John Edgar Wideman Quotes

It's always nice to be able to capture your life's experiences in a song and hold the emotion in that way.

I'm just trying to tell a good story and make thought-provoking, entertaining films. I just try and draw upon the great culture we have as a people, from music, novels, the streets.

In fifth grade, we had to write a story and read it in front of the class. When I read mine out, the class were just belly laughing. And I remember being like, 'This is the coolest!' So I want to dedicate my life to trying to make people laugh. I can't imagine doing anything else.

During 'Hawthorne', I was constantly trying not to be too outrageous and keep it serious. This has been so refreshing for me because it's such a good outlet for the inner me to just be. That's the whole point of 'Glee' anyways - to just be who you are and that's enough. I really feel that way on set.

Well, painting is the one thing I do, that is just me. It's me and easels, and the pencils. And as long as I don't drool too much over the canvas, the colors come out pretty good. And it's a chance to express all that I've got inside, that I sometimes keep hidden. And I think that's why I paint big broad, wide open landscapes.

I wanted to be an actor. That was my real goal. But I wasn't any good at it, so I wrote my own material and acted through that. That's my idea of fun. I get to be all these things in the songs.

Having the opportunity to express myself through music has been extremely cathartic for me my entire life.

For me, writing is a parenthesis where I can make sense of life.

I can't imagine life without singing.

At the end of the day, my life isn't about other people's work. I've got to stop giving stuff away. I've got my own stories to tell, and a great need to tell them. I've got these images, these thoughts in my head, and I need to find a way to cope with them.

Can dancing change your life? Yes. It's changed mine. What I've learned is, it's not about how good you are technically. It's about your soul coming through. It's about having fun.

I'm less desperate now to express what's inside me, that's true - I act these days because it keeps me awake and interested, an eternal student.

Acting is such a huge part of my life. It really allows me to have a creative outlet and to actually be able to have an outlet to discuss openly the things that truly I think are relevant in the world, that make a difference.

Be unpredictable, be real, be interesting. Tell a good story.

Rap is just somebody getting something off his chest. That's all it is.

Well, I write a lot of poetry - that's where it usually all starts. I definitely want to show you guys sides of me - love, loss, heartbreak - all of that good stuff!

I used to spend a lot of time alone as a kid, creating characters and doing voices in my room, and I thought to myself, I'm either going to go absolutely nuts, or I'm going to find something to put that energy into.

I really like to entertain myself in various ways when I'm writing.

Music is an expression. It's almost like a diary in my life, you know. You express your perceptions and your view on life - your world view.

I started doing drag because I needed a creative outlet for myself.

I told all kinds of stories about going to Japan, about playing ball with my father... I wanted to record my life in case it was going to end soon. So, I wrote that and it was very comforting to have that practice in the afternoons in my living room. I just wrote about my life.

I think that's why I keep being drawn back to television, because I think it's one of the most creative outlets.

What the readers want is a good story, and what the writers always want to luck into, it's a good story.

My poetry has become the way of my giving out what music is within me.

Art! What a concept! It saved my life! A place where you can do as you please!