Teresa R. Funke

I let all that anger and worry go because they don't belong to me any more than the future does. And I don't wanna feel them anyhow, because the truth is, whatever happens when this war ends, here and now, far from Richmond County, I'm freer than I've ever been.

Artists have a unique ability to paint the world, and to help people see injustice. They do it not with guns, but with pens and guitars and paintbrushes.

If you haven't proclaimed it in your own life, do it now. Say, "I am an artist.

Let's make room for the kind of art that challenges us, pushes boundaries, stirs and inspires, and takes our breath away with its uniqueness. Let's reconnect with our artist souls and trust that if we make good art, we'll make good money.

In those glorious moments when someone sees, really sees, your art and bothers to tell you so, relish it!

Never let your goals or convictions get in the way of living your life. It's not about who dies with more, it's about who lived the most.

If you build a wall to separate people, there will be those who find a way around the wall, or over it, or under it, or through it. We humans are not meant to be contained, and neither are our thoughts.

I've realized I don't need to keep looking for my path. I'm already on it. I just need to trust where it leads.

In times of trouble, people need artists. We create those spaces where their own pain and worry and sadness can rest, and where their broken hearts can hope again.

We tend to think that what matters is decided by society or culture or religion or our peers, but no one can say what truly matters except us.

When you find your passion, turn a deaf ear to the naysayers and follow your dreams.

Our art is never really ours. Each person who experiences it brings to it a piece of themselves and reacts to it in ways that stem from their personal struggles, beliefs, morals, and even hang-ups.

As with everything else, the more we separate ourselves from each other, the weaker we become.

Putting our art out there is one of the biggest risks we can take. It's a special kind of vulnerability. It takes guts to be an artist.

As artists, it is our job to question the rules and ask if they are relevant or outdated, necessary or arbitrary, helpful or oppressive.

Spend one more day in pursuit of art that only you can produce, and somewhere, someone is envying your courage to do just that.

It's ever so fun and fulfilling to be clever, but more lasting and effective to be consistent.

If your art is calling to you, its doing so for a reason. You are feeling a pull toward something for which your soul is yearning.