“Without passion, all the skill in the world won’t lift you above craft. Without skill, all the passion in the world will leave you eager but floundering. Combining the two is the essence of the creative life” Twyla Tharp The Creative Habit: Learn it and Use it for Life 2003, Simon & Schuster

“…I think people need to be reminded that creativity is a verb, a very time-consuming verb. It’s about taking an idea in your head, and transforming that idea into something real. And that’s always going to be a long and difficult process. If you’re doing it right, it’s going to feel like work.” Milton Glaser American Graphic Designer Taken from Imagine: How Creativity Works by Jonah Lehrer 2012; Houghton Mifflin Harcourt New York, New York

“If your mind is empty, it is always ready for anything; it is open to everything. In the beginner’s mind there are many possibilities; in the experts mind there are few.” Suzuki Roshi

“The really nice thing about the best wineries,“…is that they’re like the best chefs. They really don’t have secrets. It always bugs me when I hear someone ask a chef, how did you make this sauce? And he says “That’s a secret.’ Those are the small individuals with little knowledge and small talent, because they’re afraid they won’t be able to stay ahead of their competitors. the real talents are happy to share all they know, because they know that next year they’ll be creating something new and even better. They’re teachers.” Marq De Villers The Heartbreak Grape: A California Winemaker’s Search for the Perfect Pinor Noir 1994, HarperCollins Publishers, Ltd, Toronto

“I go to nature to be soothed and healed.” John Burroughs American Naturalist & Conservationist (1837-1921)

“There are no secrets in woodworking, and everything should be shared.” Sam Maloof