Herb Ritts Quotes

I imagine that when I am creating a song or a project or an album or putting some clothing together or cooking a meal, whatever it is, I don't really have a recipe. The fun part is to throw that big piece of clay in the middle of the table as hard as I can, and whatever shape it takes, that's what shape it takes, and then I start to carve away.

None of us understand what we're doing, but we do beautiful things anyway.

I've always been somebody who, when I started a picture, never knew what the next picture would be.

Creativity makes a leap, then looks to see where it is.

The best stuff comes out when you're not making it for anything and you don't really know what you're making.

The most important thing is to keep creating and following my inklings as they come into being and acting on them.

If I knew what the picture was going to be like I wouldn’t make it. It was almost like it was made already – the challenge is more about trying to make what you can’t think of.

It often feels like a tremendous amount of work is required to get an idea moving forward, like pushing a train uphill. But at a certain point, the thing takes on its own momentum, and takes unexpected turns. So it's that feeling of holding on, rather than pushing it, that is the most exciting thing. It's that need to occasionally bounce off the walls, letting anything happen for any reason, and having nothing to guide you that is the joy.

The interesting thing about this is I don't know what my vision [ in Salome the play and Salomaybe] is yet about. I'm sensing something and I'm going along with it. It reminds me of a painting, the way Jackson Pollack painted - Jackson Pollack, the great, great artist.

Artists of all disciplines must be willing to go into the dark, let go control, be surprised.

As a creative person, you need to sort of spread your wings and try different things out because each one really does inform the other.

That is a big danger, losing your inspiration. When I work in film and television I try to do each take a little differently. I never want to do the same thing twice, because then you're not being spontaneous, you're just recreating something.

To some extent I happily don't know what I'm doing. I feel that it's an artist's responsibility to trust that.

I'd rather play here in this small bar and just do a good show. Because it's fun and there's no expectations, it's encouragement to be different, do something new.

I had no idea what I was doing when I wrote 'Search.' There was no carefully designed work plan. There was no theory that I was out to prove.

I don't follow any system. All the laws you can lay down are only so many props to be cast aside when the hour of creation arrives.

I never know what I'm going to put on the canvas. The canvas paints itself. I'm just the middleman.

I'm a great believer in chaos. I don't believe that you start with a formula and then you fulfill the formula. Chaos is a much better instigator, because we live in chaos - we don't live in a rigorous form.

If I find something I like, I'll chase it and see what comes out the other side. Once a song gets momentum and gets away from you, that's a good sign.

If you want creative workers, give them enough time to play.

You just go for it and see what works. There are no rules.

That's kind of like how jazz is sometimes. You're out there predicting the future, and no one believes you.

Whatever I hear in my head is what I play.

We don't always know what we're doing. We often just get excited, put something down, and say, 'Oh, neat'.

When I put my brush to canvas, I never know what I'm going to paint. It's like when you're walking down the street with your hands in your pockets, humming a tune, you don't know what you'll be humming five minutes from now.