The combination of passion and art is what makes someone a linchpin.

What I learned: Shun nonbelievers. Ignore critics. Do your best for people who want to dance with you.

The combination of fear and ignorance (two sides of the same coin) can be paralyzing.

Excellence isn't about meeting the spec, it's about setting the spec.

The future of publishing is about having connections to readers and the knowledge of what those readers want.

When you walk around braced for impact, you're dramatically decreasing your chances. Your chances to avoid the outcome you fear, your chances to make a difference, and your chances to breathe and connect.

Art is the work of a human, an individual seeking to make a statement, to cause a reaction, to connect. Art is something new, every time, and art might not work, precisely because it's new, because it's human and because it seeks to connect.