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I wasn't exposed to art as I was growing up, and can't recall the first time I saw a work of art. However, I remember very clearly a vision I had of a little green reindeer when I was a child, and visions emanate from the same mythical area where painting resides. Whatever the reason, I immediately felt comfortable working with visual materials.
William S. Burroughs
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Interpretation

What this quote means

This quote reflects the connection between imagination and creativity in art.

William S. Burroughs expresses how his early experiences, despite not being directly exposed to art, helped him develop a connection to visual creativity. He emphasizes that visions and imagination are integral to the artistic process, suggesting that personal experiences and inner visions can inspire artistic expression.

Themes

ArtCreativityImaginationVisionsExpression

In practice

Example use cases

In a discussion about the importance of creativity in childhood.

More from William S. Burroughs

God save the Queen and a fascist regime … a flabby toothless fascism, to be sure. Never go too far in any direction, is the basic law on which Limey-Land is built. The Queen stabilizes the whole sinking shithouse and keeps a small elite of wealth and privilege on top. The English have gone soft in the outhouse. England is like some stricken beast too stupid to know it is dead. Ingloriously foundering in its own waste products, the backlash and bad karma of empire
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