--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: For me, music is a byproduct of this…" description: "\"For me, music is a byproduct of this process - the human process - and the fact that I've managed to eke out a career with it is a happy accident more ..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a2c/devin-townsend-4830_accident_for-me-music-is-a-byproduct-of-this-proc_1238381.jpg" --- # For me, music is a byproduct of this process - the human… ![“For me, music is a byproduct of this process - the human process - and the fact that I've managed to eke out a career with it is a happy accident more than any strategy.” quote by Devin Townsend](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a2c/devin-townsend-4830_accident_for-me-music-is-a-byproduct-of-this-proc_1238381.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a2c/devin-townsend-4830_accident_for-me-music-is-a-byproduct-of-this-proc_1238381.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a2c/devin-townsend-4830_accident_for-me-music-is-a-byproduct-of-this-proc_1238381.jpg) > “For me, music is a byproduct of this process - the human process - and the fact that I've managed to eke out a career with it is a happy accident more than any strategy.” [Devin Townsend](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/devin-townsend/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Music became an unintended side effect of his creative process, and his career success feels accidental rather than planned. **In simple terms:** Music is a happy accident from his creative work. Key Takeaway Embrace unexpected outcomes. Themes creativity career serendipity Mood reflective optimistic Type inspirational personal When to use this quote - songwriting - live performance - career planning - risk taking Key Concepts process accidental success artistic identity Questions to Reflect On - How can you turn happy accidents into deliberate strategies? - What role does intention play in creative careers? A Different Perspective May overlook strategic growth opportunities. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Accident](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/accident/) [Music](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/music/) [Process](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/process/) [Song](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/song/) [Strategy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/strategy/) ## Related quotes > [My career is a very happy accident. I never studied communications.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/doris-burke/my-career-is-a-very-happy-accident-i-never-studied-communications/) [Doris Burke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/doris-burke/) > [Nothing I do is by design. It's always the result of a happy accident. I didn't have a career plan. It has just become…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lena-headey/nothing-i-do-is-by-design-it-s-always-the-result-of-a-happy-accident/) [Lena Headey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lena-headey/) > [“Data science takes a natural and intuitive human process—spotting patterns and making sense of them—and injects it with steroids, potentially showing us that the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/seth-stephens-davidowitz/data-science-takes-a-natural-and-intuitive-human-process-spotting/) [Seth Stephens-Davidowitz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/seth-stephens-davidowitz/) > [The unpredictability inherent in human affairs is due largely to the fact that the by-products of a human process are more fateful than the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eric-hoffer/the-unpredictability-inherent-in-human-affairs-is-due-largely-to-the/) [Eric Hoffer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eric-hoffer/) > [Art is the human process that produces by the way (it is not its only or ultimate object) Secondary Belief.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/art-is-the-human-process-that-produces-by-the-way-it-is-not-its-only/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Education is that human process of feeling your body mature, feeding your mind with ideas that it never had before, or information you never…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-rodriguez/education-is-that-human-process-of-feeling-your-body-mature-feeding/) [Richard Rodriguez](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-rodriguez/) > [My favourite things are just wandering from place to place, going to cafés, taking photographs. My favourite day is a happy accident.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rufus-sewell/my-favourite-things-are-just-wandering-from-place-to-place-going-to/) [Rufus Sewell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rufus-sewell/) > [There is in writing the constant joy of sudden discovery, of happy accident.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/there-is-in-writing-the-constant-joy-of-sudden-discovery-of-happy/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“My perfect day is a happy accident.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rufus-sewell/my-perfect-day-is-a-happy-accident/) [Rufus Sewell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rufus-sewell/) > [A good style should show no signs of effort. What is written should seem a happy accident.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/a-good-style-should-show-no-signs-of-effort-what-is-written-should/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [I actually came out of drama school and went into two years of working in film and television, which was a happy accident.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/morfydd-clark/i-actually-came-out-of-drama-school-and-went-into-two-years-of/) [Morfydd Clark](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/morfydd-clark/) > [The thing that always fascinated me about improv is that it's basically a happy accident that you think you're initiating.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tina-fey/the-thing-that-always-fascinated-me-about-improv-is-that-it-s/) [Tina Fey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tina-fey/) > [My life has been a happy accident. Anybody who succeeds in anything should count their lucky stars, because that's the biggest element. It's not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terry-wogan/my-life-has-been-a-happy-accident-anybody-who-succeeds-in-anything/) [Terry Wogan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terry-wogan/) > [I feel like I achieved everything I wanted in my career so I'm happy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mauricio-rua/i-feel-like-i-achieved-everything-i-wanted-in-my-career-so-i-m-happy/) [Mauricio Rua](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mauricio-rua/) > [I played at the highest level throughout my career and I'm happy about that.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-ballack/i-played-at-the-highest-level-throughout-my-career-and-i-m-happy/) [Michael Ballack](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-ballack/) ## More by Devin Townsend > [I really like female singers; I've got zero interest in working with male singers. Any male voice I need to do, I can do.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/devin-townsend/i-really-like-female-singers-i-ve-got-zero-interest-in-working-with/) [Devin Townsend](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/devin-townsend/) > [It's like... to make a good record - I don't care who you are - it takes a long time and a lot of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/devin-townsend/it-s-like-to-make-a-good-record-i-don-t-care-who-you-are-it-takes-a/) [Devin Townsend](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/devin-townsend/) > [I like Canada for a number of reasons, politics and people and all that stuff aside. I was raised there, and I write music…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/devin-townsend/i-like-canada-for-a-number-of-reasons-politics-and-people-and-all/) [Devin Townsend](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/devin-townsend/) > [I guess I'm not really into female vocals that sound masculine, I guess. A lot of times, the heavy female vocalists always end up…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/devin-townsend/i-guess-i-m-not-really-into-female-vocals-that-sound-masculine-i/) [Devin Townsend](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/devin-townsend/) > [For me, music is about expressing the inexpressible, and as I get older, man, what I feel the need to express becomes less and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/devin-townsend/for-me-music-is-about-expressing-the-inexpressible-and-as-i-get-older/) [Devin Townsend](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/devin-townsend/) > [I'm not a big fan of options, to be honest. The more options that I have, the less time that I spend actually completing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/devin-townsend/i-m-not-a-big-fan-of-options-to-be-honest-the-more-options-that-i/) [Devin Townsend](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/devin-townsend/) > [I'm good at what I do but, to be honest, not a whole hell of a lot else!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/devin-townsend/i-m-good-at-what-i-do-but-to-be-honest-not-a-whole-hell-of-a-lot-else/) [Devin Townsend](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/devin-townsend/) > [After Strapping, the amount of things in my life had changed were more than I'd ever had to process in any one time, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/devin-townsend/after-strapping-the-amount-of-things-in-my-life-had-changed-were-more/) [Devin Townsend](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/devin-townsend/) > [In Strapping, I had experimented with a creative catharsis under the assumption that art doesn't need to be accountable for itself, but I found…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/devin-townsend/in-strapping-i-had-experimented-with-a-creative-catharsis-under-the/) [Devin Townsend](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/devin-townsend/) > [When I was going to high school, in the high school band we would play these kind of hour-long concerts for our parents. All…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/devin-townsend/when-i-was-going-to-high-school-in-the-high-school-band-we-would-play/) [Devin Townsend](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/devin-townsend/) > [I think when music, specifically heavy music, the motivation for it is other than truly feeling it, that's when it becomes really difficult for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/devin-townsend/i-think-when-music-specifically-heavy-music-the-motivation-for-it-is/) [Devin Townsend](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/devin-townsend/) > [Strapping Young Lad is a vehicle for me to be wild and extroverted and ridiculous. It gives me the chance to say, 'Look at…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/devin-townsend/strapping-young-lad-is-a-vehicle-for-me-to-be-wild-and-extroverted/) [Devin Townsend](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/devin-townsend/) > [Sometimes I'll be writing something, and I say to myself, 'Okay, that's definitely DTB,' or, 'It's definitely Strapping.'](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/devin-townsend/sometimes-i-ll-be-writing-something-and-i-say-to-myself-okay-that-s/) [Devin Townsend](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/devin-townsend/) > [I really like the art of music, the way that you can express yourself through music.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/devin-townsend/i-really-like-the-art-of-music-the-way-that-you-can-express-yourself/) [Devin Townsend](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/devin-townsend/) > [I'm very creative - making music, making puppets, that's my thing - but mainstream success and the demands that brings? No, not really for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/devin-townsend/i-m-very-creative-making-music-making-puppets-that-s-my-thing-but/) [Devin Townsend](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/devin-townsend/) [Explore all 106 Devin Townsend quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/devin-townsend/) ## More Accident quotes > [Fame, we may understand, is no sure test of merit, but only a probability of such: it is an accident, not a property, of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-carlyle/fame-we-may-understand-is-no-sure-test-of-merit-but-only-a/) [Thomas Carlyle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-carlyle/) > [I went to school at night in L.A. to brush up on my engineering while I applied to the astronaut program. I really did…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mae-jemison/i-went-to-school-at-night-in-l-a-to-brush-up-on-my-engineering-while/) [Mae Jemison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mae-jemison/) > [“The accident in your rearview mirror already happened. The one in front of you is still preventable. Pay attention.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nakia-r-laushaul/the-accident-in-your-rearview-mirror-already-happened-the-one-in/) [Nakia R. Laushaul](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nakia-r-laushaul/) > [People dont get married by accident and they dont get divorced by accident.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/darren-hayes/people-dont-get-married-by-accident-and-they-dont-get-divorced-by/) [Darren Hayes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/darren-hayes/) > [My father had Parkinson's, though he actually died following a bicycle accident.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kt-tunstall/my-father-had-parkinson-s-though-he-actually-died-following-a-bicycle/) [KT Tunstall](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kt-tunstall/) > [A tragic car accident put me in a wheelchair and dashed my hopes and dreams for the future.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/madison-cawthorn/a-tragic-car-accident-put-me-in-a-wheelchair-and-dashed-my-hopes-and/) [Madison Cawthorn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/madison-cawthorn/) > [My musical career was an accident.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sade-adu/my-musical-career-was-an-accident/) [Sade Adu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sade-adu/) > [The spirit in the body is like wine in a glass; when it spills, it seeps into air and earth and light….It’s a mistake…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-michaels/the-spirit-in-the-body-is-like-wine-in-a-glass-when-it-spills-it/) [Anne Michaels](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-michaels/) > [accident ruled every corner of the universe except the chambers of the human heart.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-guterson/accident-ruled-every-corner-of-the-universe-except-the-chambers-of/) [David Guterson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-guterson/) > [There is a French expression that says: to be exposed to an accident, to cross a street without looking at the cars means exposing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-virilio/there-is-a-french-expression-that-says-to-be-exposed-to-an-accident/) [Paul Virilio](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-virilio/) > [It's no accident that most self-help groups use 'anonymous' in their names; to Americans, the first step toward redemption is a ritual wiping out…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/walter-kirn/it-s-no-accident-that-most-self-help-groups-use-anonymous-in-their/) [Walter Kirn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/walter-kirn/) > [High birth is an accident, not a virtue.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pietro-metastasio/high-birth-is-an-accident-not-a-virtue/) [Pietro Metastasio](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pietro-metastasio/) > [“I just got out of the hospital. I was in a speed reading accident. I hit a book mark and flew across the room.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-wright/i-just-got-out-of-the-hospital-i-was-in-a-speed-reading-accident-i/) [Steven Wright](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-wright/) > [However, I met with a horrible accident while riding my bike in Sangla Valley. The accident was a wakeup call for me stop getting…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/abhinav-shukla/however-i-met-with-a-horrible-accident-while-riding-my-bike-in-sangla/) [Abhinav Shukla](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/abhinav-shukla/) > [“Because the core of my personal philosophy is that everything that happens to us benefits us, I was also spared the futility of cursing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/because-the-core-of-my-personal-philosophy-is-that-everything-that/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) [Browse all 922 Accident quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/accident/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "For me, music is a byproduct of this process - the human process - and the fact that I've managed to eke out a career with it is a happy accident more than any strategy.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Devin Townsend" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/devin-townsend/for-me-music-is-a-byproduct-of-this-process-the-human-process-and-the/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Accident" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/devin-townsend/for-me-music-is-a-byproduct-of-this-process-the-human-process-and-the/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a2c/devin-townsend-4830_accident_for-me-music-is-a-byproduct-of-this-proc_1238381.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a2c/devin-townsend-4830_accident_for-me-music-is-a-byproduct-of-this-proc_1238381.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a2c/devin-townsend-4830_accident_for-me-music-is-a-byproduct-of-this-proc_1238381.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“For me, music is a byproduct of this process - the human process - and the fact that I've managed to eke out…” — Devin Townsend", "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": "Devin Townsend", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/devin-townsend/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "For me, music is a byproduct...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/devin-townsend/for-me-music-is-a-byproduct-of-this-process-the-human-process-and-the/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/devin-townsend/for-me-music-is-a-byproduct-of-this-process-the-human-process-and-the/#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 } } ] } ```