Here's what Leonardo da Vinci has to say :

"If you are alone you belong entirely to yourself. If you are accompanied by even one companion you belong only half to yourself, or even less, in proportion to the thoughtlessness of his conduct; and if you have more than one companion you will fall more deeply into the same plight."

you can dissipate your art in idle conversation



well, that old Leonardo was a great talent with unsurpassed versatility

he was brilliant, many-sided, but dilatory and undependable, likely to leave work half-finished

sounds like an improvaho to me



further if you are supersensitive in psychic ways then the company of others sets up a relentless and perpetual clamor to the spirit

i've gone through all the changes one would expect when one has opted for the geographical cure

the first person you meet is yourself

(what began as a vision quest became a way of life)

still doing everything i used to do but not as
much
and
never
in
public

(or in somebody's kitchen / wink)


(the letter to alison cont. chelsea vt 1995)