"Believe it or not, most people think of me as a recording artist, but actually the way I think of myself and the way I earn my living is as a performing artist"

In this quote, Helen Reddy highlights an important difference in between the general public understanding of her profession and her individual recognition with her occupation. She acknowledges that many individuals recognize her mostly as a recording artist, suggesting that her recorded music is what most listeners are familiar with. This shows the way the music industry often works-- musicians become commonly understood and commemorated through their tape-recorded albums and hits, which reach a large audience across numerous media platforms.

Nevertheless, Reddy stresses that her self-identity and expert livelihood are rooted in being a performing artist. This recommends that, for her, live performances are where her passion and trade fulfillment lie. It indicates that she discovers more individual complete satisfaction and perhaps a stronger sense of artistry in the instant, vibrant interactions that performing deal with an audience involves. For many artists, live performance is a platform where they can express themselves more easily and link straight with their audience, creating an emotional and experiential exchange that tape-recorded music may not completely capture.

In addition, Reddy's statement about making her living as a performing artist highlights that live performances are a considerable source of her earnings. During her time, like today, live performances typically provide a more stable and considerable revenue stream than tape-recorded music, due to the money making from ticket sales and the opportunity to engage with fans in show settings.

In essence, Helen Reddy is highlighting the complex nature of an artist's profession, where commercial success and public acknowledgment in one area (recording) may vary from the personal and useful realities of how an artist views themselves and sustains their craft (performing). Through this difference, Reddy welcomes fans and the general public to value the breadth of an artist's work and what it implies to sustain a career in the music market.