Rick, I’ve wondered the same thing. I know they interact somehow. Sometimes I start with an idea and start writing before I have an image, but sometimes it’s the opposite, I start with a vague feeling so I collect a number of images that seems to speak to that feeling. In the end I may only use a few of those images in the finished piece but I get to choose from five or six likely suspects as I bring the curtain down on it. Those pieces feel more personal to me, less cognitive. In any case, they always interact, those images and words. It’s a mix of emotion and intellect in the creative act. It’s strangely satisfying.

Thanks for the question.