A handful of works in history have had a direct impact on social policy: one or two works of Dickens, some of Zola, 'Uncle Tom's Cabin' and, in modern drama, Larry Kramer's 'The Normal Heart.'
Tony KushnerRead
When I'm writing a new play, there's a period where I know I shouldn't be out in public much. I imagine most people who create go through something like this. You willfully loosen some of the inner straps that hold your core together.
Interpretation
What this quote means
The quote speaks to the isolating nature of the creative process, highlighting the need for solitude while developing new work.
Tony Kushner's quote reflects the introspective and often isolating experience that many creators undergo when engaged in the depths of their creative work. This period of withdrawal from public life allows the artist to loosen the restraints of their usual identity and to explore deeper emotions and ideas, suggesting that the act of creation requires a certain degree of vulnerability and self-reflection. It implies that the creative process can be both exhilarating and disorienting, demanding time away from societal interactions to foster true originality.
Themes
CreativityIsolationArtWritingProcessSelf-Reflection
In practice
Example use cases
When discussing the challenges of writing a new script at a writers' workshop.
More from Tony Kushner
All quotes →Artists know that diligence counts as much, if not more, as inspiration; in art, as in politics, patience counts as much as revolution.
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In this world, there is a kind of painful progress. Longing for what we've left behind, and dreaming ahead.
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The way that same-sex marriage should reach the federal level is that it absolutely should be decided by the Supreme Court as quickly as possible. It's a 14th Amendment issue. There's no argument about it.
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Gay TV has been immensely important in transforming American culture in a more gay-positive direction.
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