Walker Hayes Quotes

I never do any song with any expectation.

The true self seeks release, not constraint. It doesn't want to be corseted in a sonnet or made to learn a system of musical notations. It wants liberation, which is why very often it fastens on the novel, for the novel seems spacious, undefined, free.

I don't ever know where I'm going. Because one of the wonderful things about writing, which is different than working in programming, you don't need to know. You could just write and discover where you're going. And it's a great deal of fun.

I put out records to this day that are not necessarily in a sequence of anything. Some could be written a while back, some not. There is no set pattern.

Part of keeping space open is not to try to choose a form - to spend more time thinking about content, and let form take care of itself.

I don't like to box myself in when I'm composing.

There's never any pressure on the music having to be something.

I take my craft seriously, of course, but I don't feel the need to always play a certain character or a certain part or persona. I'm not going to cut something out of my life because it's not 'my image.' I want to be open enough that if I love something, I can do it, and it will add to myself as an entertainer.

The main thing in making art often is letting go of your expectation and your idea.

With this album, I tried not to think too much. If I heard a song that I loved, I promised myself I wouldn't over-think it. If I loved it and if I wanted to cut it, I would.

One of the lovely things about writing when nobody knows who you are is there's no expectation.

There are people who have really high expectations for what we're doing. I have to not think about that so that I can be free and play around every day and not feel like I have to get it right. You want to be loose.

I try not to stick to any one thing, you know. That's always been important to me.

I think there's all these unknown things you can tap into when you just leave things open, and nothing is forbidden. Then you allow yourself to mold that thing that has been created by freedom and spontaneity and flexibility. That's why I avoid limiting performances of actors and characters.

I'm open to making any kind of music, or maybe making no music ever again. That's also an option, always. Who knows what'll happen.

I never have a genre in mind when I'm making music because I just like to be free. I feel that placing a genre on your music is limiting yourself.

I wasn't really actively trying to pursue music, so I was really just allowed to create freely without any pressure or outside influences like, 'Oh, I should be making this' or 'I should be collaborating with this person.' It was just kind of like whatever I wanted to do. I was just having fun with it.

There's never anything planned. I just do what I feel is best for the song at that time.

Don't think about making art.

I like to leave a little room to innovate and change things around while I'm working.

There are no rules. Let the picture lead you where it must go.

A lot of young actors have the idea that, "I've got to do this right. There's a right way to do this." But there's no right or wrong. There's only good and bad. And "bad" usually happens when you're trying too hard to do it right. There's a very broad spectrum of things that can inhibit you. The most important thing for actors - and not just actors, but everybody - is to feel loose enough to create what you want to create, and be free to try anything. To have choices.

When you work with an actor and then you discover new things that are better, I think you gotta be free to be able to go with the new things that you're finding. I think that's very important. I have a strong idea when I go to shoot a movie but I also love to discover things when I'm on set as well.

If you’re constantly open to inspiration, it will come to you. The worst thing a man can do is pressure himself into an idea.

It's impossible for me to feel like there's only one way to do a thing. There's nothing wrong with having one way of doing it, but I think it's a bad habit. I believe in range. Like, there's a lot of tunes that I play all the time-sometimes I hear 'em in a different register. And if you don't have complete freedom, or you won't let yourself get away from that one straight line, oh, my goodness, that's too horrible to even think about.