My philosophy is that I'm an artist. I perform an art not with a paint brush or a camera. I perform with bodily movement. Instead of exhibiting my art in a museum or a book or on canvas, I exhibit my art in front of the multitudes.
Interpretation
Art can be expressed in various forms, including movement, rather than just traditional mediums.
In this quote, Steve Prefontaine highlights his view of artistry as a dynamic expression of the human body through performance, rather than through static mediums like painting or photography. He emphasizes the idea that true art is a living experience, meant to be shared and witnessed by an audience in real-time, transforming the concept of art into something that is interactive and deeply personal.
In practice
In a discussion about different forms of artistic expression at a gallery opening.
How does a kid from Coos Bay, with one leg longer than the other win races? All my life people have been telling me, 'You're too small Pre', 'You're not fast enough Pre', 'Give up your foolish dream Steve'. But they forgot something, I HAVE TO WIN.
The AAU doesn't care about the athletes; why should I care about them?
The best pace is a suicide pace, and today looks like a good day to die.
Some people create with words or with music or with a brush and paints. I like to make something beautiful when I run. I like to make people stop and say, 'I've never seen anyone run like that before.' It's more than just a race, it's a style. It's doing something better than anyone else. It's being creative.
This is my last year at Oregon, and it means a lot to me. The people have been great to me up there, so if I have to run three races to win the Pac-8 title, I'll do it. Oh, sure, I'll probably be tired, but the people shouting will carry me across the finish line.
World records at 19. I don't want that. Later, yes. And when it comes, I'll learn to live with it, but it won't be my first love.
Who are you, a hundred years from today, reading my poetry with curiosity?
Describing Starry Night: Firmament and planets both disappeared, but the mighty breath which gives life to all things and in which all is bound up remained.
Music is love searching for a word.
I never promised the universe that I would write brilliantly; I only promised the universe that I would write.
I really believed that anything at all was worth writing about if you cared about it enough, and that the best and only necessary justification for writing any particular story was that I cared about it.
I have all these friends who just love therapy, and I always say the reason that I'm absolutely not in therapy is because then I wouldn't have anything to write.
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