on work: Christo (and Jeanne-Claude)

on paying for their own projects:

The freedom. To have this incredible pleasure to do what you like to do. All our projects are about freedom. Total freedom... And of course there is great pleasure -- Jeanne Claude always was saying we do our projects for ourselves first, and if people like it, it is a bonus. They are no strings attached presents... The projects are totally irrational, absolutely unnecessary. Free of everything... the greatest of art, like poetry or music, is that it is totally unnecessary. Because we are surrounded by a world that stifles our existence, we work better.

.......................

on the new generation of artists:

...for young people who like to make art, they should work on their art. I never take a vacation; I work all our life because art is our life. And if you work all the time with no diversion, you will do what you like to do. The biggest problem is to know what you like to do. And often the young artists, they do not know. They are all dispersed, do too many things. I don't know. You need to be extremely focused.

from my husband's interview with Christo, here.