It terrified me to have an idea that was solely mine to be no longer a part of my mind, but totally public.

It's only in hindsight that you realize what indeed your childhood was really like.

Some artists want to confront. Some want to invoke thought. They're all necessary and they're all valid.

I probably spent the first 20 years of my life wanting to be as American as possible. Through my 20s, and into my 30s, I began to become aware of how so much of my art and architecture has a decidedly Eastern character.

You have to have conviction and completely question everything and anything you do. No matter how much you study, no matter how much you know, the side of your brain that has the smarts won't necessarily help you in making art.

If you don't remember history accurately, how can you learn?

I loved school. I studied like crazy. I was a Class A nerd.