We have a culture that is indirect in the extreme, where by the time you're five years old, you've watched tons of television, and have been subjected to what I call "the age of interruption," where everything is interrupted every minute. We have constant input from TV, computers, fax machines, telephones, etc. It's very hard for a modern American to have two hours of uninterrupted time. I know how it is because I insist on several hours of uninterrupted time each day, and I know how ruthless I have to be to get it.
Michael VenturaTo be physically astute and psychologically tended, yet morally insulated and conceptually blind--is to be crazy, not healthy.
Michael VenturaI never get my creativity flowing. I'm a pro, this is how I earn my living. If it don't flow, I don't eat.
Michael VenturaThe world of psychology and the world of normal life tends to look down on obsession. It's not good for you, and certainly not good for your relationships. It's not good for a lot of things, but it's the only way to make a work of art.
Michael VenturaMost of us aren't very graceful about not having our needs met, when and how we want them met.
Michael VenturaCourage can't make you an artist, but without that courage, you won't remain one for long. First is the courage to be alone in the room where you create, and the courage to face that indefinitely, with no one to say if you are any good or not. Then, there is the courage to follow your work wherever it's going to take you. And the courage to fight for your work.
Michael Ventura