---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I've always been an artist who's about…"
description: "\"I've always been an artist who's about being real and about telling the truth and making music with integrity and talking about something.\" — Santigold"
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/cc2/santigold-16572_art_i-ve-always-been-an-artist-who-s-about-b_252353.jpg"
---

#  I've always been an artist who's about being real and…

![“I've always been an artist who's about being real and about telling the truth and making music with integrity and talking about something.” quote by Santigold](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/cc2/santigold-16572_art_i-ve-always-been-an-artist-who-s-about-b_252353.jpg)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/cc2/santigold-16572_art_i-ve-always-been-an-artist-who-s-about-b_252353.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/cc2/santigold-16572_art_i-ve-always-been-an-artist-who-s-about-b_252353.jpg)

> “I've always been an artist who's about being real and about telling the truth and making music with integrity and talking about something.”

[Santigold](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/santigold/)

## About This Quote

This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation.

Creating authentic art requires honesty, integrity, and a willingness to discuss genuine experiences.

**In simple terms:** Art should be honest.

Key Takeaway

Prioritize integrity in creation.

Themes

art authenticity integrity expression

Mood

inspirational determined

Type

artistic motivational

When to use this quote

- songwriting
- performance
- public speaking

Key Concepts

creative honesty musical storytelling

Questions to Reflect On

- What truth do you want to share through your work?
- How do you balance honesty with audience expectations?

A Different Perspective

Authenticity can clash with commercial pressures.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Art](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/art/) [Artist](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/artist/) [Being real](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/being-real/) [Integrity](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/integrity/) [Making Music](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/making-music/) [Music](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/music/) [Song](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/song/) [Telling the truth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/telling-the-truth/) [Truth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/truth/)

## Related quotes

> [What I miss is a time when hip-hop music had integrity; there was some kind of message. Not in all the music, because it's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/xzibit/what-i-miss-is-a-time-when-hip-hop-music-had-integrity-there-was-some/)

[Xzibit](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/xzibit/)

> [I'd rather be telling the truth &amp; be judged for my mistakes.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/i-d-rather-be-telling-the-truth-be-judged-for-my-mistakes/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [Why is it every other person you meet says they're an artist? A real artist doesn't need to gas on about it, he doesn't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paula-mclain/why-is-it-every-other-person-you-meet-says-they-re-an-artist-a-real/)

[Paula McLain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paula-mclain/)

> [There is no one harder to live with than an artist. Therefore an artist is a real gift because he or she raises the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-steindl-rast/there-is-no-one-harder-to-live-with-than-an-artist-therefore-an/)

[David Steindl-Rast](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-steindl-rast/)

> [I'm an artist but I'm also a real person. I have bills like everyone else.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jpegmafia/i-m-an-artist-but-i-m-also-a-real-person-i-have-bills-like-everyone/)

[JPEGMAFIA](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jpegmafia/)

> [The tools are real. The viewer is real, you, the artist, is real and a part of everything you paint. You connect yourself to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-brust/the-tools-are-real-the-viewer-is-real-you-the-artist-is-real-and-a/)

[Steven Brust](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-brust/)

> [I want to be an artist artist, a real artist. I don't just want to do this for temporary money.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cardi-b/i-want-to-be-an-artist-artist-a-real-artist-i-don-t-just-want-to-do/)

[Cardi B](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cardi-b/)

> [Creativity is not enough... the skill of the true artist is to show the real in the light of the ideal and so transfigure…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roger-scruton/creativity-is-not-enough-the-skill-of-the-true-artist-is-to-show-the/)

[Roger Scruton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roger-scruton/)

> [Sometimes being an artist is a real drag. It can be incredibly bureaucratic.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/micah-lexier/sometimes-being-an-artist-is-a-real-drag-it-can-be-incredibly/)

[Micah Lexier](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/micah-lexier/)

> [What gives the artist real prestige is his imitators…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/igor-stravinsky/what-gives-the-artist-real-prestige-is-his-imitators/)

[Igor Stravinsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/igor-stravinsky/)

> [It is in an artist's real interest to congratulate herself more often: not out of narcissism, but in her role as her own dear…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eric-maisel/it-is-in-an-artist-s-real-interest-to-congratulate-herself-more-often/)

[Eric Maisel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eric-maisel/)

> [If you're going to be an artist, real life is your inspiration.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/madonna-ciccone/if-you-re-going-to-be-an-artist-real-life-is-your-inspiration/)

[Madonna Ciccone](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/madonna-ciccone/)

> [I think that fame only goes to your head if you are not a real artist. If you are a real artist and a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lady-starlight/i-think-that-fame-only-goes-to-your-head-if-you-are-not-a-real-artist/)

[Lady Starlight](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lady-starlight/)

> [Nobody has the right to put another under such a difficulty that he must either hurt the person by telling the truth or hurt…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/samuel-johnson/nobody-has-the-right-to-put-another-under-such-a-difficulty-that-he/)

[Samuel Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/samuel-johnson/)

> [One must be very particular about telling the truth. Through truth one can realize God.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ramakrishna/one-must-be-very-particular-about-telling-the-truth-through-truth-one/)

[Ramakrishna](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ramakrishna/)

## More by Santigold

> [The reason I make music is so that I can influence people and inspire people, but I also want to make music that I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/santigold/the-reason-i-make-music-is-so-that-i-can-influence-people-and-inspire/)

[Santigold](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/santigold/)

> [I get inspiration from movies, from fashion, then completely random things you'd never think of.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/santigold/i-get-inspiration-from-movies-from-fashion-then-completely-random/)

[Santigold](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/santigold/)

> [Around 2008 was a really special time culturally. There were a lot of cool things going on in music, in fashion, politically. It was…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/santigold/around-2008-was-a-really-special-time-culturally-there-were-a-lot-of/)

[Santigold](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/santigold/)

> [I pick up inspiration from everywhere and it all manages to keep stored in my brain somewhere.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/santigold/i-pick-up-inspiration-from-everywhere-and-it-all-manages-to-keep/)

[Santigold](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/santigold/)

> [To me, I don't think a song's complete unless it's got a great variety of different textures.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/santigold/to-me-i-don-t-think-a-song-s-complete-unless-it-s-got-a-great-variety/)

[Santigold](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/santigold/)

> [I love comedy, I love comedy... I think I'm funny!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/santigold/i-love-comedy-i-love-comedy-i-think-i-m-funny/)

[Santigold](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/santigold/)

> [I like when pop is still good music; that's what I like.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/santigold/i-like-when-pop-is-still-good-music-that-s-what-i-like/)

[Santigold](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/santigold/)

> [I'm kind of thinking that I might start trying to do some acting. I really enjoy role play.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/santigold/i-m-kind-of-thinking-that-i-might-start-trying-to-do-some-acting-i/)

[Santigold](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/santigold/)

> [When I go with different producers, and they've thought about what they want to do, I think they feel a little bit more free,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/santigold/when-i-go-with-different-producers-and-they-ve-thought-about-what/)

[Santigold](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/santigold/)

> [Oh my God, I love doing acting.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/santigold/oh-my-god-i-love-doing-acting/)

[Santigold](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/santigold/)

> [It's always cathartic for me to write music.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/santigold/it-s-always-cathartic-for-me-to-write-music/)

[Santigold](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/santigold/)

> [People can feel stuff in a different way when it's through music. If you can get some inspiration into a song, it might be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/santigold/people-can-feel-stuff-in-a-different-way-when-it-s-through-music-if/)

[Santigold](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/santigold/)

> [It's really hard juggling, trying to carve out a time to have a family and be a mom and have a career, especially a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/santigold/it-s-really-hard-juggling-trying-to-carve-out-a-time-to-have-a-family/)

[Santigold](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/santigold/)

> [I feel like David Byrne is a great example of someone who is always in the 'now' moment of music and finding reasons to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/santigold/i-feel-like-david-byrne-is-a-great-example-of-someone-who-is-always/)

[Santigold](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/santigold/)

> [I feel like good music comes and goes in waves.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/santigold/i-feel-like-good-music-comes-and-goes-in-waves/)

[Santigold](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/santigold/)

[Explore all 39 Santigold quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/santigold/)

## 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

> [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've always been an artist who's about being real and about telling the truth and making music with integrity and talking about something.",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Santigold"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/santigold/i-ve-always-been-an-artist-who-s-about-being-real-and-about-telling/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Art"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/santigold/i-ve-always-been-an-artist-who-s-about-being-real-and-about-telling/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/cc2/santigold-16572_art_i-ve-always-been-an-artist-who-s-about-b_252353.jpg",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/cc2/santigold-16572_art_i-ve-always-been-an-artist-who-s-about-b_252353.jpg",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/cc2/santigold-16572_art_i-ve-always-been-an-artist-who-s-about-b_252353.jpg",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“I've always been an artist who's about being real and about telling the truth and making music with…” — Santigold",
                "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": "Santigold",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/santigold/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "I've always been an artist who's...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/santigold/i-ve-always-been-an-artist-who-s-about-being-real-and-about-telling/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/santigold/i-ve-always-been-an-artist-who-s-about-being-real-and-about-telling/#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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
