--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: In college, I faced an interesting…" description: "\"In college, I faced an interesting problem. I wanted to play music all the time and yet I wasn't ready for anyone to hear it. To remedy this, I took to..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/784/kina-grannis-20854_artist_in-college-i-faced-an-interesting-proble_2909065.jpg" --- # In college, I faced an interesting problem. I wanted to… ![“In college, I faced an interesting problem. I wanted to play music all the time and yet I wasn't ready for anyone to hear it. To remedy this, I took to retreating to stairwells as a safe place to sing and write music. It was there that I wrote most of my songs in college and really grew into an…” quote by Kina Grannis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/784/kina-grannis-20854_artist_in-college-i-faced-an-interesting-proble_2909065.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/784/kina-grannis-20854_artist_in-college-i-faced-an-interesting-proble_2909065.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/784/kina-grannis-20854_artist_in-college-i-faced-an-interesting-proble_2909065.jpg) > “In college, I faced an interesting problem. I wanted to play music all the time and yet I wasn't ready for anyone to hear it. To remedy this, I took to retreating to stairwells as a safe place to sing and write music. It was there that I wrote most of my songs in college and really grew into an artist.” [Kina Grannis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kina-grannis/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. She used private, safe spaces to practice and create music, showing that personal sanctuary can foster artistic growth. **In simple terms:** Find private spaces to create. Key Takeaway Seek safe places to practice. Themes creativity privacy self‑expression artistic growth self‑discovery Mood introspective hopeful Type creative personal When to use this quote - college dorm life - songwriting retreats - performance anxiety coping - creative habit building Key Concepts safe spaces creative rituals personal authenticity Questions to Reflect On - Where can you find your own creative sanctuary? - How does privacy affect your art? A Different Perspective Isolation may limit collaboration. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Artist](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/artist/) [College](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/college/) [Music](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/music/) [Play](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/play/) [Problem](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/problem/) [Remedy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/remedy/) [Safe place](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/safe-place/) [Safe places](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/safe-places/) [Song](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/song/) [Writing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writing/) ## Related quotes > [I've played music since I was six, and I always wrote songs just for myself. I did it for fun, posting songs on Tumblr,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/soccer-mommy/i-ve-played-music-since-i-was-six-and-i-always-wrote-songs-just-for/) [Soccer Mommy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/soccer-mommy/) > [With the Stray Cats at least, we really took the music somewhere else. First, we wrote our own songs. That's a real weak point…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brian-setzer/with-the-stray-cats-at-least-we-really-took-the-music-somewhere-else/) [Brian Setzer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brian-setzer/) > [I accept all of the music that I wrote.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/krzysztof-penderecki/i-accept-all-of-the-music-that-i-wrote/) [Krzysztof Penderecki](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/krzysztof-penderecki/) > [The music I wrote as a kid already was always instrumental. It was never based on lyrics.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ramin-djawadi/the-music-i-wrote-as-a-kid-already-was-always-instrumental-it-was/) [Ramin Djawadi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ramin-djawadi/) > [I'd say the key thing is to remain true to what originally got you into music. When I wrote 'Hallelujah,' it ignited me to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gin-wigmore/i-d-say-the-key-thing-is-to-remain-true-to-what-originally-got-you/) [Gin Wigmore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gin-wigmore/) > [I would say my relationships have always affected my music. Each one. I wrote most of my great songs, that I'm still using today,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kevin-mccall/i-would-say-my-relationships-have-always-affected-my-music-each-one-i/) [Kevin McCall](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kevin-mccall/) > [I went out and started on my way up in television. I wrote music, I wrote books, I played an instrument half-ass. I would…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chuck-barris/i-went-out-and-started-on-my-way-up-in-television-i-wrote-music-i/) [Chuck Barris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chuck-barris/) > [When I first started making music, I wrote the lyrics first, but now, because the music has got kind of wilder, I've flipped it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/perfume-genius/when-i-first-started-making-music-i-wrote-the-lyrics-first-but-now/) [Perfume Genius](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/perfume-genius/) > [The music that I wrote and recorded is music that I really enjoy listening to. It's just dumb luck that a lot of other…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-scholz/the-music-that-i-wrote-and-recorded-is-music-that-i-really-enjoy/) [Tom Scholz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-scholz/) > [I didn't pretend that I was good at writing music, so I wrote terrible music, intentionally. As time went on, the terrible subsided, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/c418/i-didn-t-pretend-that-i-was-good-at-writing-music-so-i-wrote-terrible/) C418 > [“Even Mozart, perhaps the most gifted composer in history, developed and grew in his art. The music he wrote in his thirties was far…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-fritz/even-mozart-perhaps-the-most-gifted-composer-in-history-developed-and/) [Robert Fritz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-fritz/) > [I would sit at the organ and just start making up things by myself - I was maybe 7 years old, which was too…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ramin-djawadi/i-would-sit-at-the-organ-and-just-start-making-up-things-by-myself-i/) [Ramin Djawadi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ramin-djawadi/) > [I started listening to music when I wrote when I had three sons at home.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philip-levine/i-started-listening-to-music-when-i-wrote-when-i-had-three-sons-at/) [Philip Levine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philip-levine/) > [One of the earliest memories I have of feeling the power of film music was watching Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory. That was…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/geoff-zanelli/one-of-the-earliest-memories-i-have-of-feeling-the-power-of-film/) [Geoff Zanelli](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/geoff-zanelli/) > [People ask what was the first piece of music I wrote. There was no first piece.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-rodney-bennett/people-ask-what-was-the-first-piece-of-music-i-wrote-there-was-no/) [Richard Rodney Bennett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-rodney-bennett/) ## More by Kina Grannis > [Ever since I was really really little, I was just singing all the time. Like one of my favorite games when I was little…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kina-grannis/ever-since-i-was-really-really-little-i-was-just-singing-all-the-time/) [Kina Grannis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kina-grannis/) > [I started teaching myself guitar because I loved singing so much. Then one day kind of out of the blue I found I was…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kina-grannis/i-started-teaching-myself-guitar-because-i-loved-singing-so-much-then/) [Kina Grannis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kina-grannis/) > [If you're looking to make a basic living selling and playing your music, the Internet is all you really need.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kina-grannis/if-you-re-looking-to-make-a-basic-living-selling-and-playing-your/) [Kina Grannis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kina-grannis/) > [The potential success that could come with signing with a major label didn't quite outweigh how important it was for me to make my…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kina-grannis/the-potential-success-that-could-come-with-signing-with-a-major-label/) [Kina Grannis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kina-grannis/) > [Being hapa, or more specifically, half-Japanese half-Euro mutt (English, Irish, Scottish, Dutch, French, Welsh, German. . .in case you were wondering), has definitely helped…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kina-grannis/being-hapa-or-more-specifically-half-japanese-half-euro-mutt-english/) [Kina Grannis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kina-grannis/) > [The people at the label were great but at the end of the day our visions didn't match up and I knew I had…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kina-grannis/the-people-at-the-label-were-great-but-at-the-end-of-the-day-our/) [Kina Grannis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kina-grannis/) > [I posted a video a day for almost two months and was hardly sleeping, but I think it really pushed me to give music…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kina-grannis/i-posted-a-video-a-day-for-almost-two-months-and-was-hardly-sleeping/) [Kina Grannis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kina-grannis/) > [Not only am I putting music out there, I'm giving part of myself away.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kina-grannis/not-only-am-i-putting-music-out-there-i-m-giving-part-of-myself-away/) [Kina Grannis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kina-grannis/) > [If I try to write a song, I will completely fail to write a song. But if I'm just holding my guitar and I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kina-grannis/if-i-try-to-write-a-song-i-will-completely-fail-to-write-a-song-but/) [Kina Grannis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kina-grannis/) > [I get to travel around the world and meet all of these amazing people, and they're singing my songs! And to me, that's crazy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kina-grannis/i-get-to-travel-around-the-world-and-meet-all-of-these-amazing-people/) [Kina Grannis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kina-grannis/) > [My first performance was in AP Calculus when they forced me up into the front of the classroom and made me sing a song,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kina-grannis/my-first-performance-was-in-ap-calculus-when-they-forced-me-up-into/) [Kina Grannis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kina-grannis/) > [ 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/) > [I want to encourage people to make healthy life choices, whether it's training for a half-marathon, or eating more vegetables.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kina-grannis/i-want-to-encourage-people-to-make-healthy-life-choices-whether-it-s/) [Kina Grannis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kina-grannis/) > [In finding love, I think it's important to be patient. In being in a relationship, I think it's important to be honest, to communicate,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kina-grannis/in-finding-love-i-think-it-s-important-to-be-patient-in-being-in-a/) [Kina Grannis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kina-grannis/) > [Since I don't feel like I belong solely to any one of them I find that it makes me even more interested and open…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kina-grannis/since-i-don-t-feel-like-i-belong-solely-to-any-one-of-them-i-find/) [Kina Grannis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kina-grannis/) [Explore all 30 Kina Grannis quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kina-grannis/) ## More Artist quotes > [One is a painter because one wants so-called freedom; one doesn't want to go to the office every morning.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marcel-duchamp/one-is-a-painter-because-one-wants-so-called-freedom-one-doesn-t-want/) [Marcel Duchamp](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marcel-duchamp/) > [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/) > [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/) > [“People in coats and ties were milling around the Talley gallery, and on the wall were the minimally rendered still lifes by Giorgio Morandi,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steve-martin/people-in-coats-and-ties-were-milling-around-the-talley-gallery-and/) [Steve Martin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steve-martin/) > [The prophet who fails to present a bearable alternative and yet preaches doom is part of the trap that he postulates. Not only does…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-mead/the-prophet-who-fails-to-present-a-bearable-alternative-and-yet/) [Margaret Mead](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-mead/) > [“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 > [From as long as I can remember, I was always fond of drawing.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/st-lucia/from-as-long-as-i-can-remember-i-was-always-fond-of-drawing/) [St. Lucia](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/st-lucia/) > [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 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/) > [Designers shouldn’t design for museums any more than mummies should die for them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ralph-caplan/designers-shouldn-t-design-for-museums-any-more-than-mummies-should/) [Ralph Caplan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ralph-caplan/) > [I don't believe in competitions between artists. This is insane. Who has the authority to say someone is better?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-arkin/i-don-t-believe-in-competitions-between-artists-this-is-insane-who/) [Alan Arkin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-arkin/) > [I am not the avant-garde. I am the artist who comes after the advancing guard. I am more concerned with continuity of ideas and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nathan-oliveira/i-am-not-the-avant-garde-i-am-the-artist-who-comes-after-the/) [Nathan Oliveira](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nathan-oliveira/) > [I am a horrible visual artist. I can't fix a car, sew, knit, cook, etc. Statistically, there is more I don't do than do.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carrie-brownstein/i-am-a-horrible-visual-artist-i-can-t-fix-a-car-sew-knit-cook-etc/) [Carrie Brownstein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carrie-brownstein/) [Browse all 32,600 Artist quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/artist/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "In college, I faced an interesting problem. I wanted to play music all the time and yet I wasn't ready for anyone to hear it. To remedy this, I took to retreating to stairwells as a safe place to sing and write music. 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