The mind of a writer can be a truly terrifying thing. Isolated, neurotic, caffeine-addled, crippled by procrastination, consumed by feelings of panic, self-loathing, and soul-crushing inadequacy. And that’s on a good day.
Interpretation
This quote highlights the struggles writers face with their mental health and self-doubt.
Robert De Niro captures the tumultuous inner life of a writer, revealing the intense psychological battles that can accompany the creative process. Writers often deal with feelings of isolation, anxiety, and procrastination, which can hinder their productivity and lead to deep self-criticism. This quote encapsulates the darker side of creativity, where moments of inspiration are often marred by overwhelming feelings of inadequacy.
In practice
Use this quote in a speech about the challenges of artistic creativity.
You never know what you do that could be totally out of left field, which actually might work and give something fresh to the whole scene, to the character, whatever. If you have that with a director who then knows how to shape it, either in the direction, in the moment, or in the editing, then that's good.
I spent lunchtime in a grave during the filming of 'Bloody Mama.' When you're younger, you feel that's what you need to do to help you stay in character. When you get older, you become more confident and less intense about it - and you can achieve the same effect.
I think Hollywood has a class system. The actors are like the inmates, but the truth is they're running the asylum.
If you're an actor, always be true to your character. If you are not an actor, have character and always be true to yourself.
I think all songs should have weather in them. Names of towns and streets, and they should have a couple of sailors. I think those are just song prerequisites.
They are fairies; he that speaks to them shall die. I'll wink and couch; no man their works must eye.
I start with no preconceived idea - discovery excites me to focus - then rediscovery through the lens - final form of presentation seen on ground glass, the finished print previsioned completely in every detail of texture, movement, proportion, before exposure - the shutter's release automatically and finally fixes my conception, allowing no after manipulation - the ultimate end, the print, is but a duplication of all that I saw and felt through my camera.
If artists and poets are unhappy, it is after all because happiness does not interest them.
Writers remember everything...especially the hurts. Strip a writer to the buff, point to the scars, and he'll tell you the story of each small one. From the big ones you get novels. A little talent is a nice thing to have if you want to be a writer, but the only real requirement is the ability to remember the story of every scar. Art consists of the persistence of memory.
Today, although as a whole, the industry is still male-dominated, more women are drawing comics than ever before, and there are more venues for them to see their work in print. In the 1950s, when the comic industry hit an all-time low, there was no place for women to go. Today, because of graphic novels, there's no place for aspiring women cartoonists to go but forward.
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