To me, art is the capacity to experience one's innocence: craft is how you get to that point. Maturity in a musician would be the point at which one is innocent at will. At that point the relationship between music and the musician is direct and reliable._x000D_ The relationship with music is always mysterious: when it works, you can never tell. You can never guarantee when it's going to work. You can only to put yourself in a place where it's more likely to happen.
Interpretation
Art involves tapping into one's inner innocence, while craft is the means to achieve that connection.
In this quote, Robert Fripp suggests that true artistry comes from a deep, instinctual connection to one's creative innocence, which can be accessed through skillful practice or craft. He emphasizes that the relationship between a musician and their music is inherently unpredictable and elusive; although the moments of inspiration and creation are not guaranteed, one can enhance the likelihood of those moments by fostering a conducive environment for creativity.
In practice
During a speech at an art exhibition, one might quote this to inspire artists about the importance of connecting with their inner child.
The creative musician ... is ... the radio receiver, not the broadcasting station. His personal discipline is to improve the quality of the components, the transistors, the speakers, the alloys in the receiver itself, but never to concern himself overmuch with putting out the program. The program is there; all he has to do is receive it as far as possible.
Music is the cup which holds the wine of silence.
Vinyl is the real deal. I've always felt like, until you buy the vinyl record, you don't really own the album. And it's not just me or a little pet thing or some kind of retro romantic thing from the past. It is still alive.
Drama can feel like therapy whereas comedy feels like there's been a pressure and a weight lifted off of you. You come to work and you laugh all day, you go home and you feel light and there's a certain feeling when you're sitting with the audience and they leave after 90 minutes and it's just pure escapism and they're happy.
My goal in life is to give to the world what I was lucky to receive: the ecstasy of divine union through my music and my dance.
When I watch a movie, someone's beauty isn't what engages me: it's what's going on internally. And I imagine it's what the audience thinks, too.
I've come to appreciate how special a song is compared to other art forms, because you can carry it around in your head and your heart, and it remains part of you. It just comes as natural as a bird to me, always did. It's the way singer-songwriters make sense of our lives.
The human soul needs actual beauty even more than bread.
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