It was especially important that someone who has been subjected to such an incredible amount of interpretation be allowed to speak for herself.

Anglo-Saxon America dealt with the emotional aspects of life by hiding them, ignoring them, or defining them as problematic. Janis rebelled against those habits, yet there was no guidance beyond the rambling of Kerouac's novels. Releasing one's feelings from years of bondage was a righteous and dangerous experiment.

She spent hours drawing on her own, trying to perfect her craft. And when she got into music, she had that same diligence in developing her own style as well as perfecting the craft of singing. I don't think that is part of the normal assumption of who she was.

The younger Janis was a painter, a drawer. She was a very serious art student for a number of years. My family memories of Janis are really more about her practicing the craft of visual art, sketching, constantly sketching.