“Ah, I’ve been thinking a lot about the cave recently! You know, our world becomes noisier with each passing day. We’re all deluged by email, the 24-hour work cycle, not to mention the 24-hour news cycle, images on social media, the sense of FOMO forever present — I could go on — and what is the artist, or any creative person, supposed to do with all this noise? How do we quiet down our minds enough to produce work that is clear, deep, and unconfused? I think of this as going into the cave. The work gets done in there. It’s very hard to go in — especially if one has been out in the bright light for a while. So much stimulation! So much excitement and distraction! But the best work happens in the dark. It’s trickier than ever, these days — and I admit I come out of the cave more frequently than I wish. But, as our world evolves, artists are required to evolve as well. So, I learn tricks and methods of keeping my focus deep, and my time sacred, during the hours of quiet. We all need to learn to protect what matters most to us.”