I feel like I’m a much better person when I’m developing my imagination and my innocence and my vulnerability. I like that version of me better than the version where I’m just working on my analytical mind.

Marling contrasts two modes of being: a predominantly analytical, problem-solving self and a more imaginative, open, emotionally permeable self. The quote suggests that creativity is not merely a professional tool but an ethical and personal practice—one that cultivates innocence (a willingness to be surprised), vulnerability (the courage to be affected), and imagination (the capacity to envision alternatives). Her preference for that “version” of herself implies that relentless analysis can become defensive or narrowing, while imaginative development expands empathy and self-knowledge. In a broader artistic sense, she frames creative work as character formation: the stories we make—and the mental habits we rehearse while making them—shape who we become.