimistic side and a darker side. Yes, I would say that I am more optimistic than not. I have written some very lush pieces when I was at low ebb, and some highly energized pieces when carrying a great sadness. 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