---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I had been working my first record really…"
description: "\"I had been working my first record really hard and toured the heck out of it. I didn't have anything to write about so touring with The Decemberists wa..."
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/182/sara-watkins-70530_busy_i-had-been-working-my-first-record-reall_1993620.jpg"
---

#  I had been working my first record really hard and toured…

![“I had been working my first record really hard and toured the heck out of it. I didn't have anything to write about so touring with The Decemberists was what I needed. I could work and take in the world again. You're just the side man and don't need all the info. You're also less busy than when…” quote by Sara Watkins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/182/sara-watkins-70530_busy_i-had-been-working-my-first-record-reall_1993620.jpg)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/182/sara-watkins-70530_busy_i-had-been-working-my-first-record-reall_1993620.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/182/sara-watkins-70530_busy_i-had-been-working-my-first-record-reall_1993620.jpg)

> “I had been working my first record really hard and toured the heck out of it. I didn't have anything to write about so touring with The Decemberists was what I needed. I could work and take in the world again. You're just the side man and don't need all the info. You're also less busy than when your name is on the ticket, so I had days free to read, watch movies, and just look up.”

[Sara Watkins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sara-watkins/)

## About This Quote

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

Touring with other artists provided space for creativity and personal growth amid a busy career.

**In simple terms:** Touring gave her time to read, watch movies, and reflect.

Key Takeaway

Balance work with downtime for inspiration.

Themes

creativity balance career growth

Mood

inspired thoughtful

Type

reflective motivational

When to use this quote

- tour schedules
- creative blocks
- personal development

Key Concepts

artist life time management

Questions to Reflect On

- How can you carve out creative pauses?
- What activities recharge you?

A Different Perspective

Busy schedules can still overwhelm.

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## Related quotes

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> [I was married to a dancer who had a dance company in New York City, and she toured.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-cullum/i-was-married-to-a-dancer-who-had-a-dance-company-in-new-york-city/)

[John Cullum](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-cullum/)

> [The book tour has been really interesting and very gratifying. I have not book toured before. I've never had quite as much pleasure, as…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leonard-nimoy/the-book-tour-has-been-really-interesting-and-very-gratifying-i-have/)

[Leonard Nimoy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leonard-nimoy/)

> [One of the great bands we opened up for was Priest back in '89. That was really great because at that time we had…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dave-lombardo/one-of-the-great-bands-we-opened-up-for-was-priest-back-in-89-that/)

[Dave Lombardo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dave-lombardo/)

> [I toured for about 2 1/2 years on twentythree and then I took about a year off. I really just spent some good quality…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tristan-prettyman/i-toured-for-about-2-1-2-years-on-twentythree-and-then-i-took-about-a/)

[Tristan Prettyman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tristan-prettyman/)

> [Unfortunately we just toured the East and West coasts so we didn't run into any rednecks.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ville-valo/unfortunately-we-just-toured-the-east-and-west-coasts-so-we-didn-t/)

[Ville Valo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ville-valo/)

> [I still feel very close to the people I wrote shows with and some of the people I toured with. I feel very close…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/scott-adsit/i-still-feel-very-close-to-the-people-i-wrote-shows-with-and-some-of/)

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> [When my dad toured in '91, I think my first gig properly was the Tokyo Dome, 50,000 people indoors. That was pretty scary. I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dhani-harrison/when-my-dad-toured-in-91-i-think-my-first-gig-properly-was-the-tokyo/)

[Dhani Harrison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dhani-harrison/)

> [It's hard to imagine the whole punk movement without The Velvet Underground. I toured with them when they did their reunion tour, and no…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dean-wareham/it-s-hard-to-imagine-the-whole-punk-movement-without-the-velvet/)

[Dean Wareham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dean-wareham/)

> [Yeah, we toured the Orkneys once. In a tiny biplane which they shot out of a catapult. And then we got off the plane.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lee-evans/yeah-we-toured-the-orkneys-once-in-a-tiny-biplane-which-they-shot-out/)

[Lee Evans](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lee-evans/)

> [I can't think of anybody we toured with that had more impact on us than Queen.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/phil-ehart/i-can-t-think-of-anybody-we-toured-with-that-had-more-impact-on-us/)

[Phil Ehart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/phil-ehart/)

> [We toured the U.S. and Canada for two years, which was a lot of fun. It was very much a do-it-yourself, punk-rock ethic of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/beto-o-rourke/we-toured-the-u-s-and-canada-for-two-years-which-was-a-lot-of-fun-it/)

[Beto O'Rourke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/beto-o-rourke/)

## More by Sara Watkins

> [There was a band in San Diego, Bluegrass Etc, that played a weekly gig. My parents would take my brother and me every Saturday…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sara-watkins/there-was-a-band-in-san-diego-bluegrass-etc-that-played-a-weekly-gig/)

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> [When you're a kid, you listen to what your family is listening to. For my family, it was bluegrass.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sara-watkins/when-you-re-a-kid-you-listen-to-what-your-family-is-listening-to-for/)

[Sara Watkins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sara-watkins/)

[Explore all 4 Sara Watkins quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sara-watkins/)

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> [Success doesn't have a downside for me. I'm busy, but I've always been busy whatever job I've had. My very first job working in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/victoria-derbyshire/success-doesn-t-have-a-downside-for-me-i-m-busy-but-i-ve-always-been/)

[Victoria Derbyshire](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/victoria-derbyshire/)

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