The student who deceives himself into thinking that he is giving his life like an ascetic in the spirit of sacrifice for art, is the victim of a deplorable species of egotism.
Sentiment: NEGATIVE
Egotism: The art of seeing in yourself what others cannot see.
The smallest wound or pain of the ego is examined under a microscope as if it were of eternal importance. The artist considers his isolation, his subjectivity, his individualism almost holy.
It may be that the deep necessity of art is the examination of self-deception.
He submits to be seen through a microscope, who suffers himself to be caught in a fit of passion.
Artistic temperament is the disease that afflicts amateurs.
Irresponsibility is part of the pleasure of all art; it is the part the schools cannot recognize.
Artistic self-indulgence is the mark of an amateur. The temptation to make scenes, to appear late, to call in sick, not to meet deadlines, not to be organized, is at heart a sign of your own insecurity and at worst the sign of an amateur.
A man who becomes conscious of the responsibility he bears toward a human being who affectionately waits for him, or to an unfinished work, will never be able to throw away his life. He knows the 'why' for his existence, and will be able to bear almost any 'how.'
Egoism is the very essence of a noble soul.
The progress of an artist is a continual self-sacrifice, a continual extinction of personality.