"Well, so far, at least, my own ideas always take priority over those of other writers. As long as the well doesn't run dry, I imagine this will be the case"
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Solondz is staking out auteur territory with a shrug that doubles as a warning. The first sentence sounds like a mild, almost procedural preference, but it’s actually a declaration of artistic sovereignty: he’s not in the business of borrowing legitimacy. For a filmmaker-writer whose work courts discomfort and refuses easy uplift, “my own ideas” signals more than originality; it’s a commitment to following his particular moral weather, even when it turns ugly.
The cleverness is in the hedge. “So far” and “at least” soften what could read as arrogance, but they also imply a running tally: he’s aware of the cultural pressure to cite influences, to prove you’ve done the homework, to align with a canon that makes your strangeness more palatable. Solondz declines the protective armor of name-dropping. If you’re offended, he can’t outsource the blame to some revered predecessor.
Then comes the haunting image: “As long as the well doesn’t run dry.” Creativity becomes a finite resource, not a divine gift. He’s acknowledging the real fear beneath artistic self-reliance: the possibility that the internal engine stalls. It’s a private admission disguised as casual confidence, and it contextualizes the whole stance. Prioritizing your own ideas is easy when they keep arriving; the harder test is what you do when they don’t. Solondz is preemptively locating his independence not in bravado, but in contingency.
The cleverness is in the hedge. “So far” and “at least” soften what could read as arrogance, but they also imply a running tally: he’s aware of the cultural pressure to cite influences, to prove you’ve done the homework, to align with a canon that makes your strangeness more palatable. Solondz declines the protective armor of name-dropping. If you’re offended, he can’t outsource the blame to some revered predecessor.
Then comes the haunting image: “As long as the well doesn’t run dry.” Creativity becomes a finite resource, not a divine gift. He’s acknowledging the real fear beneath artistic self-reliance: the possibility that the internal engine stalls. It’s a private admission disguised as casual confidence, and it contextualizes the whole stance. Prioritizing your own ideas is easy when they keep arriving; the harder test is what you do when they don’t. Solondz is preemptively locating his independence not in bravado, but in contingency.
Quote Details
| Topic | Writing |
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