Nothing is original. Steal from anywhere that resonates with inspiration or fuels your imagination. Devour old films, new films, music, books, paintings, photographs, poems, dreams, random conversations, architecture, bridges, street signs, trees, clouds, bodies of water, light and shadows. Select only things to steal from that speak directly to your soul. If you do this, your work (and theft) will be authentic. Authenticity is invaluable; originality is non-existent. And don’t bother concealing your thievery - celebrate it if you feel like it. In any case, always remember what Jean-Luc Godard said: “It’s not where you take things from―it’s where you take them to."

| Jim Jarmusch

being a great artist isn’t limited to those who made a career out of their art, but also to those who created art in spite of their careers

a great artist creates authentic and skillful art. it has nothing to do with their ability (or even desire) to market their art, meet the demands of clients, and maintain an audience. in fact you could have a successful art career and lack both authenticity and skill. so

what does it really mean to turn your art into a career? simply put, the fantasy of being a professional artist is very different from the reality of it, & more often than not, turning creativity into an obligation kills the creativity, which in turn kills the authenticity

““If you want to live your life in a creative way, as an artist, you have to not look back too much. You have to be willing to take whatever you’ve done and whoever you were and throw them away. The more the outside world tries to reinforce an image of you, the harder it is to continue to be an artist, which is why a lot of times, artists have to say, ‘Bye. I have to go. I’m going crazy and I’m getting out of here.’ And they go and hibernate somewhere. Maybe later they re-emerge a little differently.””