I see lots of young artists present the question of "inspiration." Where do we get it? Where does it come from in the first place? how do I harness that?

The world is but a canvas to the imagination.

In describing today's accelerating changes, the media fire blips of unrelated information at us. Experts bury us under mountains of narrowly specialized monographs. Popular forecasters present lists of unrelated trends, without any model to show us their interconnections or the forces likely to reverse them. As a result, change itself comes to be seen as anarchic, even lunatic.

This makes it hard to see thru the smoke and mirrors, my friends.

We do not grow absolutely, chronologically. We grow sometimes in one dimension, and not in another; unevenly. We grow partially. We are relative. We are mature in one realm, childish in another. The past, present, and future mingle and pull us backward, forward, or fix us in the present. We are made up of layers, cells, constellations.

There is nothing in a caterpillar that tells you it's going to be a butterfly. When I first start with a song, I am not sure how it will go. Will I throw it away? Will it become my best? I just take it as it comes.

Creativity comes from trust. Trust your instincts. Creativity is a type of learning process where the teacher and pupil are located in the same individual.

Art is not about thinking something up. It is the opposite -- getting something down. It takes practice and dedication. Art is the only thing you cannot punch a button for. You must do it the old-fashioned way. Stay up and really burn the midnight oil. There are no compromises.

Thomas Moore said:

The many great gardens of the world, of literature and poetry, of painting and music, of religion and architecture, all make the point as clear as possible: The soul cannot thrive in the absence of a garden. If you don't want paradise, you are not human..