Micah Lexier

Born :

1960

Instead of imposing something, let it make itself.

imposing

As I'm getting older, I'm moving away from calculations and measurement. I'm trying to be more open to vulnerability and mistakes.

getting-older mistake moving

I have a lifetime project which consists of boxes and boxes filled with envelopes on which people have written my name. I've always thought of it as a kind of double portrait, and a portrait of our relationship, which in some cases means nothing. But it makes me feel connected.

names mean people

Doing a job well is the thing. It's its own thing.

wells jobs

Maybe I don't think I'm touching people, but I am. Sometimes I'm sitting there at three in the morning, proofreading something, and I'm thinking, Is this really worth it? Or am I doing this only because my mother taught me never to give up? Then you realize, no, even if it doesn't come back to you, you are touching people.

giving-up mother morning

Sometimes being an artist is a real drag. It can be incredibly bureaucratic.

artist real sometimes

My collaborations have to be very positive. I will never work with a person I fight with.

very-positive collaboration fighting

I carry a knife with me so I can cut images out of cardboard boxes. I'm always cutting cardboard. Especially every Thursday, which is recycling day.

thursday knives cutting

I like the authentic object, and I have no problem paying sixty dollars for a T-shirt if it fits me really well and it's really well made. I like unassuming clothes.

clothes dollars problem

I like well-made clothes, and I don't mind spending a lot of money on something that looks super, super simple. I don't like knockoffs.

clothes simple mind

I don't cook for myself. I eat every meal out. I'm fed by others. I think it's a kind of social thing. I work collaboratively with others. A meal with a friend is my ultimate thing.

meals kind thinking

I love thoroughness. I respect people that do a job well.

wells jobs people

I'm a collector. I was born a collector. I came out of the womb a collector. I can trace it back to childhood - collecting used keys.

childhood used keys

Every time I work on a project, I keep every little piece of paper.

pieces paper littles

It's nice to make a project where you can show the full breadth of who you are.

projects nice shows