The twentieth-century artist who uses symbols is alienated because the system of symbols is a private one. After you have dealt with the symbols you are still private, you are still lonely, because you are not sure anyone will understand it except yourself. The ransom of privacy is that you are alone.

Clothing is . . . an exercise in memory. It makes me explore the past: how did I feel when I wore that. They are like signposts in the search for the past.

Sometimes it is necessary to make a confrontation-and I like that.

Look at it this way - a totem pole is just a decorated tree. My work is a confessional.

If you flatter me, or if you look at me the right way, I will kill myself to please you. It's very painful to be an overachiever.

It is not so much where my motivation comes from but rather how it manages to survive.

When I was growing up, all the women in my house were using needles. I've always had a fascination with the needle, the magic power of the needle. The needle is used to repair damage. It's a claim to forgiveness. It is never aggressive, it's not a pin.