Melina Matsoukas Quotes

I think you don't do work for controversy alone, and whenever you do new work which people don't understand and they say it is done to create controversy.

It was actually the enormous risks I took with my pictures, skating right up to the edge of non-acceptance, that paid off so handsomely.

I think if you don't risk something in art, it's not really important.

There can't be art without risk. It's like saying No Sex, and then expecting there to be children.

We live in a world where art is always looked upon as the perfect medium. We live in a society where we can alter our body parts, we can act in the most perfect or right way. A lot of that is dangerous because, especially in the world of art, the chief enemy of creativity is being safe. If you're safe, you can't fall and hurt yourself. The older you are, the further down the crash is going to be. But if it works out, the higher the high.

You're not always going to hit the bull's-eye. I'm going to make movies that work and I'm going to make movies that don't work, and that's just a part of being creative. Because really, I think if you're taking risks and you're pushing yourself and you're doing things that scare you, you are going to fall on your face, and it's not always going to work.

Art doesn't just happen by accident. It is about pulling out new tricks and trying new things.

People always say that my work is sensational or shocking but there are truly shocking things you could do, and my sculptures don't go anywhere near that.

I felt really lucky that 'Hairstyles Of The Damned' and 'The Boy Detective Fails' were both bestsellers, and I thought that donating the money from 'Demons' was a good way to respond to that. My favorite artists are the ones that are willing to experiment, even if it means a smaller audience.

And I hate to see artists who are real safe. I love to see artists swing for the fences sometimes.

My idea of artistry has always been 'try everything until you find out what works.'

I like to experiment, and as an actress, I always thought it's good to be open about a lot of things.

Movies should make people uncomfortable sometimes.

I'm a fool for a brilliant filmmaker. And for someone who wants to try new things.

As an artist, you reflect the world around you. To do that, you must dive in, take risks, fall on your face, win, and sometimes lose a great deal.

The way James Franco goes to new projects, he does it the way an artist should, which is with a question mark. Like, will this work?

I'm all for trying anything once; otherwise, you end up like David Guetta - reproducing the same formula over and over.

Mars Volta was always about embracing what 'too much' was and the excess of it. I never thought there would be an audience for it.

I think a lot of people are too safe in the makeup industry.

I try every day to do something that I've never done before or make some sound that I've never made before.

When I'm at my best, I'm trying to destabilize myself and figure out new ways of approaching art as a provocation. I think I am at my best when I push myself into a place where I don't have all the answers.

If someone offers a film, I'm willing to do it if it's something I have not done before or pushes my boundary.

The only way I'm comfortable with a new album is if I'm taking a new risk.

Especially with Fantomas, i'm just trying to stretch out what the band can do. Figuring out, really, on the job or on recordings, what I can or can't get away with.

I remember on my very first film, which Steven Soderberg executive-produced, he said, 'Try not to repeat yourself. Do things that scare you.' Even if it's a challenge, I want people to say that this guy tried this thing. Hopefully he learned from it.