“If you are creative, you will always be happy, for creativity will give you an inner feeling of satisfaction and pride that no amount of money could ever match. If you can point to something you made or an idea you offered that turned out brilliantly, and say, “I did that!” it gives you a feeling of such joy that nothing else can match.”

- Susan Miller

“I believe in maniacs. I believe in type As. I believe that you’ve got to love your work so much that it is all you want to do. I believe you must betray your mistress for your work, you betray your wife for your work; I believe that she must betray you for her work. I believe that work is the one thing in the world that never betrays you, that lasts. If I were going to be a politician, if I were going to be a scientist, I would do it every day. I wouldn’t wait for Monday. I don’t believe in weekends. If you’re headed for a life that’s only involved with making money and that you hope for satisfaction somewhere else, you’re headed for a lot of trouble. And whatever replaces vodka when you’re 45 is what you’re going to be doing.”

With the taste, interests, and obsessions of a fussy homosexual, I was the household’s self-appointed sous-chef, party planner, and interior decorator. But, as all artistic people know, when you happen to be blessed with a passion, however hard you drive yourself, it just never feels like work at all.