“If you want to really hurt your parents, and you don't have the nerve to be gay, the least you can do is go into the arts. I'm not kidding. The arts are not a way to make a living. They are a very human way of making life more bearable. Practicing an art, no matter how well or badly, is a way to make your soul grow, for heaven's sake. Sing in the shower. Dance to the radio. Tell stories. Write a poem to a friend, even a lousy poem. Do it as well as you possibly can. You will get an enormous reward. You will have created something.”
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About this quote
Creativity is a tool you can use to feel more present and less like life is happening to you. You don't need flawless talent to start; you need a small habit and the willingness to keep showing up even when it looks bad. Try a tiny practice this week—sing in the shower or write an awkward note to a friend—and notice how your mood shifts. The real reward is private: you will have made something that didn't exist before.
When to use it
- At a tense family dinner when my parents asked why I picked art school, I said this to explain why it mattered to me.
- Before I told my manager I needed Wednesday evenings off for a ceramics class, I quoted this line to make it clear it wasn't a fling.
- When my advisor frowned at my studio elective and asked if it was practical, I repeated this to defend doing something that kept me sane.
- After a stretch of feeling low, I remembered this and forced myself to sing in the shower—my morning actually improved.