--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I began my career as a recording artist…" description: "\"I began my career as a recording artist, and eventually I started directing my own music videos.\" — Johan Renck" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0e7/johan-renck-11735_art_i-began-my-career-as-a-recording-artist_2982334.jpg" --- # I began my career as a recording artist, and eventually I… ![“I began my career as a recording artist, and eventually I started directing my own music videos.” quote by Johan Renck](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0e7/johan-renck-11735_art_i-began-my-career-as-a-recording-artist_2982334.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0e7/johan-renck-11735_art_i-began-my-career-as-a-recording-artist_2982334.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0e7/johan-renck-11735_art_i-began-my-career-as-a-recording-artist_2982334.jpg) > “I began my career as a recording artist, and eventually I started directing my own music videos.” [Johan Renck](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/johan-renck/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The artist transitioned from recording music to directing music videos, illustrating a natural evolution of creative expression across media. **In simple terms:** Music career led to directing videos. Key Takeaway Explore new creative mediums. Themes career creativity music film direction Mood enthusiastic curious Type professional inspirational When to use this quote - music production - film festivals - creative workshops Key Concepts artistic evolution multimedia storytelling visual music career shift Questions to Reflect On - What new medium could you explore? - How does your original skill inform your new work? A Different Perspective Risk of losing focus on original craft. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Art](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/art/) [Artist](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/artist/) [Began Career](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/began-career-423757/) [Career](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/career/) [Career Recording](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/career-recording-4644361/) [Directing Music](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/directing-music-342765/) [Music](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/music/) [Music video](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/music-video/) [Own](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/own/) [Recording Artist](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/recording-artist-322900/) [Started](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/started/) [Started Directing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/started-directing-922065/) ## Related quotes > [Directing music videos is all about capturing images.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nia-long/directing-music-videos-is-all-about-capturing-images/) [Nia Long](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nia-long/) > [Directing music videos, especially ones that are concept/narrative driven is challenging in itself, but Directing a music video within a digital video environment is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jon-jon-augustavo/directing-music-videos-especially-ones-that-are-concept-narrative/) [Jon Jon Augustavo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jon-jon-augustavo/) > [I started out as musician and recording artist but quite soon started to do my own videos. One thing led to another, and soon…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/johan-renck/i-started-out-as-musician-and-recording-artist-but-quite-soon-started/) [Johan Renck](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/johan-renck/) > [I have been trying to retire to the back of the camera for quite a few years, and in 1970, when I first started…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/clint-eastwood/i-have-been-trying-to-retire-to-the-back-of-the-camera-for-quite-a/) [Clint Eastwood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/clint-eastwood/) > [I'd been trying to retire to the back of the camera for quite a few years. And then, in 1970, when I first started…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/clint-eastwood/i-d-been-trying-to-retire-to-the-back-of-the-camera-for-quite-a-few/) [Clint Eastwood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/clint-eastwood/) > [I don't want to step on the DP's toes. That's the first lesson I learned when I started directing with other cinematographers.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/reed-morano/i-don-t-want-to-step-on-the-dp-s-toes-that-s-the-first-lesson-i/) [Reed Morano](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/reed-morano/) > [I started as an actor. I started directing because Steppenwolf needed another strong director.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gary-sinise/i-started-as-an-actor-i-started-directing-because-steppenwolf-needed/) [Gary Sinise](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gary-sinise/) > [I started directing on 'The Wire.'](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anthony-hemingway/i-started-directing-on-the-wire/) [Anthony Hemingway](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anthony-hemingway/) > [I'd already started directing short films when we were doing 'Lord of the Rings,' then videogame projects.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andy-serkis/i-d-already-started-directing-short-films-when-we-were-doing-lord-of-2/) [Andy Serkis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andy-serkis/) > [I always loved silent movies. I was not a specialist, but I loved them. And when I started directing, I became really fascinated by…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michel-hazanavicius/i-always-loved-silent-movies-i-was-not-a-specialist-but-i-loved-them/) [Michel Hazanavicius](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michel-hazanavicius/) > [I'd already started directing short films when we were doing 'Lord of the Rings,' then videogame projects. So Peter's known that I've been heading…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andy-serkis/i-d-already-started-directing-short-films-when-we-were-doing-lord-of/) [Andy Serkis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andy-serkis/) > [I had always planned when I started directing in 1970 that after a few years I'd get tired of looking at myself on the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/clint-eastwood/i-had-always-planned-when-i-started-directing-in-1970-that-after-a/) [Clint Eastwood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/clint-eastwood/) > [After I did television, I just felt I didn't have any more to give to the medium. And so I went back to the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ng-chin-han/after-i-did-television-i-just-felt-i-didn-t-have-any-more-to-give-to/) [Ng Chin Han](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ng-chin-han/) > [I started directing out of necessity, the first play I wrote in college because I didn't know anyone who could direct it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/conor-mcpherson/i-started-directing-out-of-necessity-the-first-play-i-wrote-in/) [Conor McPherson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/conor-mcpherson/) > [David Ayer was put on my map, at that point, and I always kept note and clocked his career. When he started directing, I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joe-manganiello/david-ayer-was-put-on-my-map-at-that-point-and-i-always-kept-note-and/) [Joe Manganiello](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joe-manganiello/) ## More by Johan Renck > [I love Crowley for being an audacious man at certain point in time. I think he's greatly misunderstood. He was a good guy, but…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/johan-renck/i-love-crowley-for-being-an-audacious-man-at-certain-point-in-time-i/) [Johan Renck](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/johan-renck/) > [Building a cast is a card house. They lean on each other, provide for each other, and take from each other.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/johan-renck/building-a-cast-is-a-card-house-they-lean-on-each-other-provide-for/) [Johan Renck](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/johan-renck/) > [In this artistic world, you might as well find a way to work with somebody that you have admiration for.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/johan-renck/in-this-artistic-world-you-might-as-well-find-a-way-to-work-with/) [Johan Renck](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/johan-renck/) > [I've always been interested in photography. I remember when I was about 14, I spent an entire summer selling lottery tickets in some little…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/johan-renck/i-ve-always-been-interested-in-photography-i-remember-when-i-was/) [Johan Renck](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/johan-renck/) > [The only way to make something good is if you make it difficult for yourself on every conceivable level. You can't cut corners; you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/johan-renck/the-only-way-to-make-something-good-is-if-you-make-it-difficult-for/) [Johan Renck](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/johan-renck/) > [Working with friends isn't easy - the nature of an artistic project means it's about two strong visions colliding and a bit of mental…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/johan-renck/working-with-friends-isn-t-easy-the-nature-of-an-artistic-project/) [Johan Renck](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/johan-renck/) > [I wish I was really talented in music because then I would be doing it. I felt that I could write a decent song,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/johan-renck/i-wish-i-was-really-talented-in-music-because-then-i-would-be-doing/) [Johan Renck](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/johan-renck/) > [I hate comedy. I don't even like comedy at all.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/johan-renck/i-hate-comedy-i-don-t-even-like-comedy-at-all/) [Johan Renck](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/johan-renck/) > [All my close friends are non-conformist. To say 'misfits' sounds bad, but there is something positive about being a little on the outside -…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/johan-renck/all-my-close-friends-are-non-conformist-to-say-misfits-sounds-bad-but/) [Johan Renck](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/johan-renck/) > [With my years of promos & commercials, I actually have a massive amount of experience with regards to production. There pretty much isn't one…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/johan-renck/with-my-years-of-promos-commercials-i-actually-have-a-massive-amount/) [Johan Renck](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/johan-renck/) > [As a Scandinavian, I like hopelessness and the weird austerity in the hopelessness of things.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/johan-renck/as-a-scandinavian-i-like-hopelessness-and-the-weird-austerity-in-the/) [Johan Renck](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/johan-renck/) > [I like being out on a limb and not know what we're doing and why: just deal with it, the mayhem, you know?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/johan-renck/i-like-being-out-on-a-limb-and-not-know-what-we-re-doing-and-why-just/) [Johan Renck](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/johan-renck/) > [Brits are very, very expressive, whereas the Soviet and Eastern European way is much more stern, stone-faced. Vladimir Putin-esque in some way.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/johan-renck/brits-are-very-very-expressive-whereas-the-soviet-and-eastern/) [Johan Renck](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/johan-renck/) > [I played in bands very very young. I painted; I did photography, all kinds of things.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/johan-renck/i-played-in-bands-very-very-young-i-painted-i-did-photography-all/) [Johan Renck](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/johan-renck/) > [I have a huge love for music and always have.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/johan-renck/i-have-a-huge-love-for-music-and-always-have/) [Johan Renck](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/johan-renck/) [Explore all 58 Johan Renck quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/johan-renck/) ## 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": "I began my career as a recording artist, and eventually I started directing my own music videos.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Johan Renck" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/johan-renck/i-began-my-career-as-a-recording-artist-and-eventually-i-started/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Art" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/johan-renck/i-began-my-career-as-a-recording-artist-and-eventually-i-started/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0e7/johan-renck-11735_art_i-began-my-career-as-a-recording-artist_2982334.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0e7/johan-renck-11735_art_i-began-my-career-as-a-recording-artist_2982334.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0e7/johan-renck-11735_art_i-began-my-career-as-a-recording-artist_2982334.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“I began my career as a recording artist, and eventually I started directing my own music videos.” — Johan Renck", "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": "Johan Renck", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/johan-renck/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "I began my career as a...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/johan-renck/i-began-my-career-as-a-recording-artist-and-eventually-i-started/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/johan-renck/i-began-my-career-as-a-recording-artist-and-eventually-i-started/#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 } } ] } ```