Artist's Notebook

Juliana Hatfield on her work habits:

I sometimes try to justify my laziness by saying, “An artist needs to be idle so that when an idea alights upon her, she will be receptive, and available — body and soul — to write it down, sketch it, hash it out; capture it.” ”It’s my duty,” I say, “to spend a lot of time lying on my couch, doing nothing; looking out the window, up at the sky, at the birds, at the sunset.” If I were caught up in anything that demanded my attention; demanded that I really participate or engage or care, much, a great idea might pass me by, fluttering away to some other writer who is lying on her couch, waiting for ideas to come to her.