Sharon Van Etten Quotes

Moving to New York City and doing what I do, social anxiety is a really ridiculous kind of curse to have. But I met people along the way who deal with it - performers as well - and they are learning to deal with it daily and deal with it in different ways.

- Sharon Van Etten

City, Doing, Deal, Performers

My friends actually used to call me the 'Female Conor Oberst.' I got to open up with him once, and I told him about that, and he thought it was hilarious.

- Sharon Van Etten

Thought, Used, About, Hilarious

Noveller make soundscapes that are creepy, ethereal, really beautiful and all over the place. They can be intense, dark, and groovy but also dreamlike and happy.

- Sharon Van Etten

Happy, Over, Also, Groovy

I'm pursuing a degree in mental health counseling. It'll be a long journey, and I still want to do music and other creative projects.

- Sharon Van Etten

Other, Still, Pursuing, Counseling

I can't read notes well, but I can hear something and sing a harmony to it automatically.

- Sharon Van Etten

Harmony, Notes, Read, Automatically

I'm a sucker for a love song!

- Sharon Van Etten

Love, Song, Sucker

I've always liked to learn how to do things - I'm a hobby person. So I'll learn something at a beginner's level, then usually move on to the next thing.

- Sharon Van Etten

Next, Always, Move, Hobby

In 2015, I told my band that I was taking a break so I could focus on my home life, go back to school, and try to remember what it was like to feel like a human being again.

- Sharon Van Etten

Focus, Back, Feel, Home Life

I am my therapist, and I analyze what's happening and if I'm being hurt in the process. The result is songs that are very emotional, very deep, although I try to write them generally so they won't alienate the listener.

- Sharon Van Etten

Deep, Very, Listener, Analyze

I overthink everything. I'm just like, 'Wait, why do they want to hear me?' I start doubting myself. Other times, I'll just get so emotional during a song. Sometimes I'll cry while I'm singing. It's so weird. I'm such a baby.

- Sharon Van Etten

Wait, Sometimes, Other, Doubting

I was pretty troubled for a long time. And I didn't know that. As a kid, I never talked about my emotions. My mom gave me a journal, but I didn't know what it meant. I just wrote all the time, not even thinking about it. But it also made me feel better.

- Sharon Van Etten

Kid, Feel, About, Journal

Everything will be okay. I have a sticker on my laptop that says that.

- Sharon Van Etten

Will, Everything, Okay, Sticker

I think, in general, I find writing to be very therapeutic and singing in itself to be really therapeutic.

- Sharon Van Etten

Think, General, Very, Therapeutic

I don't think I'll ever feel perfectly balanced, but I feel like I'm figuring it out, and I'm surrounded by really wonderful people that want to see me succeed and be happy. Life is wild.

- Sharon Van Etten

Happy, Surrounded, Perfectly, Figuring

When I write, it's to heal. It's my own self-therapy so that I don't actually feel sad all of the time.

- Sharon Van Etten

Own, My Own, I Write, Heal

I have this red cardigan that my friend Coco gave me that has holes for thumbs. It's my cozy sweater. I wear it a lot.

- Sharon Van Etten

Red, Cozy, Wear, Holes

I go back to things all the time. It's really nice, too, like when I'm going through some kind of a writer's block, and I'm feeling uninspired, I go to some of my oldest songs from over the years and sift through them, and one thing that's very nice is to see how I've grown up a little bit. A little bit.

- Sharon Van Etten

Through, Some, Very, Block

I started playing, and people responded to it and connected with it and now, I don't even know what I'm really connecting with anymore or if I'm helping people. Now it's more of a business.

- Sharon Van Etten

Business, More, Helping, Helping People

I'm a late bloomer in music.

- Sharon Van Etten

Music, Late, Late Bloomer, Bloomer

I'm a total goofball.

- Sharon Van Etten

Total, Goofball

I have a day job Monday to Friday. I work at a record label in Brooklyn called Ba Da Bing. It's a great indie label and I listen to music all day. I meet people online and find out about the cool new music blogs.

- Sharon Van Etten

Indie, About, Blogs, Friday

I have a hard time not wearing my heart on my sleeve and answering people honestly. You know, my friends warn me that I should be more guarded 'cause sometimes I am too honest and open, but it's also just who I am.

- Sharon Van Etten

Sometimes, Cause, Guarded, Answering

The dilemma I have is that everything I do at work is all about me, and at what point is that selfish? I'm just talking and singing about myself, or I'm standing on a stage and hoping that everybody likes me. Obviously, it's also about the music and feeling and connecting; I know it's deeper than that.

- Sharon Van Etten

Talking, Everybody, About, Dilemma

I hit 'record' whenever I'm going through a really hard time. I don't listen to it for a couple of days, so I have some perspective. If it's too personal to share, and I feel like would alienate the listeners, then I usually don't share that stuff.

- Sharon Van Etten

Through, Some, Couple, Alienate

In some ways, being on the road is like summer camp. There's a camaraderie, but I'm also learning how to be more of a leader.

- Sharon Van Etten

Leader, Some, Like, Camp

Every time I re-perform a song, I gain some perspective.

- Sharon Van Etten

Perspective, Song, Some, Every Time

I try to focus on the melodies and try to make everything else minimal. The melody and the lyrics are most important to me.

- Sharon Van Etten

Focus, Melodies, Most, Everything Else

I didn't start writing with band arrangements until I was working on 'Tramp.'

- Sharon Van Etten

Writing, Start, Working, Tramp

My mom is a history teacher, so we'd go on all these historic trips as kids around Halloween, because it was kind of creepy.

- Sharon Van Etten

Kind, Go, Historic, Trips

I always had a hard time communicating my emotions. I'd retreat into my bedroom and listen to music. And when you're a teenager, you're dealing with all these hormones. It's like, 'What are these?'

- Sharon Van Etten

Listen, Hormones, Had, Teenager

I have a lot of alter-egos: I would love to be a back-up singer for someone someday. I have an electronic side-project. I have a '90s grunge side project; I have a piano project... I have this industrial, goth-electronic song, super creepy sounding, just really dark and dreary.

- Sharon Van Etten

Love, Project, Singer, Electronic

I love being domestic: making coffee, just putting on a record, and just sitting, not doing anything. It's so great.

- Sharon Van Etten

Love, Doing, Making, Sitting

Sometimes music should just be about you sitting on your bedroom floor, or in the back of the car, singing along stupidly. Evan Dando's music was all about that for me.

- Sharon Van Etten

Singing, Sometimes, About, Sitting

I get things out of my system through my songs, but, because they can be about so many different things, it takes me a while to get through them emotionally.

- Sharon Van Etten

Through, About, Them, Different Things

I'm not a down-in-the-dumps person. I think some people assume that I am because of the music I write.

- Sharon Van Etten

Think, Some, I Think, Assume

I would love to work with PJ Harvey some day.

- Sharon Van Etten

Love, Some, Would, Harvey

Relationships. Ugh. You have to laugh sometimes.

- Sharon Van Etten

Relationships, Sometimes, Laugh

I'm getting bored performing the same songs over and over. Songwriting comes and goes.

- Sharon Van Etten

Over, Same, Getting, Bored

I think leading up to the tour is the most stressful part because you barely have any time home.

- Sharon Van Etten

Think, I Think, Leading, Stressful

Singing a song like 'Your Love Is Killing Me,' people are worried about me. My mother called me, like, 'What's going on with you? Are you alright? I thought you were doing fine.' And I'm like, 'I am doing fine. It's just, this is what I do.'

- Sharon Van Etten

Love, Thought, Doing, Worried

All the records I keep are like friends I visit.

- Sharon Van Etten

Records, Like, Keep, Visit

In my teenage years, there was a lot of angst going on.

- Sharon Van Etten

Going, Angst, Lot, Teenage Years

I hate putting negative energy out into the world. But it's either inside or out. I mean, it's either get an ulcer or have a fight.

- Sharon Van Etten

Inside, Out, Putting, Negative Energy

I realized that there's this fine line between being personal and being general and being alienating.

- Sharon Van Etten

Line, General, Fine, Between

You'd better have something good to say if you've got a roomful of people who've paid to see you.

- Sharon Van Etten

Good, Say, Got, Something Good

I was in musicals. and I was in the choir when I was younger. Before I started writing my own songs, I thought I wanted to be on Broadway, but it was nothing I ever really pursued.

- Sharon Van Etten

Thought, Younger, Broadway, Choir

People always ask me, 'Why do you only write about heartbreak?' I think I only write when I'm broken, so that's just what happens. It makes me feel better, but having some distance helps.

- Sharon Van Etten

Heartbreak, Some, I Think, Helps

There's something to writing a hook and something to writing a memorable melody. That's what I liked about musicals. Then I realized I could write my own songs, and I didn't have to sing other people's.

- Sharon Van Etten

Other, My Own, Could, Musicals

I wanna grow and develop as an artist, and I feel like different kinds of collaborations can only help me in that way.

- Sharon Van Etten

Grow, Artist, Like, Collaborations

Hopefully, the stuff that is way too personal that I record and keep - people won't hear it because it's way too personal.

- Sharon Van Etten

People, Personal, Way, Hopefully

Writing songs helped me figure out how to communicate with other people. I finally figured out that if I could express something in a song, I could probably express it in my real life, too.

- Sharon Van Etten

Communicate, Other, Figured, If I Could

Performing a song is intense. When I see people connecting, it makes it all worthwhile.

- Sharon Van Etten

Song, See, Performing, Connecting

I'm very democratic about stuff. I know what I want, but I also like getting opinions and people sharing ideas.

- Sharon Van Etten

Want, Like, Very, Sharing

I was without my own place for nearly two years. It's such a cliche to be a homeless musician in New York, but luckily, I had amazing friends who let me stay with them. I visited my parents a lot. It's not like I was sleeping in my car, though I might have done that once... But it was by choice!

- Sharon Van Etten

Own, Nearly, Luckily, Visited

I guess I usually write when I'm in a really intense headspace, because it's my form of self-therapy.

- Sharon Van Etten

Really, Form, Guess, Intense

I didn't think I was helping other people. But I think that comes hand in hand with trying to be able to connect with people, and if you make things too personal, then it's harder for people to relate to you. Otherwise, it's just them listening to you read your diary.

- Sharon Van Etten

Other, I Think, Helping, Harder

I'm not the sad sack that people might think I am. But I think that if I didn't write and perform, I probably would be.

- Sharon Van Etten

Think, Might, I Think, Sack

I love traveling. I love meeting people. I love performing, but it's hard to be gone and to not have a real life and to just get the emotional love that you need from the people you're traveling with.

- Sharon Van Etten

Love, Need, Performing, Meeting

I totally lucked out by meeting a lot of amazing people. I guess it stems from going to shows and being confident enough to meet people and be able to talk to them like a normal person rather than have my head down all the time.

- Sharon Van Etten

Confident, Rather, Stems, Meeting

I feel like, as a female, I am maybe hyper-sensitive to feeling pushed into a corner or somebody taking a song a different way.

- Sharon Van Etten

Song, Like, Different Way, Female

You write these vulnerable songs as a sort of therapy, but if you don't confront people on a daily basis, it's not reality. There's still a bit of separation there.

- Sharon Van Etten

Therapy, Still, Daily Basis, Separation

I think there are times in a lot of people's pasts where they've unintentionally fallen in love with really damaged people. You go out with someone who's a mess so you can feel less of a mess.

- Sharon Van Etten

Love, Think, I Think, Damaged

Most musicians are normal people who want to hang out and are really down to earth.

- Sharon Van Etten

Want, Normal, Hang, Down To Earth

I like having a home. I like having a place to return to.

- Sharon Van Etten

Place, Like, Having, Return

Everyone has their down days. Unfortunately, that's when I am the most prolific.

- Sharon Van Etten

I Am, Most, Prolific, Unfortunately

I believe my songs are strong enough to stand on their own - even way back then when they were recorded badly and minimally.

- Sharon Van Etten

Strong, Own, Badly, Recorded

When I can write a song in a way where I feel like other people can relate to it, and I can take it past being cathartic just for me, that's when I know I can share it. Otherwise, I'd just feel like it's selfish.

- Sharon Van Etten

Feel, Other, I Feel Like, Cathartic

The only thing that's helped me get through some really hard times was just being able to write and express - it's very cathartic for me. I'm hoping that, by writing and performing for other people, it affects them the same way.

- Sharon Van Etten

Through, Some, Very, Cathartic

Both my brothers are drummers.

- Sharon Van Etten

Brothers, Both, Drummers

On first listen, it's nice to just soak up the sound without thinking about what it means. It's like a relationship. Records I've had for years mean more to me now than they did years ago.

- Sharon Van Etten

Sound, Records, About, Soak

I'm attracted to music made by people who let themselves be emotional. They really care about what they do, and we believe in what they say.

- Sharon Van Etten

Emotional, Made, About, They Say

I wasn't a very good salesman.

- Sharon Van Etten

Good, Very, Salesman

Just getting older, you stop caring what other people think, but also, you know who you are, and you know what you want.

- Sharon Van Etten

Think, Want, Other, Older

I'm nervous performing because it's such a weird thing to do, standing on stage demanding people's attention.

- Sharon Van Etten

Performing, Demanding, Weird Thing

I'm still learning how to be comfortable touring. I haven't found that balance yet.

- Sharon Van Etten

How, Found, Still, Touring

My goal is to become a therapist by the time I'm 50.

- Sharon Van Etten

Time, Goal, By The Time, Therapist

I don't want to bury anything in poetry.

- Sharon Van Etten

Poetry, Want, Anything, Bury

I used to work at a label. I used to be a publicist. I used to be at a management company.

- Sharon Van Etten

Work, Management, Company, Label

One day when I have a band I will have a band name, but since it's just me I feel it should just be my name. For me it doesn't make much sense since the music is from me and about me. I haven't ever been in a band.

- Sharon Van Etten

One Day, Been, About, Band

I didn't have my first band until I was, like, 30.

- Sharon Van Etten

Like, First, Until, Band

As a kid, you put musicians on a pedestal - well, I did. The more you meet bands, and the more you hang around them, you can have normal conversations.

- Sharon Van Etten

Normal, Pedestal, Hang, Conversations

I hate the term 'emo.' It turned into this genre of music, when all music, if you connect with it, is emotional.

- Sharon Van Etten

Music, Emotional, Turned, Genre

If I make assumptions about the audience and start overthinking things, I can drive myself crazy about how the audience perceives me. I try not to do that anymore.

- Sharon Van Etten

Myself, Audience, About, Assumptions

Music is still my main thing, but I will explore anything that's interesting and challenging.

- Sharon Van Etten

Explore, Still, Main Thing, Challenging

I only write when I'm in a dark place. I hit 'record' and get it out, writing and playing my guitar at the same time.

- Sharon Van Etten

Out, Dark Place, Same Time, Guitar

I'm really out of touch with myself emotionally. I've always had a hard time talking about how I feel.

- Sharon Van Etten

Myself, Always, About, Emotionally

I always write from a personal place - whether it be about my friends or myself or a story that I heard.

- Sharon Van Etten

Myself, Always, About, Heard

I'm still friends with most of my exes. There are only one or two people that I'll never talk to again.

- Sharon Van Etten

Two People, Again, Still, One Or Two

I definitely wouldn't consider myself a professional, but I like to dress up like one.

- Sharon Van Etten

Dress, Like, Definitely, Consider

It's not onstage as often anymore, but whenever I got anxious, I used to talk a lot more, and I wouldn't even know what I was saying... it was so bad. If I just talk myself through something, even if it's just talking about nothing, it usually gets me out of it.

- Sharon Van Etten

Bad, Through, About, Anymore

I used to hyperventilate, but I don't do that anymore.

- Sharon Van Etten

Used, Anymore

People relate to songs so differently. No matter what it's about in reality, people create their own meaning behind it and connect with it on their own terms.

- Sharon Van Etten

Behind, Own, About, Meaning

When I first started making music, it was where I went when I couldn't express myself, when I wasn't able to connect with other people, when I couldn't talk about what I was going through.

- Sharon Van Etten

Through, Other, Making, Connect

I was so broken when I did the first record. I was living in my parents' basement, I didn't know anyone. I was broken-hearted and writing this really dark record. I was at the bottom of a well.

- Sharon Van Etten

Broken, Living, Bottom, Basement

I started writing for myself when I didn't know how to understand how I was feeling, and I didn't know how to talk to people about it, so I would break into the subconscious to try and understand what I was going through.

- Sharon Van Etten

Through, Break, Going, Subconscious

Sadness isn't an emotion that most cool bands want to talk about.

- Sharon Van Etten

Cool, Emotion, Most, Bands

My mom used to ask me when I was gonna write a happy song. I still tell her that it's when I start to write really happy-sounding songs that everyone needs to start worrying.

- Sharon Van Etten

Song, Needs, Still, Worrying

I work a lot with sounds based on stream of consciousness. I like the way it sounds, then I turn it into something that makes more sense.

- Sharon Van Etten

Consciousness, Like, Based, Sounds

Brit Marling is very positive, very professional, very encouraging.

- Sharon Van Etten

Positive, Very, Encouraging, Professional

Whatever your writing is about, you're really connected with it, and you can always go back to when that was. I remember everything, and time and place are like a center for me.

- Sharon Van Etten

I Remember, Always, Like, Center

I only work with people that are mysteries.

- Sharon Van Etten

Work, People, Only, Mysteries

If I start panicking a little bit, I just talk through it with somebody.

- Sharon Van Etten

Start, Talk, Through, Little Bit

I've always been really shy. I was always afraid of any kind of confrontation.

- Sharon Van Etten

Shy, Always, Been, Confrontation

I'm a lot more secure than I used to be.

- Sharon Van Etten

More, Than, Lot, Secure

I don't know how to get a crowd singing along. That's not what my music does.

- Sharon Van Etten

Music, Singing, How, Crowd

I'm trying to learn how to cook.

- Sharon Van Etten

Learn, Trying, How, Cook

I moved to New York to pursue music.

- Sharon Van Etten

Music, New, Pursue, Moved

My career is based off of me talking about my emotions.

- Sharon Van Etten

Me, Career, Based, Emotions

Honestly, live is my favorite way of performing. Every show is a completely different energy.

- Sharon Van Etten

Different, Show, Honestly, Performing

I feel like I'm getting better at being a writer.

- Sharon Van Etten

Better, Like, Getting, Getting Better

I'm a really strong person. I've no regrets in my life.

- Sharon Van Etten

Strong, My Life, Person, No Regrets

'The Boatman's Call' is amazing; it's an album of love songs, really beautiful.

- Sharon Van Etten

Love, Amazing, Call, Album

'Imperfiction' will forever be one of my favorite records and moments in time.

- Sharon Van Etten

Time, Moments, Will, Records

The studio is a time when you can do anything that you want to. You have that freedom.

- Sharon Van Etten

Time, Freedom, Want, Studio

I will entertain things that are entertaining and sound interesting and challenge me. But acting just doesn't come second-nature to me.

- Sharon Van Etten

Sound, Will, Entertain, Entertaining

Time is very weird.

- Sharon Van Etten

Time, Very, Weird

Half of my anxiety is about whether people are going to like me.

- Sharon Van Etten

Like, Going, Half, Anxiety

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