Laurie Simmons Quotes

My mother was willing to support art as a summer program for me. She never supported it as a career decision until I won the National Gallery Portrait Competition.

At some level, I feel it is nice to know that a film of yours is doing well at the box office and has also got great reviews. That feels like success.

Art isn't held with the same high regard as it is after success. In any country, in any language, you're a loser if you're making music until you prove otherwise.

I never wanted to be someone who's asking someone to put my work in their gallery. I wanted to be asked.

I got a sociology degree and then had an opportunity to go to graduate school. But I said no, because I wanted to give songwriting a shot.

I've always been interested in art and making things, but I chose not to go to art school because I thought I needed to do something else. Art was a tough way to make a living.

I don't think being a star has ever been part of the plan. But I always want to do really good work, even when I made career moves with projects that made more sense in sort of a career way than in an artistic way... like I did with 'The Darkest Hour.'

If I had made it in cheerleading, I would have never been an actress.

I conveniently was not accepted to film school, which I applied to in 1987, and so I decided I would become a filmmaker instead of a student.

The chance to be both artistically appreciated and commercially appreciated... That's what you hope for.

The best thing that can happen to people entering creative professions is the dwindling of all other possibilities.

I might have simply settled down into an armchair literary life. I really don't know exactly why I didn't.

I left school at 16 and skipped university to work, initially as a waiter. I think I missed out on what would have been great years.

Other acting opportunities had come along, but nothing that was tantalizing enough to me to step away from what I found most interesting.

I want lot of luck and want all my films to be really super hits. I don't want to hear that the film is not good, but you did a good job. I am tired of hearing that. I am hoping for little luck so that my films do really well.

I wanted to be a writer, to write these stories that would make people see the world in a different way. But I ended up going to business school because I thought I could ultimately get to where I wanted to go faster that way.

I never wanted to go to drama school. I thought that was too many eggs in one basket.

In my career, I've never been a box office name. Granted, a couple of my movies have made a lot of money, but I'd do other movies which make very little money, or they're not seen that much.

I could be earning a lot of money as a consultant, or gone higher in education.

Obviously, artists need to make money and stuff like that, but if you do something good or if you make good art or make good stuff, the wealth will find you in some way.

'Certifiably Jonathan' contrives crises for its subject - a bid to get his paintings into MOMA, among others.

When I was doing 'Kanche,' a lot of my well-wishers and friends in the industry suggested that I concentrate on doing commercial films.

I want all my films to do well.

I turned down a lot of money by not going to Chelsea, but that's not what I'm interested in.

You want every film that you make to do well, not just indie films in general.