Chris Van Allsburg Quotes & Sayings

“At first, I see pictures of a story in my mind. Then creating the story comes from asking questions of myself. I guess you might call it the 'what if - what then' approach to writing and illustration.”

“'The Polar Express' began with the idea of a train standing alone in the woods. I asked myself, 'What if a boy gets on that train? Where does he go?'”

“Following my muse has worked out pretty well so far. I can't see any reason to change the formula now.”

“I write for what's left of the eight-year-old still rattling around inside my head.”

“There was a great deal of peer recognition to be gained in elementary school by being able to draw well. One girl could draw horses so well, she was looked upon as a kind of sorceress.”

“Santa is our culture's only mythic figure truly believed in by a large percentage of the population. It's a fact that most of the true believers are under eight years old, and that's a pity.”

“The Polar Express is about faith, and the power of imagination to sustain faith. It's also about the desire to reside in a world where magic can happen, the kind of world we all believed in as children, but one that disappears as we grow older.”

“I'm not a perfectionist. I'm just very observant.”

“I think most people agree there is a component of skill in art making; you have to learn grammar before you learn how to write.”

“My ideas are not meant to suggest dreams or reality, but a surreal quality.”