I want to be proud of this country [the USA], but when aspects of our policy don't align with my ethics, I want to protest them and try to change them. Being complicit because it's the home team is nationalism, not patriotism. Shepard Fairey More Quotes by Shepard Fairey More Quotes From Shepard Fairey There's good and bad in every arena. It's funny, some people, the reason they're in the underground is because they're lazy and don't make things happen for themselves. Shepard Fairey arena lazy people The problem with copyright enforcement is that when the parameters aren't incredibly well defined, it means big corporations, who have deeper pockets and better lawyers, can bully people. Shepard Fairey bully mean people Art shows and the institutions end up being the couriers for culture for the next generation and are an important component as well. It may seem ironic from one perspective, but I think if you look at my overall strategy, it's actually not out of step. Shepard Fairey perspective art thinking I wear some of my stuff, but usually the less in-your-face designs. I get a little self conscious, there is a fine line between pride and ego. Shepard Fairey design pride self I said, ok, I'll pay the licensing fee it. And [the AP] said, no, we want to claim damages. I said damages? Because of my poster the Mannie Garcia picture is now worth more than it ever would have been. Shepard Fairey damage want pay The Internet hasn't had a chance to really get to where people look at it with the proper level of scrutiny. There's so much bullshit on the Internet. It doesn't get filtered out because it's such a new medium. Shepard Fairey bullshit people looks Obama has had a really tough time, but there have been a lot of things that he's compromised on that I never would have expected. I mean, drones and domestic spying are the last things I would have thought he'd support. I've met Obama a few times, and I think Obama's a quality human being, but I think that he finds himself in a position where your actions are largely dictated by things out of your control. I'm not giving him a pass for not being more courageous, but I do think the entire system needs an overhaul and taking money out of politics would be a really good first step. Shepard Fairey giving mean thinking There's always a lot that's making me angry, but it won't tie into the election. I mean nothing against Hilary Clinton. I agree with Hilary on most issues, but campaign finance structure makes me very angry, because it means that politicians are going to have to raise a huge amount of money, which narrows the field dramatically. Shepard Fairey election finance mean I hate to say Americans are ignorant and lazy, but a lot of them are ignorant and lazy. It's just like what I was talking about with Rebel Music and art. When you live in a place that has a lot of good things that make life easier, it's easier to take them for granted. But what frustrates me to no end are people who want to blame Obama or blame anything that is something that if they were actually doing anything as simple as voting, it might not be as bad as it is. Shepard Fairey hate simple art I think that what led largely to Trump's election was the manifestation of the too-common mindset that facts don't matter; in other words, "manifest destiny" - the truth will not penetrate the barriers of our ideology if the truth doesn't sit well with our predispositions. Shepard Fairey election destiny thinking If the idea that my safety can only be enhanced by putting other people's privacy and safety in danger, then I don't want to be more safe. Shepard Fairey safety people ideas It's not the same Wild West it once was, but I have always been a populist. I love the idea of democratizing art. Wynwood is a template, and there are lots more walls out there. Shepard Fairey arts The most important thing about intellectual property vs. creative expression is that copyright law was created not to stifle creativity but to encourage creativity. Shepard Fairey creativity important creative law My idea about the role of artists is to get people to look at things in a way that's different than the way they normally would if they are being told how to think, what to do. I think when people receive information through art, they are more open-minded. Shepard Fairey look think people art I think that art has the ability to capture people's imaginations and make them think that more is possible. Shepard Fairey think capture people art Propaganda has a negative connotation, which it partially deserves, but I think there is some propaganda that is very positive. I feel that if you can do something that gets people's attention, then maybe they'll go and find out more about the person. Shepard Fairey feel you positive people Street art, of course, is political, because it's illegal, so the very act of doing it is an act of defiance. Shepard Fairey street doing political art When Justin Bieber started wearing the Obey bar logo, we discontinued it. That was kinda one of the last straws. Shepard Fairey wearing bar started last I never set out to be a groundbreaking artist in the sense of doing something that's never been done before. I set out to make stuff that communicated quickly and effectively, playing off of advertising, pop art, and pop culture. Shepard Fairey never advertising culture art I want to be proud of this country, but when aspects of our policy don't align with my ethics, I want to protest them and try to change them. Shepard Fairey ethics proud change country
