Saturday, September 28, 2013

Inspiration Lately: Mindy Kaling

Thanks to Jezebel, I caught this snippet from an upcoming magazine interview with Mindy Kaling.

I was really caught by her last sentence:
"But while I’m talking about why I’m so different, white male show runners get to talk about their art."
I often think we get so caught up in the saga of how artists and people we admire overcame the obstacles in their way, we forget to actually listen to what they are saying.  We are so interested in the drama of a underdog female comedienne or strong woman-of-color, we spend all our energy creating these comforting origin stories for our favorite celebrities and don't actually appreciate their greatest gift: their art.

I also often read interview with people (female artists especially) that I admire, and am disappointed because they don't ever get a chance to really discuss their art, their process, or how they feel their art has been received/interpreted.  I really want to know about the thought-process and techniques other female artists are using!

And for men, this definitely doesn't happen as much in interview, but I guess I hadn't realized that fully until Mindy pointed it out.  I'd love to stop talking about the artist and think about their brilliant ideas and art too, especially if they are groundbreaking women and people we admire and emulate.

This also sorta reminded me of one my favorite quotes from Zooey Deschanel:
"We can’t be feminine and be feminists and be successful? I want to be a f--king feminist and wear a f--king Peter Pan collar. So f--king what?"
I know Zooey Deschanel is a bit of a contentious issue for some people, but I actually think about this quote a lot.  Sometimes you have to stop overthinking it and just be you.  It is possible to fit into multiple categories.  Other people may label you and argue about what label you qualify for, but if you think you are doing your best and doing what is right and good . . .  that's good enough, and you have to feel confident and comfortable in that.

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