I grew up surrounded by religious people: catholic, baptist, evangelical, non-denominational, and a whole lot of fundamentalists. In many of these communities lay the concept of “bearing witness.” Without going into that trauma factory too much—the idea is that to witness is to validate. Individuals through word and deed would bear witness to one another’s beliefs, validate one another’s faith and exist collectively understanding of a purpose greater than themselves. Outside the religious context, I think this is a beautiful way to be with one another.

“If you understand the strands of your creative DNA, you begin to see how they mutate into common threads in your work. You begin to see the ‘story’ that you’re trying to tell; why you do the things you do (both positive and self-destructive); where you are strong and where you are weak (which prevents a lot of false starts), and how you see the world and function in it.”