Kamasi Washington Quotes

You do not move forward by following convention. You celebrate those who are different, who are not burdened by 'normality.'

One of the things with the second record, a word I held close to my chest was 'brave.' To take chances to go outside the box and explore. To continue to toss off any expectation that our fans or anyone else might have of us, to just tap into who I am as a writer and artist and really just operate within that freedom of creation.

I've always tried to do things a little bit before they were being done by the mainstream. I challenge myself to do that in stand-up also, to talk about things that I'm not hearing anybody talk about onstage and in the media.

I just wanted to make something in the world and worry about the rest of it later and not get too caught up in rules.

I don't have the same restrictions that other people do because I never painted myself into a corner. I've always done things that didn't necessarily fit the form. I've never felt limited in that respect in terms of songwriting.

The great challenge which faces us is to assure that, in our society of big-ness, we do not strangle the voice of creativity, that the rules of the game do not come to overshadow its purpose, that the grand orchestration of society leaves ample room for the man who marches to the music of another drummer.

Art isn't about following the rules. It's about breaking them.

All art is based on non-conformity.

The human spirit lives on creativity and dies in conformity and routine.

A man of genius has a right to any mode of expression.

In art, anything goes, and if it goes, it goes.

Well, yeah, sometimes I get a little too creative.

What is genius but the power of expressing a new individuality?

But I've always liked to be the kind of drummer and musician who likes to go outside of what's expected of me, and I've always been able to do more than you necessarily hear with every band I've ever played in.

Once you free your mind about a concept of music and harmony being correct, you can do whatever you want.

There are no rules in art.

Originality implies being bold enough to go beyond accepted norms.

To be an original is probably the hardest quality to find if you're a young filmmaker.

I don't like playing standards. I like to do my own cutting edge work.

I'd just like to inspire people to be themselves and do what they want and not conform to the rigid guidelines of the music or entertainment business.

Scientists who play by someone else's rules don't have much chance of making discoveries.

The great thing about this thing we call art is that it has no rules.

If someone wants to make very, very original music that no one has ever heard before, you shouldn't know anything about music. It just narrows you down, you know?

What people don't realize is that when you start making things outside of the convention of what is normal or good or 'best practices,' you're also shedding some of the baggage that comes with the concept of what a game 'should' be.

I'm a little insane, and I'm going to be a little different. But hopefully, somewhere in there, in that creative arena, something will emerge that is new and different and unique.