Everyone knew in the 1950s why a girl from a nice family left home. The meaning of her theft of herself from her parents was clear to all - as well as what she'd be up to in that room of her own.
Joyce JohnsonA lot of artists don't survive, do they? You work very hard and finally you get what you want and it destroys you.
Joyce JohnsonI think art, the discipline of creating, really does require tremendous solitude. But the whole creative process can seal your life to such an extent that while you're creating, you feel very self-sufficient. I've certainly experienced that.
Joyce JohnsonI think even celebrities deserve their privacy. I really do. It's sort of a hideous spectacle, the public feeding on all this information.
Joyce Johnson