I’ve always thought my creative life began the moment my mother called me Twyla.
Well, Mozart is extraordinary not only in that he became virtuoso along the lines of his father, but that he had that compositional gift, that melodic gift. By the time he was four, he was doing piano concertos with harmony in the background.
Whenever I feel I’m working in a groove it’s invariably because I feel I am being the benefactor in the situation rather than the beneficiary. I am sharing my art with others, lending my craft to theirs, interest-free with no IOU.
The ballet needs to tell its own story in such a way it can be received without having to be translated into language.
Alone is a fact, a condition where no one else is around. Lonely is how you feel about that.
My greatest fear in working is always the end. Lately I have taken to tricking myself into finishing by leaving a hole in the middle somewhere, then stitching the two pieces together – the Union Pacific approach.
Later in life, one of the compensations is gliding effortlessly into focus in a thing. Since it is who we are, anything that is not the focus or supportive thereof is just not us. Even outside issues, when they arise, are interesting in that they only help define the focus more clearly.
Energy and time are finite resources; conserving them is very important.
I don’t think politicians should be allowed into power who are not familiar with their bodies, because that’s where our bottom line is. And I know that they would make totally different decisions if they felt responsible simply for their own bodies.
If you’re speaking of love, you really must include the element of uncertainty – and perhaps it’s best approached as the art of constant maintenance.
I don’t think that scheduling is uncreative. I think that structure is required for creativity.
Easily acquired. Inexpensive. Perfectly functional. Portable. Identifiable. Disposable. Eternal enough. These are my criteria for the perfect storage system. And I’ve found the answer in the simple file box.
I’ve always found it necessity to strip away everything but the most fundamental ways to work – the rest is style.
A commission is an invitation to fall in love.
I’ve survived inattention. I hope to God I survive attention.
In the end all collaborations are love stories.
With each piece I’ve completed I have worked to make it intact, and each of them has been an equal high. It’s like children. A mother refuses to pick out one as a favorite, and I can’t do any better with the dances.
I think a sense of humor will help get a girl out of a dark place.
Concentrate: you can’t have it all.
I have learned over the years that you should never save for two meetings what you can accomplish in one.
One clear difference between art and commercial work is that commercial work is exploitive: the work may be high quality but the intention is to sell product or tickets. Art exists with or without ticket sales.