Quotes About Struggle

Art doesn't feed me or fill the void when I am not working. If I haven't worked for six months, I can't paint.

I'll be honest, I worry sometimes about what I've done. I have tied my whole person to my art and, whatever it takes to get that hook, I will go there and do it.

I am surprisingly optimistic, though lately that's been hard to maintain. Art and slow, small, close gestures help remind me of my optimism.

I think a lot of actors, comedians, musicians, artists are drawn to this world, because you're allowed to excavate whatever it is that you're struggling with, and hopefully turn it into art.

There exists no more difficult art than living.

Until quite recently dance in America was the ragged Cinderella of the arts . . .

I can tell for sure, the technologists have made it clear that they don't care about musicians. The arts have been sacrificed on the altar of technological advancement.

There's always been an ongoing struggle between commerce and art.

There are too many artists, too many dealers and too much art.

How can the arts overcome the slow dying of men's hearts that we call progress ?

The real hero must fail in order to succeed.

Poor England! thou art a devoted deer, Beset with every ill but that of fear. The nations hunt; all mock thee for a prey; They swarm around thee, and thou stand'st at bay.

My heart is turned to stone; I strike it, and it hurts my hand.

I'm really happy I was kicked out of CalArts (for a controversial art piece I made).

I knew nothing about martial arts. And I don't really like it! But in the film, I not only had to pretend that I knew all about it, I had to be the best at it. That was very difficult.

The artist's job is not to succumb to despair but to find an antidote for the emptiness of existence.

You must have chaos within you to give birth to a dancing star.

[N]othing is more easily corrupted than an artist.

Art never comes from happiness

Artists must be sacrificed to their art. Like bees they must put their lives into the sting they give.

One of the most difficult things to do is to paint darkness which nonetheless has light in it.

I make art when I can't gather the words to say.

The lonesome and desperate kids out there, that pain will translate to magic perhaps.

We suffered for our art. You have to suffer for our art as well!