Quotes About Craft

I'm a photographer, period. I love photography, the immediacy of it. I like the craft, the idea of saying 'I'm a photographer.'

I love photography. I love the imagery. I love what I do.

I always like it when writers posit writing as an act of empathy. It's such a grand turn of phrase, such a noble ideal; empathy is so worth aiming for in life that the same must hold true in art. But personally, I can't think too deeply about that when I'm working, or I'd never get anything down on the page.

I was a contestant on 'The Apprentice: Martha Stewart' and more than her telling me I learned from her that authenticity is key. She had a huge issue with a contestant using the phrase 'fake it 'til you make it' and fired her that same episode. She taught me that you can't fake being a master of your craft.

When I'm trying to find my way into a character, the voice and physicality are the first two things I do.

I would never say I 'play' guitar. But yeah, I play to write. Same with piano.

When you sit down and write a song, you kind of have the idea for the song, and you sit there at the piano and you kinda just write it. And then of course later there's some dinking around with it and changing some stuff.

For me, acting is all about the aesthetic. I just want to keep honing my craft. Not that I'm taking myself too seriously, but every artist should consider himself Picasso. Otherwise, you're doing yourself an injustice.

If you do well as an actor, a good director will pick up on it, and keep it in the film.

When I don't have any ideas, I pick up fabric and start working with it and something happens.

Some basic things I have picked up from Dad is how to interpret my character correctly, use the camera to my advantage and how not to hurry up with work.

I love going into junk shops, picking up something that looks like it's got a bit of history to it, then sanding it down and reviving it.

When I write, I try not to cast in my head, because then I'm writing to a major movie star, and it picks up those ticks, and that's not what I want to do.

I'm very picky about the kind of work that I do, and I'm fortunate to have been able to work with great directors and great actors who've helped me grow as an artist.

It ain't the picture and it ain't the camera - it's the operator.

That is the godawful thing about television today. Performers don't have any place to hit and miss. You're either in or you're out; you don't have a chance to become good at your craft. If you make three pictures in a row and they don't go over, you're out of the business.

Layers are not difficult for me. You have the luxury of takes, so if you feel like, say, you did not take in the fact that your aunt is across the way in one take, you do it again and try to add that piece.

I'm always writing. A friend of mine once said, 'You avoid re-writing by writing.' Which is kind of a good point, because re-writing seems to be mostly about craft, and writing is just, like, getting out your passion on a piece of paper.

A piece of fabric can get me going.

When you are young, hone your craft and write shorter pieces instead of novels, because it's really hard to finish a novel.

I had tried painting, mostly to give myself a greater appreciation of the craft and to inform how I looked at paintings. That led to collaging some of the work I had done on paper, and I found myself mixing in found pieces as well.

For me, theatre and cinema are both pillars of an actor's life; I'd feel very half-baked if I was only doing one and not the other.

If you ever need a pillow, I can make you a pillow.

A lot of people are surprised to hear that an actor studied for two or three years. They take the craft for granted and wanna just wake up and be an actor.