Zia Hassan


Vacating

As we plan our summer, I’m reminded of a very important fact: vacating (the verb associated with vacation) has always led to a good piece of art.

One of my favorite songs I’ve ever written was the result of a trip to Singapore and Malaysia. I’ve finished huge projects before while traveling due to downtime and being outside of my routine.

I always complain during long trips that they’re too long. But it’s the space that makes them work, the distance that opens my brain.

The brain of an artist is a moving target; exposing ourselves intentionally to inputs is how we get our most groundbreaking output.