| I studied art at Bard. Some of my best memories are late nights in the studios, everyone burning the midnight oil, and exploring the various installations people were building. A lot of the professors were / are working artists — living in NYC, showing in galleries. Some are older luminaries. Stephen was always a great presence and an inspiration to everyone. (The various arts departments were all very close.) The part at the end of his letter reminds me of what Robin Williams said about reading “Goodwill Hunting” for the first time. He was like, “this is all about lived experience. How did these two young guys manage to write this?” Ultimately there’s no shortage of talent in the world. What’s unique about a place like Bard is the community, the life experience, and the focus on becoming a student of all areas of life and academics. Another favorite quote of mine was from a visual effects artist who worked on sci-fi shows in the 90s. He said, “you can learn all there is about making movies - but you need to have something to make movies about.” In terms of commercialism, selling out, earning a living — whatever you want to call it: Andy Warhol has his big break when he was still drawing shoes for clothing companies, and Harrison Ford was working construction when he got his first break. |