In the case of the Obama poster, I was just exercising my First Amendment rights - and my free speech is exercised visually. People who want to talk or write in order to share an opinion about Obama can do that, but when I want to say what I think about him, I need to make a portrait.

Shepard Fairey

The most important thing about intellectual property vs. creative expression is that copyright law was created not to stifle creativity but to encourage creativity.

Shepard Fairey

Street art, of course, is political, because it's illegal, so the very act of doing it is an act of defiance.

Shepard Fairey

I want to be proud of this country, but when aspects of our policy don't align with my ethics, I want to protest them and try to change them.

Shepard Fairey

I've never really considered myself just a street artist. I consider myself a populist.

Shepard Fairey

I hoped that Obama would be a delivery vehicle for change on issues I care about, but I never expect one politician to be the solution to the diverse array of issues I care about.

Shepard Fairey

I think that art has the ability to capture people's imaginations and make them think that more is possible.

Shepard Fairey

My idea about the role of artists is to get people to look at things in a way that's different than the way they normally would if they are being told how to think, what to do. I think when people receive information through art, they are more open-minded.

Shepard Fairey

I admire Ai Weiwei for his art and his activism. His art is beautiful in form, and in function embodies the principles of populism and social consciousness I aspire to in my own practice.

Shepard Fairey

People romanticize struggle and obscurity, and I get that, but it's a very one-dimensional argument to say that people who have money are evil, and artists who are poor are virtuous.

Shepard Fairey

When Justin Bieber started wearing the Obey bar logo, we discontinued it. That was kinda one of the last straws.

Shepard Fairey

If I spend time conceiving and making a piece of art, and somebody else sees that it has market value and replicates it in order to steal part of my market, then that's not cool.

Shepard Fairey

When you walk down the street and see something in a crazy spot, there's something powerful about that. The street will always be an important part of getting art out there for me.

Shepard Fairey

I never set out to be a groundbreaking artist in the sense of doing something that's never been done before. I set out to make stuff that communicated quickly and effectively, playing off of advertising, pop art, and pop culture.

Shepard Fairey

Greater financial success has allowed me to be more generous.

Shepard Fairey

I don't have this obsessive need to do street art all the time because it's already opened doors for me.

Shepard Fairey

Propaganda has a negative connotation, which it partially deserves, but I think there is some propaganda that is very positive. I feel that if you can do something that gets people's attention, then maybe they'll go and find out more about the person.

Shepard Fairey

I'm not going to be intimidated by people or identity politics. I think that's a dead end.

Shepard Fairey

If you're creating something that has some sort of cultural currency - if the idea is getting out there - then that will probably yield money in some form, whether it's through selling art or selling books or being asked to give a lecture.

Shepard Fairey

Tim Armstrong is a good friend.

Shepard Fairey

Art shows and the institutions end up being the couriers for culture for the next generation and are an important component as well. It may seem ironic from one perspective, but I think if you look at my overall strategy, it's actually not out of step.

Shepard Fairey