--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: If you think of any long-term artist that…" description: "\"If you think of any long-term artist that makes music throughout several decades, you would hope that it's autobiographical and a form of self-expressi..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/fb3/dj-shadow-9306_approach_if-you-think-of-any-long-term-artist-tha_1587430.jpg" --- # If you think of any long-term artist that makes music… ![“If you think of any long-term artist that makes music throughout several decades, you would hope that it's autobiographical and a form of self-expression, and that's certainly how I approach my music.” quote by DJ Shadow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/fb3/dj-shadow-9306_approach_if-you-think-of-any-long-term-artist-tha_1587430.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/fb3/dj-shadow-9306_approach_if-you-think-of-any-long-term-artist-tha_1587430.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/fb3/dj-shadow-9306_approach_if-you-think-of-any-long-term-artist-tha_1587430.jpg) > “If you think of any long-term artist that makes music throughout several decades, you would hope that it's autobiographical and a form of self-expression, and that's certainly how I approach my music.” [DJ Shadow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dj-shadow/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Long‑term artists often embed personal narratives into their work, using music as a vehicle for self‑expression. **In simple terms:** Music reflects personal life stories. Key Takeaway Create authentic, autobiographical art. Themes authenticity self‑expression longevity Mood creative introspective confident Type musical motivational When to use this quote - album production - live performance - collaborations - branding Key Concepts narrative songwriting artistic identity career development Questions to Reflect On - How can personal stories resonate universally? - What balance between autobiography and audience appeal? A Different Perspective Self‑centered storytelling may alienate broader audiences. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Approach](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/approach/) [Art](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/art/) [Artist](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/artist/) [Autobiographical](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/autobiographical/) [Expression](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/expression/) [Long term](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/long-term/) [Music](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/music/) [Self](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/self/) [Self expression](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/self-expression/) [Song](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/song/) [Thinking](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/thinking/) ## Related quotes > [If we look at music history closely, it is not difficult to isolate certain elements of great potency which were to nourish the art…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-crumb/if-we-look-at-music-history-closely-it-is-not-difficult-to-isolate/) [George Crumb](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-crumb/) > [As the director of an opera, it is my responsibility to unify the style of the particular performance, but one can certainly approach the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-caldwell/as-the-director-of-an-opera-it-is-my-responsibility-to-unify-the/) [Sarah Caldwell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-caldwell/) > [That certainly is one approach to take. My own is to acknowledge the inner child and try to work with my first fascination with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-gunn/that-certainly-is-one-approach-to-take-my-own-is-to-acknowledge-the/) [James Gunn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-gunn/) > [“Autobiographical writing stands as lasting memorial for enduring the travails of an earthly life. Writing is an apt technique to score our storyline into…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kilroy-j-oldster/autobiographical-writing-stands-as-lasting-memorial-for-enduring-the/) [Kilroy J. Oldster](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kilroy-j-oldster/) > [I try to look at the evolution of these utopian claims. In the late '60s there was an assumption that the wealth generated by…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/astra-taylor/i-try-to-look-at-the-evolution-of-these-utopian-claims-in-the-late/) [Astra Taylor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/astra-taylor/) > [“Attempting to express a person’s objective reality and subjective state of mind with the written word is an endless task because writing alters our…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kilroy-j-oldster/attempting-to-express-a-person-s-objective-reality-and-subjective/) [Kilroy J. Oldster](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kilroy-j-oldster/) > [My books aren't autobiographical.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emily-giffin/my-books-aren-t-autobiographical/) [Emily Giffin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emily-giffin/) > [It's actually easier to do autobiographical stories. The story is already there. It's a matter of carving away what doesn't fit rather than building…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/craig-thompson/it-s-actually-easier-to-do-autobiographical-stories-the-story-is/) [Craig Thompson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/craig-thompson/) > [Autobiographical comics, I love them. I love them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alison-bechdel/autobiographical-comics-i-love-them-i-love-them/) [Alison Bechdel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alison-bechdel/) > [I occasionally experience the discomfort of people assuming my work is autobiographical.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonathan-tropper/i-occasionally-experience-the-discomfort-of-people-assuming-my-work/) [Jonathan Tropper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonathan-tropper/) > [Because of the wonderfully positive response to 'Life's That Way,' I am considering writing some more autobiographical stuff - maybe another book. I don't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jim-beaver/because-of-the-wonderfully-positive-response-to-life-s-that-way-i-am/) [Jim Beaver](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jim-beaver/) > [Of necessity, the autobiographical self is not just about one individual but about all the others that an individual interacts with. Of necessity, it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/antonio-damasio/of-necessity-the-autobiographical-self-is-not-just-about-one/) [Antonio Damasio](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/antonio-damasio/) > [Race as a subject only comes about because of what I look like. If I say something truthfully, people say "Oh, she's so angry."…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jamaica-kincaid/race-as-a-subject-only-comes-about-because-of-what-i-look-like-if-i/) [Jamaica Kincaid](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jamaica-kincaid/) > [I'm always saying that my books are not autobiographical because they're not. I can't choose any one scene and say, 'Oh, this is exactly…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cecily-von-ziegesar/i-m-always-saying-that-my-books-are-not-autobiographical-because-they/) [Cecily von Ziegesar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cecily-von-ziegesar/) > [“I am not and autobiographical writer--one can't be without a solid and explicable self--and read all autobiographical writers with the same curiosity. What kind…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yiyun-li/i-am-not-and-autobiographical-writer-one-can-t-be-without-a-solid-and/) [Yiyun Li](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yiyun-li/) ## More by DJ Shadow > [Through it all, the words of John Peel echo strongly within me: you have support the music that's being made now. You have to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dj-shadow/through-it-all-the-words-of-john-peel-echo-strongly-within-me-you/) [DJ Shadow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dj-shadow/) > [Like a lot of other DJs, I've been wondering when the first DJ game was going to happen. Somebody even pitched me on their…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dj-shadow/like-a-lot-of-other-djs-i-ve-been-wondering-when-the-first-dj-game/) [DJ Shadow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dj-shadow/) > [I was asked to do TV ads for Macintosh. Nowadays, I think anybody would jump at that but, at the time, it didn't feel…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dj-shadow/i-was-asked-to-do-tv-ads-for-macintosh-nowadays-i-think-anybody-would/) [DJ Shadow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dj-shadow/) > [Sometimes there's this balance: if you try to clear 10 things you'll probably get lucky and be able to clear most of them, or…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dj-shadow/sometimes-there-s-this-balance-if-you-try-to-clear-10-things-you-ll/) [DJ Shadow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dj-shadow/) > [When I make music, it takes me two hours to get into the flow. To me it's like tapping into some kind of subconscious…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dj-shadow/when-i-make-music-it-takes-me-two-hours-to-get-into-the-flow-to-me-it/) [DJ Shadow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dj-shadow/) > [If I wanted to contribute to the hyphy movement, what good is it making a hyphy record that isn't embraced by that community?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dj-shadow/if-i-wanted-to-contribute-to-the-hyphy-movement-what-good-is-it/) [DJ Shadow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dj-shadow/) > [I've always feel like it's been my place to offer an alternative.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dj-shadow/i-ve-always-feel-like-it-s-been-my-place-to-offer-an-alternative/) [DJ Shadow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dj-shadow/) > [I think a band - even a band that's been around as long as the Rolling Stones - I think that's still the formula.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dj-shadow/i-think-a-band-even-a-band-that-s-been-around-as-long-as-the-rolling/) [DJ Shadow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dj-shadow/) > [I would agree with you that there's 90% imitation and 10% innovation. That's true of any genre.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dj-shadow/i-would-agree-with-you-that-there-s-90-imitation-and-10-innovation/) [DJ Shadow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dj-shadow/) > [I always like to remain a fan, put it that way: and I like to hold the idealised version of what these artists are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dj-shadow/i-always-like-to-remain-a-fan-put-it-that-way-and-i-like-to-hold-the/) [DJ Shadow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dj-shadow/) > [Any good album title has multiple meanings, and I like choosing titles where I find myself repeating it, almost like a mantra.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dj-shadow/any-good-album-title-has-multiple-meanings-and-i-like-choosing-titles/) [DJ Shadow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dj-shadow/) > [The story I always recite - and have had to recite so many times over the years to different lawyers and different people within…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dj-shadow/the-story-i-always-recite-and-have-had-to-recite-so-many-times-over/) [DJ Shadow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dj-shadow/) > [I almost feel like there's some kind of connection that I'm having trouble putting in to words, in the same sense that I'm learning…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dj-shadow/i-almost-feel-like-there-s-some-kind-of-connection-that-i-m-having/) [DJ Shadow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dj-shadow/) > [I think I would be much more enthusiastic about a band that covered more than just one particular album of mine. I don't ever…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dj-shadow/i-think-i-would-be-much-more-enthusiastic-about-a-band-that-covered/) [DJ Shadow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dj-shadow/) > [Yeah, I do. HipHop was, though I would not say all, cause I try to keep myself open to other things, but nearly all…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dj-shadow/yeah-i-do-hiphop-was-though-i-would-not-say-all-cause-i-try-to-keep/) [DJ Shadow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dj-shadow/) [Explore all 74 DJ Shadow quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dj-shadow/) ## More Approach quotes > [I think a new world will arise out of the religious mists when we approach our Bible with the idea that it is not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aiden-wilson-tozer/i-think-a-new-world-will-arise-out-of-the-religious-mists-when-we/) [Aiden Wilson Tozer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aiden-wilson-tozer/) > [I'm in a business where there's complete anarchy. You can't control it - you can only react to it. 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Then don't leave…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/minor-white/when-you-approach-something-to-photograph-it-first-be-still-with/) [Minor White](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/minor-white/) > [We do not want to be reminded that it is we, the indigenous people, who are poor and exploited in the land of our…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-biko/we-do-not-want-to-be-reminded-that-it-is-we-the-indigenous-people-who/) [Steven Biko](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-biko/) > [One of the things I regret about not putting in that book or I think it's there but I didn't really elaborate on it,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brad-warner/one-of-the-things-i-regret-about-not-putting-in-that-book-or-i-think/) [Brad Warner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brad-warner/) > [Ideal for the child and society in the best of times, Rudolf Steiner's brilliant process of education is critically needed and profoundly relevant now…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-chilton-pearce/ideal-for-the-child-and-society-in-the-best-of-times-rudolf-steiner-s/) [Joseph Chilton Pearce](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-chilton-pearce/) > [I don't have any particular method, my approach is very simple. I try to understand the emotional graph of the character.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pratik-gandhi/i-don-t-have-any-particular-method-my-approach-is-very-simple-i-try/) [Pratik Gandhi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pratik-gandhi/) > [“But young men have not only this frivolous ambition of being thought masters of execution, inciting them on the one hand, but also their…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/but-young-men-have-not-only-this-frivolous-ambition-of-being-thought/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Everything, every part that you approach has to be somehow rooted in yourself. You have to somehow root everything so that it's not just…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/judi-dench/everything-every-part-that-you-approach-has-to-be-somehow-rooted-in/) [Judi Dench](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/judi-dench/) > [Literature transforms and intensifies ordinary language, deviates systematically from everyday speech. If you approach me at a bus stop and murmur Thou still unravished…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terry-eagleton/literature-transforms-and-intensifies-ordinary-language-deviates/) [Terry Eagleton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terry-eagleton/) > [The whole secret to mastering the game of golf - and this applies to the beginner as well as the pro - is to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arnold-palmer/the-whole-secret-to-mastering-the-game-of-golf-and-this-applies-to/) [Arnold Palmer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arnold-palmer/) > [The essence of Christianity...is an ever-new encounter with... the God who speaks to us, who approaches us and who befriends us!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pope-benedict-xvi/the-essence-of-christianity-is-an-ever-new-encounter-with-the-god-who/) [Pope Benedict XVI](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pope-benedict-xvi/) > [Like a morning dream, life becomes more and more bright the longer we live, and the reason of everything appears more clear. 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