"Agreed. The eye is a fascist, and the evil often triumph."
— Siege, on Rodney Smith’s blog entry Interregnum
"A necessary caution: the “democratization of tools” entails many financial and technical constraints, and does not save us from the necessity of work. Owning a DV camera does not magically confer talent on someone who doesn’t have any or who is too lazy to ask himself if he has any. You can miniaturize as much as you want, but a film will always require a great deal of work - and a reason to do it."
— Chris Marker (via seanmarclee)
"Coming out of education, we’re always trying to impress people and gain their approval. There has to be a point where one leaves that behind and is not afraid what people think."
"There’s an imprint of the soul that happens… Something much greater takes place, and photography is a conduit for that magic and grace to be materialized."
— Jehsong Baak, from Black Book
"I figured out how to be Talented after years and years of public humiliation and failure. Which means, I think, that I did it the way you’re supposed to: the way that makes you distrust talent, distrust praise, distrust the entire idea of aspiration or ambition, the way that makes you prepare a place in your heart for when the notice goes away and you’re left with your own sad self again."
— via Tiger Beatdown
"To practice any art, no matter how well or badly, is a way to make your soul grow. So do it."
— Kurt Vonnegut
"There are innovators and there are imitators. Which one are you?"
— Mantis, in his writing on “biting,” or imitating moves, in breakdance culture
"To me, a photograph is most powerful when it’s least tampered with."
— Bert Stern
