The first steps of a creative act are like groping in the dark: random and chaotic, feverish and fearful, a lot of busy-ness with no apparent or definable end in sight.

My mother was a dominant force in my life. She had a very specific idea about education, which was: you should know everything about everything. It was quite simple. There was no exclusivity, and there really was no judgment, which is a good thing for someone who still thinks of themselves as a very basic American.

Ultimately there is no such thing as failure. There are lessons learned in different ways.

I work because I have issues and questions and feelings and thoughts that I want to have a look at. I'm not in need of, or wanting, particularly, to know what other folk are up to.

That's what improvising is like for me. There's no tollbooth between my impulse and my action.

This is not a pleasant route for many young people to consider. You have to be either hopelessly passionate, or very stupid.

I've survived inattention. I hope to God I survive attention.