Quotes About Artistry

If you have to pay the bills, and you write something you're not proud of, use a pen-name for that.

I can tell you the actor who I admire the most. Billy Crudup. Do you know who he is? He's awesome.

I don't feel an image can really bind an actor.

That's because we did not set out to make black music. We set out to make quality music that everyone could enjoy and listen to.

You can't play a backbeat in Black Sabbath. You can if you want to; it's going to ruin the song.

I'm playing jazz throughout the song 'Black Sabbath.' That's what it is there. I mean, I'm moving some other things around, but that is forever in there.

The truth is, I do some of my best writing at 3 A.M. while blasting 'Every Time I Die' into my ear drums.

I can't make a perfect record. When I try to, I bleed all the feeling out of it.

Everything that I sing about, especially songs like 'Far From Home' and 'The Bleeding,' I really put 110 percent of myself into it, so it's difficult.

The youth coming up is interested in dance now, and they're coming to the shows. That's a blessing for those of us who create.

I think one of the blessings that I've had in watching, you know, films be made now from four of my books is to realize that it's a separate thing. It's a separate work.

Lynne Ramsay's 'Ratcatcher' blew me away when it came out. When I started making short films, I would watch that film over and over again, marvelling at how that story visually unfolded.

All I have to do is be me on stage. But acting, I have to be someone else, and walk how they would walk and blink how they would blink. I used to talk about it bad like, 'Aw man, that person made $10 million a movie?' But now I understand why they do. I get it now.

I had writer's block for almost a year.

I feel like I spend most of my time in a state of writer's block! When things do come out, they come out quickly.

I would rather do many small roles on TV, stage or film than one blockbuster that made me rich but had no acting.

I don't want to do only blockbusters.

When they talk about music getting in your blood, I understand exactly what they're talking about, because that is me.

If you were ever a ballerina, you know the pain: just to be able to look like it's all so light, but when they take off their shoes, it's all bloody.

Maybe I'm not a good enough artist that people just think of me. Maybe in the future, I'll bloom into something that will just make people look at me for what I am.

I'm always blown away by stand-ups. I'm blown away by people like that who are craftspeople at comedy.

You blows who you is.

I think 'Beyond the Blue Neon' is the best I've ever done.

I love bluegrass music, I love acoustic music, and I try at the right times to push that a little bit.