Style
“It’s an artist’s duty to reflect the times in which we live.”
“You have to decide who you are and force the world to deal with you, not with its idea of you.”
“I’m a believer in the power of knowledge and the ferocity of beauty, so from my point of view, your life is already artful—waiting, just waiting, for you to make it art”
“You cannot hide behind a profession or instrument; you have to be human. Focus your energy on becoming the best human you can be.”
“Stay fashion conscious. Move fashion forward.”
“You have to act as if it were possible to radically transform the world. And you have to do it all the time.”
“Did you know that the human voice is the only pure instrument? That it has notes no other instrument has? It’s like being between the keys of a piano.”
“You can only become truly accomplished at something you love. Don’t make money your goal. Instead, pursue the things you love doing, and then do them so well that people can’t take their eyes off you.”
“Those who say it can’t be done are usually interrupted by others doing it.”
“Each of us has that right, that possibility, to invent ourselves daily. If a person does not invent herself, she will be invented. So, to be bodacious enough to invent ourselves is wise.”
“For me, music and life are all about style.”
“But you’ve got to have style in whatever you do — writing, music, painting, fashion, boxing, anything. ”
“Man, sometimes it takes you a long time to sound like yourself.”
“Tap into the rhythm in you.”
Thank you to the following muses for trusting the process & the invitation to play.
Creators
Shenel Johns
(HMU: Virna Acosta)
Risa Branch
Michael Mwenso and the Shakes
(photo credit: Elizabeth Leitzell)
Dee Dee Bridgewater
Jazz at Lincoln Center
(HMU: Virna Acosta)
Wynton Marsalis
(photo credit: Luigi Beverelli)