My mom was an orphan, and there was never anybody to tell her what she could or couldn't do. At the core, she's probably an artist - an artist and a feminist.
Interpretation
This quote reflects on the independence and creativity of the speaker's mother, emphasizing her artistic and feminist spirit despite her difficult background.
Mark Bradford's quote highlights the resilience and individualism of his mother, who, as an orphan, faced challenges without guidance. The quote suggests that her experiences shaped her into an artist, serving as a representation of empowerment and self-expression, reflecting broader themes of feminism and the importance of personal identity.
In practice
In a speech about personal struggles and triumphs.
That's how I make work. Along the way, I take notes, I read about history and popular culture. Sometimes I act out things in the studio. I go back to my mother's hair salon so I can hear three voices going all at once. I pull inspiration from everything.
I don't know why so many artists talk about the mainstream's problems from the fringe. I think, unfortunately, it's almost like our education makes us too safe and terrified to step into the world.
Sweet bird, that shun the noise of folly, most musical, most melancholy!
Writing stories is my way of scratching that itch: my escape from the claustrophobia of individuality. It lets me, at least for a while, live more than one life, walk more than one path. Reading, of course, can do the same.
It was my dad’s idea that music is supposed to be more than simply about entertainment and making a living, but about being of service as an integral part of the consciousness of the world. In honor of him and because it’s right, I use music in that light.
It's funny with fiction - once you cut something, it hasn't happened anymore.
Art made tongue-tied by authority.
Because I cannot work except in solitude, it is necessary that I live my work and that is impossible except in solitude.
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