"I wouldn't say it's always intrinsic to the process, but it's not uncommon." Lan smooths out the linen of her skirt as she thinks through how to explain her methods. "And to just go out and break something, that's petty and pointless. That's not sacrifice."

"Think of Van Gogh. You know his work, you can probably picture a handful of them without any effort. Everyone knows his name, his art. How many paintings did he sell while alive? One. Just one." Just behind her, there's a small, faded photo of the 'The Red Vineyard' tucked into the frame of a mirror. In the image it is hanging on the wall and viewing it there are several humans in outdated dress holding little brochures in French. "How many great artists have died at twenty-seven? A flash in the pan. You all barely have the time to live, and yet some bargain away what little they have in order to grasp at fame or beauty or whatever they love more than life."

"I am not saying that to create you would need to die young or languish in obscurity, not unless you want to trade for something rare enough to be worth it."