The only way to sort your thoughts out
is to really turn off everything and not be distracted
and be away from your friends, and your boyfriend
and your girlfriend, and your parents
And as an artist you're faced with questions
What are you going to give the world?
And not, what are you going to get?
I think it is very important.
When I left photography I was at the top of the world
I had contracts with major magazines
and making lots of money and stuff
But that was never what really was my goal in life
My goal is to take really beautiful pictures
I always wanted a place
When I was living in New York, in the East Village
I always dreamt of having a little cabin in the woods
because that's where I really felt myself
And then later I came to Maui
when I sort of had said what I could say
in fashion and in portraiture
I really thought I was done with photography a decade ago
and then God had other plans for me
The life of an artist is very different
from being a doctor, a lawyer
I was young and I was showing in galleries
but I couldn't make a living off of it
I could have just stayed, banging on those gallery doors
but then there was another door down the hall
"Interview" was such an important magazine about culture
and I jumped at the chance
And that led to a 20-year career in magazines
So there's always been the celebrated people
whether that's been kings, or the aristocracy
the entertainers and politicians, and things like that
Celebrated people have always been sort of god-like to people
whether it's the Beatles, or Elvis
You see the same emotions when people would cry for the Beatles
that you do when people have a vision of the Virgin Mary
It's sort of the same well of tears that they're coming from
Growing up in the Catholic Church
I was exposed to metaphysical ideas
ideas of transcendence
an idea of mind, body, and spirit
So trying to photograph the spirit
and trying to photograph enlightenment
and that staying in the light
and things of that nature
I love the idea of forgiveness
I love the ideas where you'd see John the Baptist pouring the water
or the woman anointing Jesus' feet with oil
The representation, the Pietà
the representation of the greatest loss
which is a mother losing a child
I've used that many times in my pictures
as that symbol, the greatest loss
And I'm not looking through books or magazines
or the internet for inspiration
I don't think that's the place to find it
I think going within, being alone in nature
and the realm of the miraculous
or the realm of just being open to
Everything's coming from my brain, that I'm open to catching ideas
and that's something that's been affirmed to me
throughout my life
When you open yourself up to that idea
and of the realm of magical
or the realm of possibility
and having faith
you allow for things that are sometimes miracles
sometimes it's a sort of synchronicity
And that's what I find when I'm out here in Maui
I really find life's questions get answered
when you have solitude
and you have time to think about things and introspect and contemplate
And you've got to give yourself that time to turn off all the noise
That's super important
I think we understand our place in the world a little bit better
when we are confronted with the elements
we're confronted with giant oceans
and the vastness of the jungle
And that's pretty much the closest we can get
to the idea of spirit or soul