Joe Hisaishi Quotes

There are problems in doing television that have been plaguing me for years. I really like to have a lot of time, to rehearse and make things as good as they can be, but television often doesn't allow for that.

My biggest struggle is time and trying to create the quality of music that I want.

With my own stuff, I've always held to the belief that it should take as long as it takes until it feels right.

With a series, keeping the quality high and writing incredibly fast, that's the first lesson you learn. You can't be real precious. When you're doing a feature film, you have 2 1/2 months; you sort of take your time. It's a different animal.

I'm pretty demanding with myself and my work, and I always put a lot of pressure on myself. I try to do the best job I can every time.

On a regular basis if you're trying to produce something, I think you should work every day and set achievable goals.

I swing between procrastination and being really thorough so either way things aren't getting done quickly.

I always want to give my best and do the best I can. I know when I have sung my best and when I haven't. There can be stresses and hassles with time travel and press attention. I just have to adapt and find a way of dealing with it.

There'll come a writing phase where you have to defend the time, unplug the phone and put in the hours to get it done.

The problem with writing a monthly book is that you're going through your work like a man running for a bus, red-faced and out of breath. There isn't time for reflection or critical self-examination.

There are always deadlines I have to meet. I don't let myself get too close to the deadlines, so it's not like I'm just sweating bullets or anything if the clock is ticking. I never let myself get in that situation.

I don't look at emails, Internet or newspapers before 1 P.M. I wake at 7 A.M., eat fruit, drink tea or coffee, and read what I've achieved, or not achieved, the previous day. Then I take a shower and work on my next sentence until 1 P.M. After I've done emails and so on, I write again from 3 P.M. until 8 P.M.; then I socialise.

I can do a book in three months if I spend all day, seven days a week at it and, in fact, I work better that way.

I'm like any other composer. If you give me five years to write a symphony, I'm still going to be asking for more time two days before it's due.

The bar was very high-we had to really make sure that we got what we really wanted, that it was a real finished album. We weren't going to give up until we got that.

I procrastinate in spades. In my defence, I also try to have all other distractions solved before I can concentrate on writing. My small theory is that to write for three hours, you need to feel like you have three days. To write for three days, you need to feel like you've got three weeks, and so on.

I only have so much time and energy and money, and I'm going to put it into my work.

Before I find myself in the middle of a project, I want to make sure it is the kind of thing that keeps me excited for two years. Otherwise, it will be very difficult to push the proverbial rock up the proverbial mountain.

When I create something, it's got to be special, and it can't just be to throw something out there because I feel like I'm Missy.

Sequels are generally done in a rush. They're done with a sense of urgency. The first time, you spend a long time developing to get it over the line. The second time, you don't. Your expectations are different, and your motivations are different.

I've been lucky enough that in the U.K., I've done shows that have aired once a week. I make a show there that runs seasonally, and we make one episode a week, and that is great - the value of time. You can really think and finesse what you want to do.

I knew I could always work harder and be better and show I'm more prepared. I had a whole science to, like, how you have to arrive 17 minutes early to something. If you're 20 minutes early, that means you're too eager, but 17 minutes gives you time to, like, settle, sign in, use the ladies' room, have some water, and get comfortable.

For me, the more time you can take and the more care you can take with songs, the better off you're going to be.

If I let myself go, nothing will get done.

I always idealized the mainstream cartoonists and the packed schedule they worked under.