Saul Williams on the Subjective and Objective in Art.


"I kind of realized that I was a citizen of the world. I didnt focus on what they are doing over there, I started focusing more deeply on my self. Its kind of like if you have a well in your backyard to get your water from, and I have a well in my backyard to get my water from, we are both going to go to seperate wells to get our water, but if you know anything about wells you know that the deeper you go the source of water is the same, you know, and that is the unifying force. So instead of studying the world I studied myself, and knew that by studying myself, and reflecting that through my art, that people would see themselves in it, like 'thats me, thats some shit that I identify with', because I realized that I am everyone, you know, its all in me."


"Rockfeedback: Do topics often bridge your artistic mediums?

Saul: I think that poetry is often much more personal, whereas music is more universal, but those two combine easily.  For instance, if I have a well in my backyard and you have a well in your backyard, we go to separate wells to get our water, that's personal. But the source of that water and where it comes from, the deeper down you dig, that’s universal.  And so the topics aren’t really that different.  Much of my work is personal, but I try to be conscious of what I'm sharing.  That’s why I'm trying to find a universal way of sharing something that’s personal."


“Some people say stuff like, “a lot of times when i write poems I’m afraid that people aren’t going to understand what I’m writing about because it’s so personal.” The thing that I’ve learned through poetry is that, say, if I have a well in my backyard and you have a well in your backyard, we go to separate wells for our water, but the deeper we dig, that source of water is the same, and I find that the more personal my work is, the more universal it is.”