It's like something happened to you that caused you to do what you do...you heard something somewhere, you felt something about this music that was definitely part of your own vision. That's what the whole thing is like.
My films, no one else will do.
With a film, you try to keep your vision in it. I think with 'The American' and 'Control' I managed to do that.
If you're using a computer as an artist and expressing your personal vision, I think your personal vision comes through.
I paint what I see and not what others like to see.
Great art is the outward expression of an inner life in the artist, and this inner life will result in his personal vision of the world.
Personal Vision is often the catalyst for wise decisions.
Personal mastery is the discipline of continually clarifying and deepening our personal vision, of focusing our energies, of developing patience, and of seeing reality objectively.
When I get to make a movie, I really try to make it on my own terms.
I'm a family man, I have kids, and I go to the movies. And I'm just going to make the kind of movie I want to see.
I don't work to any commissions. I do what I want to do.
I lived in a cabin in the woods in Oregon, and I'd basically given up on the music industry for an indefinite amount of time. And while I was out there, I came up with a very specific vision of what I wanted my music to sound like.
Never follow the crowd in what you do; the crowd has never produced anything of lasting quality, value or beauty.
One of the beauties about going solo was being able to start from scratch and say, 'What do I really want? What kind of band do I really want? What kind of live show do I really want to stage?' Without any of the baggage of being something with history.
I think I did have a reputation for being grumpy. I don't think I'm grumpy. I have opinions. I have an independent vision. I am a purposeful person. But on a daily basis, I think I'm other than grumpy. I think it is a case where I am coming to do business and not there just to be flattered and cajoled and used.
I'm doing the kind of show that I would want to see.
To the extent that independent means you're willing to attempt to put your own ideas, personality, and commitment to the material on screen, then of course I hope I'm independent until the day I die.
You can't plan for people to like your movies. I knew that people were not going to run in droves to the theater for the 'In the Valley of Elah.' I knew they might not want to see it, but I still had to the movie; I felt very strongly about it. Wanting to keep telling a good story is what you want to do, a compelling story.
I think the key for any kind of artist - and this transcends music - is a certain degree of authenticity and sincerity.
Making a movie like 'Felony' is hard work because you're really putting your own ideas on the screen. You can't hide behind some other person's script; you're saying, 'This is my brain, and I want you to know what I think'.'
Try to produce your own films, avoid directing for hire.
If I have ideas, I want to put them in the movie. It's not a minimalist approach at all but I feel like it's for the audience. It's about seeing how much texture we can give it and seeing how many things are there for people to latch on to... I just want to do it the way I want and I feel like it won't be helpful for me if I start worrying about that. I just have to follow my instincts. Everyone is going to respond differently to it and everybody's right - that's their point of view. That's how the story intersects with their lives.
I think that just because I'm trans, and I feel like I have to prove to people that I'm a woman sometimes, I'm never going to sacrifice my vision of femininity to make it clearer for other people. Even if it sometimes gets cloudy.
I was the audience he wanted to reach. Gram Parsons' writing brought his own personal generations poetry and vision into the very traditional format of country music, and he came up with something completely different
I've seen many films, and many beautiful films. And I try to keep a certain level of quality of my films. I don't do commercials, I don't do films pre-prepared by other people, I don't do star system. So I do my own little thing.
