Agnes Varda Quotes

I've seen many films, and many beautiful films. And I try to keep a certain level of quality of my films. I don't do commercials, I don't do films pre-prepared by other people, I don't do star system. So I do my own little thing.

You hear it said time and time again by successful directors: You have to make a movie for yourself. Don't make it for anyone else.

And I don't want people to think that I make movies based on other films.

The concern about what's too violent or what's too scary is something that I just completely don't let enter into my creative process. I feel like, if I spend a lot of time trying to worry about whether it will appeal to everyone and who will like it and who won't, and I try to please everyone, I'll just spread myself too thin and lose my mind.

I'm not going to release something just because they think it's the next hit. It's not what everyone wants to hear, but that's the way it is.

Don't try and make a movie for someone else. You have to make it for you and trust that you're not that unique. And that'll matter to other people as well.

An artist has to be selfish; otherwise, he's not true to his own art.

My advice to new artists is to not follow a trend, but to start one. By that, I mean to not be tempted to do what business people might suggest to you, to jump on the bandwagon, but to be strong.

If you go for the money first and try to think of what other people want to see, you change your original inspiration and perhaps put out something that's less original and less personal and maybe less satisfying.

I wanted to create a body of work that I was proud of. It's come from honesty and integrity, without forcing anything from myself, the ideas had to come instinctively and organically. Whether that translates to people in that way, it's kind of out of my hands now.

I can never think about, 'Is this going to sell? Is this going to work on radio?' I just have to get in the zone where I'm like, 'Do I love this, or do I not love this?' Essentially it all comes down to that.

I don't feel I have to be Jackson Browne. Still, I like to say something.

This goes for our songwriting as well as our success as a band - the minute we stopped chasing what we thought people wanted to hear and started writing things that moved us, that's when people started paying attention.

For me, it's about making art that's not good but phenomenal. James Baldwin didn't want to just stay above the fray. Prince didn't think, 'I wonder what the industry is gonna think about 'Purple Rain.'' It's just, is this honest? Is this real? Does this move me? The rest is icing.

I can only do music if I can do it the way I can do it.

Creativity is not about making 30 songs in 30 days. It's never about demand and supply. No one can possibly do that.

I feel you lose your audience when you make movies for others and not for yourself or your people.

We have to make some movies we have passion for, respect for.

I am thankful for the fact that the audience doesn't expect common, run-of-the-mill films from me. But the fact of the matter is that if the subject doesn't hit me hard enough, I will not do it.

I have been inspired by world cinema in different ways. But no, 'Raja The Great' is not a copy. It's not based on any film. You will see a lot of Telugu nativity, moreover.

I haven't been a director-for-hire for any project. I work with people who appreciate that, understand that, and want to work that way.

I'm always making movies for my audiences, but I'm not trying to meet their expectations.

The rule I stand by as an artist is definitely be yourself, and don't make music just for other people: make it for you first.

I don't want to sound pretentious or meta or anything, but I don't write until it comes to me... People know when something is inspired and when something is not, and I don't want to waste anyone's time.

Artists make art for themselves. Art is an honest expression. Artists who pander to their fans by trying to make music "for" their fans make empty, transparent art. The true fan does not want you to make music for them, they want you to make music for you, because that's the whole reason they fell in love with you in the first place.