I Went Into College Undeclared. I Had No Idea What I Wanted To Do, But I Knew That Music Was Obviously This Central Big Important Thing In My Life That I Was Gonna Keep Doing.

-Kina Grannis

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I Went Into College

Kina Grannis

I Went Into College Undeclared. I Had No Idea What I Wanted To Do, But I Knew That Music Was Obviously This Central Big Important Thing In My Life That I Was Gonna Keep Doing.

Topic

College

Ideas

Important

More From Kina Grannis

Not Only Am I Putting Music Out There, I'm Giving Part Of Myself Away.

Giving

I Think A Lot Of Singer-songwriters Get Compared To Each Other, But I'd Like To Think That What I'm Doing Is Special And Specific To Me.

Thinking

Special

Singers

The First Video I Ever Made, Announcing 'crash The Super Bowl,' I Did About Fifty Takes And I Wanted To Die. It Was Awful.

Video

Fifty

Awful

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 To Do It My Way. 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 Music The Way I Knew It Needed To Be Made. It Was A Hard Decision To Make, But I've Never Regretted It For A Second And It's Only Become More Clear To Me After Making And Releasing Stairwells That It Was The Right One.

People

Decision

Vision

I've Loved Singing Since Forever. Whether It Was With My Sisters While Cleaning The Kitchen, Putting Shows On For My Stuffed Animals, Writing Songs About My Stuffed Animals, Starting An A Capella Group With My Cousins While On Vacation, Or Awkwardly Singing Along To Karaoke Tracks Alone In My Bedroom - Singing Always Found A Way Into My Life.

Song

Cousin

Writing

My Dream Artists To Collaborate With Are Probably Cee Lo Green And Imogen Heap. They're Completely Out Of My Genre But They're Both Musical Geniuses.

Dream

Artist

Musical Genius

If You're Looking To Make A Basic Living Selling And Playing Your Music, The Internet Is All You Really Need.

Needs

Internet

Selling

I'm Kind Of Feeling Like I Don't Mind Being Open With The Random Details Of My Life, Like I'm At A Coffee Shop Or My Toe Hurts Or Something, But Obviously Other More Personal Areas Of Life Where I Will Just Never Really Go There.

Hurt

Coffee

Feelings

Ever Since I Was Really Really Little, I Was Just Singing All The Time. Like One Of My Favorite Games When I Was Little Would Be To Just Have One Of My Sisters Pick A Title, And I Would Impromptu Create That Song.

Song

Games

Singing

I Started Teaching Myself Guitar Because I Loved Singing So Much. Then One Day Kind Of Out Of The Blue I Found I Was Writing A Song. It Just Happened Organically.

Song

Teaching

Writing

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 Shape Who I Am. It's Very Cool To Get To Identify And Learn About All These Unique Cultures And I Think It's Helped Put The World In Perspective.

Unique

Thinking

Who I Am

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.

Song

Writing

Artist

There Were Two Main Points I Wanted To Get Across In Valentine, The First Being That Yes, Valentine's Day Is An Arbitrary Day, But Why Would You Not Take That Excuse To Celebrate Love? The Second Point. . .since It Is Just An Arbitrary Day. . .why Not Treat Every Day Like Valentine's Day?

Valentine

Two

Firsts

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 To Other Cultures As Well. It's Also Fun Looking Ethnically Ambiguous Because No One Can Quite Put A Finger On What I Am And It's Very Entertaining To Me!

Fun

Other Cultures

Fingers

I Want To Encourage People To Make Healthy Life Choices, Whether It's Training For A Half-marathon, Or Eating More Vegetables.

Vegetables

People

Choices

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.

Song

Crazy

People

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, To Respect And Trust, And To Strive To Give More Than You Take.

Thinking

Giving

Finding Love

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 Music The Way I Knew It Needed To Be Made.

Important

Labels

Way

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 Had A Growing Need For In My Life, And That Was About When I Adopted The Neglected Guitar I Found Under Our Piano And Started Singing About All The Things I Could Never Say.

School

Guitar

Piano

My Two Sisters And I Sang All The Time. Whenever We Cleaned The Kitchen, We Sang In Three-part Harmony.

Two

Kitchen

Three

I Posted A Video A Day For Almost Two Months And Was Hardly Sleeping, But I Think It Really Pushed Me To Give Music Everything I Had In Me. I Knew It Was A Chance I Couldn't Miss. The Funny Thing Is I Never Saw My Music Video When It Aired During The Super Bowl Because As Soon As I Heard My Song Start I Was In Tears For The Next 10 Minutes! The Most Amazing Thing That Came Out Of All Of This, However, Was The Support That Had Developed Online. Without The People That Came Back Day After Day To Vote For Me, I'd Be Nowhere, And I Really Owe It All To Them.

Song

Sleep

Thinking

Making A Video Is One Of The Most Exciting Things For Artists And Fans. It's Like A Payoff.

Artist

Fans

Video

I'm Really Into Good Nutrition And Keeping Healthy! That Said, I'm Also Addicted To Candy - It's My Biggest Weakness.

Healthy

Weakness

Nutrition

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, To Respect And Trust, And To Strive To Give More Than You Take. As For Heartbreak. . .there's No Easy Way Out, But It's Important To Remember That Even Though Everything Feels Awful Now, It Will Get Better, You Will Meet Someone Else, And In The Meantime, You Can Continue To Grow And Learn And Live Life Surrounded By People That Love You.

Live Life

Love You

Thinking

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 Just Start Humming, Then I'll Have A Song In An Hour.

Song

Writing

Guitar

I Don't Have Any Rock Star Demeanor To Me. I Just Can't Pull That Off.

Stars

Rocks

Rock Star

I Went Into College Undeclared. I Had No Idea What I Wanted To Do, But I Knew That Music Was Obviously This Central Big Important Thing In My Life That I Was Gonna Keep Doing.

College

Ideas

Important

Understanding Quotes: Their Essence and Application

Quotes, or quotations, are powerful tools in communication, encapsulating ideas, emotions, and wisdom in concise expressions. They serve various purposes across different contexts, from academic writing to everyday conversation.

1. Defining Quotes

A quote is a repetition of someone else's statement or thoughts. It can be a direct replication of words spoken or written by another individual, often used to support arguments, provide evidence, or convey profound insights.

2. The Importance of Quotes

2.1. Enhancing Credibility

Incorporating quotes from authoritative sources can bolster the credibility of your work. By referencing experts or primary sources, you demonstrate thorough research and a solid foundation for your arguments.

2.2. Providing Evidence

Quotes serve as concrete evidence to support claims. In academic and professional writing, they validate points made, offering readers a basis to trust the information presented.

2.3. Conveying Emotions and Perspectives

Quotes can encapsulate emotions and perspectives succinctly. They allow writers to express complex feelings or viewpoints through the words of others, often more eloquently than paraphrasing.

3. Types of Quotes

3.1. Direct Quotes

Direct quotes involve copying the exact words from a source, enclosed in quotation marks. They are used when the original wording is significant or particularly well-expressed.

3.2. Indirect Quotes (Paraphrasing)

Indirect quotes restate the original message in your own words. While not enclosed in quotation marks, they still require proper attribution to the original source.

3.3. Block Quotes

Block quotes are lengthy direct quotations, formatted as a separate block of text. They are typically used for quotes exceeding a certain length, varying by citation style. For instance, in APA style, quotes longer than 40 words are formatted as block quotes.

4. Proper Usage of Quotes

4.1. Contextual Relevance

Ensure that the quote you choose is relevant to the topic and adds value to your content. Avoid inserting quotes solely for decorative purposes.

4.2. Integration into Your Writing

Seamlessly integrate quotes into your writing. Introduce them appropriately and follow up with analysis or commentary to connect them to your main points.

4.3. Attribution and Citation

Always attribute quotes to their original authors and provide proper citations according to the required style guide (APA, MLA, Chicago, etc.).

5. Common Mistakes to Avoid

5.1. Overusing Quotes

Relying too heavily on quotes can overshadow your voice. Use them sparingly to support your arguments, not replace them.

5.2. Lack of Analysis

Presenting a quote without analysis or explanation can leave readers questioning its relevance. Always follow up with your interpretation or discussion.

5.3. Misquoting or Taking Out of Context

Ensure that quotes are accurate and not taken out of context, as this can mislead readers and undermine your credibility.

6. Quotes in Different Contexts

6.1. Academic Writing

In academic writing, quotes are used to support arguments, provide evidence, and engage with existing literature. Proper citation is crucial to avoid plagiarism.

6.2. Journalism

Journalists use quotes to provide firsthand accounts, add authenticity, and present multiple perspectives within a story.

6.3. Literature and Creative Writing

In literature, quotes can be used to convey character voices, themes, and stylistic elements. They enrich narratives and provide depth to storytelling.

7. Punctuation and Formatting

Understanding the correct punctuation and formatting of quotes is essential:

Quotation Marks: Always enclose direct quotes within quotation marks.

Punctuation Placement: In American English, periods and commas are placed inside quotation marks, while colons and semicolons are placed outside.

Block Quotes: For longer quotes, format them as block quotes without quotation marks, and indent the entire block.

8. Ethical Considerations

Ethical use of quotes involves accurate representation, proper attribution, and respect for intellectual property. Misuse can lead to plagiarism, which carries serious academic and professional consequences.

9. Tools for Managing Quotes

Utilize tools like citation generators and plagiarism checkers to manage quotes effectively. These tools help ensure proper formatting and originality in your writing.

Conclusion

Quotes are invaluable in enriching content, providing evidence, and conveying complex ideas succinctly. When used appropriately, they enhance the quality and credibility of your writing. Always ensure relevance, proper integration, and ethical usage to maximize their impact.

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