--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: When I was young, I wanted to be a writer…" description: "\"When I was young, I wanted to be a writer or painter. I was always writing stories, and I excelled at drawing. My teachers encouraged my art work. When..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d00/bat-for-lashes-9901_always_when-i-was-young-i-wanted-to-be-a-writer_2239742.jpg" --- # When I was young, I wanted to be a writer or painter. I… ![“When I was young, I wanted to be a writer or painter. I was always writing stories, and I excelled at drawing. My teachers encouraged my art work. When I was 9 or 10, I began learning piano and started writing music.” quote by Bat for Lashes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d00/bat-for-lashes-9901_always_when-i-was-young-i-wanted-to-be-a-writer_2239742.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d00/bat-for-lashes-9901_always_when-i-was-young-i-wanted-to-be-a-writer_2239742.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d00/bat-for-lashes-9901_always_when-i-was-young-i-wanted-to-be-a-writer_2239742.jpg) > “When I was young, I wanted to be a writer or painter. I was always writing stories, and I excelled at drawing. My teachers encouraged my art work. When I was 9 or 10, I began learning piano and started writing music.” [Bat for Lashes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bat-for-lashes/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The speaker pursued multiple artistic passions from a young age, exploring writing, drawing, and music. **In simple terms:** Childhood curiosity led to diverse creative pursuits. Key Takeaway Nurture varied interests to discover true calling. Themes creativity exploration multidisciplinary growth Mood curious reflective Type personal motivational When to use this quote - school projects - personal art journals - music lessons - community art classes Key Concepts identity formation skill development artistic expression Questions to Reflect On - Which medium feels most authentic now? - How can you integrate these skills? A Different Perspective Balancing many arts can dilute focus. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Always](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/always/) [Art](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/art/) [Art work](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/art-work/) [Began](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/began/) [Drawing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/drawing/) [Encouraged](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/encouraged/) [Excelled](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/excelled/) [Learning](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/learning/) [Music](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/music/) [Painter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/painter/) [Painter Writing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/painter-writing-5073091/) [Piano](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/piano/) [Piano Started](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/piano-started-1493967/) [Started](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/started/) [Started Writing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/started-writing-238165/) [Stories](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/stories/) [Teachers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/teachers/) [Wanted](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/wanted/) [Work](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/work/) [Writer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writer/) [Writing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writing/) [Writing music](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writing-music/) [Writing stories](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writing-stories/) [Young](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/young/) ## Related quotes > [I was playing piano at three and started writing songs when I was six or seven, and I've been addicted since then.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/orianthi/i-was-playing-piano-at-three-and-started-writing-songs-when-i-was-six/) [Orianthi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/orianthi/) > [I can play the piano. I started off with lessons, and then, as we always had a piano in the house, I would play…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/louise-nurding/i-can-play-the-piano-i-started-off-with-lessons-and-then-as-we-always/) [Louise Nurding](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/louise-nurding/) > [I don't come from a particularly musical family. My mother learned a bit of piano in Korea. When I was three, I apparently climbed…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charlie-albright/i-don-t-come-from-a-particularly-musical-family-my-mother-learned-a/) [Charlie Albright](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charlie-albright/) > [I wish I could play the piano. I started when I was four and finished when I was five. I got bored. I couldn't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lesley-nicol/i-wish-i-could-play-the-piano-i-started-when-i-was-four-and-finished/) [Lesley Nicol](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lesley-nicol/) > [I've been playing piano since I was 5, and started writing when I was 6 or 7. It was never a revelation I had,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-salling/i-ve-been-playing-piano-since-i-was-5-and-started-writing-when-i-was/) [Mark Salling](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-salling/) > [Well I like everything but my first love has always been piano because when I started out there was a piano in my house…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jack-bruce/well-i-like-everything-but-my-first-love-has-always-been-piano/) [Jack Bruce](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jack-bruce/) > [I just found the piano so fascinating and wonderful, and I begged my parents to buy me one. In the end, they bought me…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-hough/i-just-found-the-piano-so-fascinating-and-wonderful-and-i-begged-my/) [Stephen Hough](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-hough/) > [My father was a great admirer of music and the arts, so there was always a lot of culture in the house. As it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adnan-sami/my-father-was-a-great-admirer-of-music-and-the-arts-so-there-was/) [Adnan Sami](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adnan-sami/) > [ However, it \[singing\] wasn't until halfway through high school that it dawned on me that singing wasn't just a hobby, it was something I… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kina-grannis/however-it-singing-wasn-t-until-halfway-through-high-school-that-it/) [Kina Grannis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kina-grannis/) > [My mom tells this story that even when I was in the womb, my father played the piano and she sang. So, before I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cyrus-chestnut/my-mom-tells-this-story-that-even-when-i-was-in-the-womb-my-father/) [Cyrus Chestnut](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cyrus-chestnut/) > [My early life was full of music because my sisters played the piano and I started playing at three.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeanine-tesori/my-early-life-was-full-of-music-because-my-sisters-played-the-piano/) [Jeanine Tesori](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeanine-tesori/) > [I think that, initially, I was most passionate about music and particularly about playing the piano. I started playing when I was nine, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/holly-hunter/i-think-that-initially-i-was-most-passionate-about-music-and/) [Holly Hunter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/holly-hunter/) > [I was always into classical music and opera because I played the piano as I went through school and was very interested in Andrew…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kristian-nairn/i-was-always-into-classical-music-and-opera-because-i-played-the/) [Kristian Nairn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kristian-nairn/) > [A student who has excelled in the classroom should have the opportunity to attend college and become a productive, taxpaying member of society.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-bennet/a-student-who-has-excelled-in-the-classroom-should-have-the/) [Michael Bennet](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-bennet/) > [With my mom's and my dad's genes, me and my brother excelled in a lot of sports.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/trinity-rodman/with-my-mom-s-and-my-dad-s-genes-me-and-my-brother-excelled-in-a-lot/) [Trinity Rodman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/trinity-rodman/) ## More by Bat for Lashes > [Music's free and music's for everyone to enjoy and express and interpret. It transcends countries and times and decades.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bat-for-lashes/music-s-free-and-music-s-for-everyone-to-enjoy-and-express-and/) [Bat for Lashes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bat-for-lashes/) > [I was brought up by the English side of my family, who are very repressed and working class. Absolutely lovely, but very English.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bat-for-lashes/i-was-brought-up-by-the-english-side-of-my-family-who-are-very/) [Bat for Lashes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bat-for-lashes/) > [I think Deborah Harry has a really sexy, cool and quite playful sex-kitten kind of style I really like.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bat-for-lashes/i-think-deborah-harry-has-a-really-sexy-cool-and-quite-playful-sex/) [Bat for Lashes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bat-for-lashes/) > [We walked arm in arm but I didn't feel his touch a desire I'd first tried to hide. That tingling inside was gone and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bat-for-lashes/we-walked-arm-in-arm-but-i-didn-t-feel-his-touch-a-desire-i-d-first/) [Bat For Lashes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bat-for-lashes/) > [There's something in me that loves to inspire people: when I'm playing music, I imagine all this sparkly stardust going through everyone. I want…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bat-for-lashes/there-s-something-in-me-that-loves-to-inspire-people-when-i-m-playing/) [Bat for Lashes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bat-for-lashes/) > [It's very much to do with how I'm feeling ... I love to be experimental and use eclectic mismatched things and put them together…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bat-for-lashes/it-s-very-much-to-do-with-how-i-m-feeling-i-love-to-be-experimental/) [Bat for Lashes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bat-for-lashes/) > [David Bowie worked with Brian Eno and dressed up in extraordinary clothes, but he was also a brilliant songwriter who captured the thoughts of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bat-for-lashes/david-bowie-worked-with-brian-eno-and-dressed-up-in-extraordinary/) [Bat for Lashes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bat-for-lashes/) > [There's a part of me that wishes I could go out in T-shirt and jeans, 'cause I really love Patti Smith, Cat Power, girls…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bat-for-lashes/there-s-a-part-of-me-that-wishes-i-could-go-out-in-t-shirt-and-jeans/) [Bat for Lashes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bat-for-lashes/) > [When I was little, people like Talking Heads were on the radio. There was something geeky yet groundbreaking about them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bat-for-lashes/when-i-was-little-people-like-talking-heads-were-on-the-radio-there/) [Bat for Lashes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bat-for-lashes/) > [I had Halloween parties every year, as it was my birthday five days before. My parents would actually put prosthetic noses on, and my…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bat-for-lashes/i-had-halloween-parties-every-year-as-it-was-my-birthday-five-days/) [Bat for Lashes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bat-for-lashes/) > [I think what I wanted to do was meet someone who knew more than me about songwriting structure and progressions and middle eights and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bat-for-lashes/i-think-what-i-wanted-to-do-was-meet-someone-who-knew-more-than-me/) [Bat for Lashes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bat-for-lashes/) > [I always think that the exceptional people are those who remain outsiders but still communicate on a grand scale. I think I want everyone…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bat-for-lashes/i-always-think-that-the-exceptional-people-are-those-who-remain/) [Bat for Lashes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bat-for-lashes/) > [Each album takes two or two-and-a-half years to finish between recording and touring. It's like being with an old boyfriend every single night watching…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bat-for-lashes/each-album-takes-two-or-two-and-a-half-years-to-finish-between/) [Bat for Lashes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bat-for-lashes/) > [I was a nursery school teacher, and I worked with youth groups. I loved that job. It was exhausting, but you got a lot…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bat-for-lashes/i-was-a-nursery-school-teacher-and-i-worked-with-youth-groups-i-loved/) [Bat for Lashes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bat-for-lashes/) > [I find the world pretty overwhelming, so I'm getting into meditation and doing lots of yoga. And I love my garden, and I love…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bat-for-lashes/i-find-the-world-pretty-overwhelming-so-i-m-getting-into-meditation/) [Bat for Lashes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bat-for-lashes/) [Explore all 69 Bat for Lashes quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bat-for-lashes/) ## More Always quotes > [I think performing has pretty much always been a part of me.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/isa-briones/i-think-performing-has-pretty-much-always-been-a-part-of-me/) [Isa Briones](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/isa-briones/) > [I always thought if I was born 2000 years earlier, I would be a monk, probably carving a monastery or some giant pantheon buildings.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jenova-chen/i-always-thought-if-i-was-born-2000-years-earlier-i-would-be-a-monk/) [Jenova Chen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jenova-chen/) > [I always like a character who makes me laugh.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rachael-stirling/i-always-like-a-character-who-makes-me-laugh/) [Rachael Stirling](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rachael-stirling/) > [It's always great to see old friends, especially those I have not been able to see in 15 months.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-regal/it-s-always-great-to-see-old-friends-especially-those-i-have-not-been/) [William Regal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-regal/) > [When you step out and do a song in a musical, the easier thing to do is make it funny. But when those transitions…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kelli-o-hara/when-you-step-out-and-do-a-song-in-a-musical-the-easier-thing-to-do/) [Kelli O'Hara](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kelli-o-hara/) > [I have really good lateral movement. I've always had quick lateral movement.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/austin-rivers/i-have-really-good-lateral-movement-i-ve-always-had-quick-lateral/) [Austin Rivers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/austin-rivers/) > [There is something magical about being able to feel somebody. And that is something that has always moved me with music.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maria-brink/there-is-something-magical-about-being-able-to-feel-somebody-and-that/) [Maria Brink](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maria-brink/) > [Mythology is something that always has opportunities to explore. 'It' has been on Earth for millions of years. He's been in contact with humans…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andy-muschietti/mythology-is-something-that-always-has-opportunities-to-explore-it/) [Andy Muschietti](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andy-muschietti/) > [It's not writing in the traditional sense, but I've always said that the writing process continues on the set and even into the editing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-b-weide/it-s-not-writing-in-the-traditional-sense-but-i-ve-always-said-that/) [Robert B. Weide](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-b-weide/) > [I always watch my matches back 100 times afterwards because that's how I improve. This is something I've always done, even in NXT.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mandy-rose/i-always-watch-my-matches-back-100-times-afterwards-because-that-s/) [Mandy Rose](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mandy-rose/) > [I've always been of the idea that is doesn't really matter where you are geographically - with 'Lonerism,' we made half the album in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kevin-parker/i-ve-always-been-of-the-idea-that-is-doesn-t-really-matter-where-you/) [Kevin Parker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kevin-parker/) > [It's very easy to fool yourself that you're working, you know, when you're really not working very hard. I mean, I'm very lazy. So…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-caro/it-s-very-easy-to-fool-yourself-that-you-re-working-you-know-when-you/) [Robert Caro](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-caro/) > [Whether it was Little League or playing with your brothers or sisters, that was always a problem. If I would lose - because I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cal-ripken-jr/whether-it-was-little-league-or-playing-with-your-brothers-or-sisters/) [Cal Ripken, Jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cal-ripken-jr/) > [I always say if you put someone from a small town into a big city for ten years, then when they go back, they'll…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mike-colter/i-always-say-if-you-put-someone-from-a-small-town-into-a-big-city-for/) [Mike Colter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mike-colter/) > [Bayern is always a team that can win the Champions League title in Europe.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lothar-matthaus/bayern-is-always-a-team-that-can-win-the-champions-league-title-in/) [Lothar Matthaus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lothar-matthaus/) [Browse all 36,048 Always quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/always/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "When I was young, I wanted to be a writer or painter. 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