Consolation for artists and intellectuals
To be in a bookstore, filled with the intellectual and creative pursuits of humans of all occupations, interests, orientations, physical traits and personalities, is to be aware of all the things which we could not possibly learn in a single lifetime.
"This is the tragedy of wanting to make art out of your own life, or wanting to make your own life out of your art – there is no way out."—Antoine d'Agata, in our interview about his life and photography.
"When behaviors become a way of scratching some psychological itch that you have – whether it’s loneliness, or anxiety or depression, or low self-esteem or boredom – then there’s a good chance you’re addicted."—Adam Alter, in our interview about his book Irresistible.
"Emotions are never caused by external events but rather by how we appraise certain events."—Ad Vingerhoets, in our interview about human crying.
"Language is meddling even with this very basic perceptual experience. What seems to us so automatic, and so much driven by the world, is instead a combination of factors, including the language that you speak."—Lera Boroditsky, in our interview about her research on language and thought.
I work for myself, which means my boss is a real bitch. She makes me work long hours, never likes anything I produce until I’ve revised it a thousand times (and maybe not even then) and, after all that, she’ll hardly ever pay me a compliment or let me relax on vacation. Is this what I signed up for?
"There’s a lot of people who don’t understand that art is something that’s woven into the fabric of the community to strengthen it. What I’m doing is feeding, or nurturing the community’s souls. Helping spirits who need it."—Lake Montgomery, in our interview about singing-songwriting
One of the problems with narrative thinking is that it asserts a beginning, a middle and an end, mental constructions that cannot be applied to the complicated fabric of Real Life. But, we don’t all agree on the narrative. One person’s climax is another’s lull.
"Every sex worker wants to use a condom. Come on. It’s the clients. And if you’re in a desperate situation, you’re willing to take more money to not use a condom. These are vulnerable populations."—Lisa Johnston, in our interview about HIV epidemiology.
The white of a canvas invites color, to the extent that white doesn’t appear so much as a color as it does a sign of incompleteness. It serves so well as a starting point that it’s hard to remember that white is even a color. Yet, it is a color. Many, in fact.