Richard Flanagan Quotes

The life of the artist should be distinguished from that of all other people, even in external habits. They are Brahmins, a higher caste, not ennobled by birth, however, but through deliberate self-initiation.

To be an artist you have to give up everything, including the desire to be a good artist.

I have been sent more ridiculous press notices. People are frequently comparing my work with Van Gogh... I do hope I do not get bloated and self-satisfied. When proud feelings come I step up over them to the realm of work, to the thing I want, the liveness of the thing itself.

To be an artist, one must . . . never shirk from the truth as he understands it, never withdraw from life

An artist might be attracted to hedonism, but of course an artist is not a hedonist. He's a worker, always.

The moment that an artist takes notice of what other people want, and tries to supply the demand, he ceases to be an artist.

I wasn't sure I was an artist, so I thought maybe I just was throwing ideas out for people to consider.

An enormous amount of a writer's life is performance. I find myself wondering, at the moment, whether I do too much of it.

I'm still getting used to being called a composer. A poseur, maybe.

You feel yourself working to show something. I've learned to distrust that feeling.

When we were writing for Panic whether we knew it or not, having that name over the songs we were trying to do made me second guess things and change things. I started to go against my instincts.

I've never not been pleased with one of my albums. I figure because it's spoken word, there will be people who relate to it, and people who don't, so I don't worry about any of that. I've been doing it for over twenty years. I've always written because it was something I had to do, never for the glory.

For the serious artist does not satisfy needs

Most artists I know consider themselves to be phonies, along with the feeling that there's something that you're doing is essential, essential to communicate, and deeply, deeply real.

As an artist, what you do is you put out material constantly. Whether it's films, or TV shows, music... and you know, you hope people respond to it. You always have to know, as well, that not everybody's gonna like it. And that's okay. It's not for everyone. It's just for the crusty nugs.

I think it's harder to make a classic now, not because of what people say, but because artists now are so concerned with what people say.

It's not important what other people call you. If you yourself know you're a fake, that's tougher to live with.

Artists should never look at pictures, but should stutter in a language of their own.

I'm not an industry artist - I'm an artist in the industry.

I am a great artist and I know it. It's because of what I am that I have endured so much suffering, so as to pursue my vocation, otherwise I would consider myself a rogue - which is what many people think I am, for that matter.

Art is not meant to be created in stolen moments only.

I have a life and do a lot of things, and so far my work has been my life. If I was a painter no one would question me about my age. I'm an artist, I hate saying that.

All you can do as an artist is do what you think is an extension of you. You put down on paper ... who you are. That's what being an artist is all about. And when it gets done, you don't look back at it and say, Oh, I could have done that better.

If you don't enjoy making work, then it's bad. It's rough. Artwork is brutal for so many people. They let it happen to them, but it's brutal. I like the idea of an artist as somebody who works. A lot of the artists I like share this understanding.

Singing other people's material was perceived, I think, as a weakness of my persona. The effect, though, was to make me dig my heels in and try even harder to combine the two.