Hank Willis Thomas. Photo by Djeneba Aduayom for TIME
TIME magazine's most recent issue, "The Art of Optimism," guest-edited by directory Ava Duvernay, featured alum Hank Willis Thomas (BFA '98) in their article "How Artists of All Ages Keep Their Creative Spirit Alive." Here's what he had to say to Djeneba Aduayom who compiled the portfolio of artists:
"I believe that every artist is inherently an optimist, because you are making something the world is not asking you to make, with the belief that someone, somewhere will care about it. ...I think every obstacle we face really is an opportunity, and every challenge—whether painful or disorienting or humiliating—is a reminder that I am still alive. And if I am still alive, that means I still have work to do.”