Piper French

How I overcame a fear of making mistakes.

I spent a period of time where my goal was to plow through work in the cheapest and most disposable way possible. My choice was cardboard—sheets of corrugated cardboard from the streets of Manhattan.

I’d haul it up to my studio in big bundles every day, and put it all over the walls, the floor—even on the... See more

Listening, though, is harder than it sounds, far more than a passive act. True attention means resisting the constant pull of distraction, with our buzzing phones, our restless minds, our urge to redirect the conversation toward ourselves. It asks for patience with silence, the humility to withhold judgment, and the courage to sit with another... See more

I have never liked the word discipline.

I prefer dedication.

I prefer devotion.

Discipline demands.

Devotion gives.

And what greater gift,

than to offer that devotion,

that dedication, to your own life?

I always think of ‘inspiration’ as an amateur word. Inspiration is being propelled to do something, or to think something, or to go somewhere, by some sort of external stimulus. And that to me is undependable.

But purpose—purpose is a white-hot fire inside of you, a self-delusion that keeps you coming back into the room to work decade after decade,... See more

There’s a reason the first letters of the word ‘artificial’ are ‘art’. Human beings crave deception—we need to see each other’s narratives. We make art so that we have an excuse to stare at each other.

Peering into someone else’s heart grants us a stronger purchase on our own. Art is empathy, and it will save the world.

We lie to the viewer to get... See more

“everyone wants to be a DJ and no one wants to dance” has political implications that are worth mentioning. in general, we are taught to value authority over community

Break the Fixer Reflex:

Let someone else be messy without making it about your value.

Love them , not your role in their healing.

If you’re afraid to go just that bit little farther and fuck the whole thing up, then you’re in trouble. You’re painting with one hand tied behind your back. My old teacher, the British painter Michael Tyzack, used to say, “Without risk, there can be no serious painting.”