Dawoud Bey, Leah, University of Chicago Laboratory Schools, 2003, Chromogenic print, Courtesy of the artist, Rhona Hoffman Gallery, and Gorney Bravin + Lee

Interview Excerpt

Audio: (1.5MB mp3 file; 1 minute 15 seconds)

I think all the time, I mean, no matter where I am I'm thinking, you cannot shut my brain up, you know... I mean, there are times when I'm the person that I fear the most. You know, I don't... I don't wanna deal with my thoughts any more, I don't wanna think... so I'm either off trying to find somebody to talk to so I don't have to really think about my own stuff, or that I can talk to about my own stuff so that it's not confusing any more. I... I've always walked around with the assumption that I can figure things out, I can figure me out and I can figure you out and I can... you know, I can understand how things work and… There are times when I sit back and I'm like, no, I can't, and I need to stop asking, you know, I need to stop trying because that's when I don't get confused, you know, when I stop trying to find answers. And, when realize that maybe there aren't even answers, you know, but... when I forget that, you know, when I forget that I can't know it all and I can't figure it all out... that's when, you know, I become my own monster.