The Art Prize

It is ironic that the winner of a Nobel Prize for Literature is so inarticulate in his acceptance of it.

At the age of nine I played the piano in a music festival in my home town. To my sadness people seemed more interested in the status of those playing, rather than the music that was made. From that time I have been opposed to any form of competition in the arts. Experiencing art is profoundly personal and its value is not defined by winners or loosers, but by its beauty, message, and power.

Doubt

I do not like doubt, but I recognize its strength.

I treat doubt as my ally and of more importance in the creative process than certainty.

If doubt overwhelms me, I am indecisive, weakened. Yet it so often brings me to a better place through its encouragement of candour.

Why I Do

The most simple questions are often the most difficult to answer. Here are two: Why do? And its antithesis: Why do not?

What I do is driven by my nature, my values, my desire, my interest, my strength, my weakness, and my judgement of risk. These are also at the root of why I do not.

If I consider these questions as ethical, I form a guide to my actions. Why do?: Love. Why do not?: Love.