9 Things I Larned From Issa Rae's MasterClass
Give yourself a pep talk
Happy March 1st, I am glad you are still here.
As one of our many coping mechanisms or distraction techniques from last March, we all bought memberships to MasterClass, right? Ok, so maybe just me? Nice!
What is MasterClass? An online learning platform for creative professionals. It includes instructors like, Gordon Ramsey who teaches how to properly sear a steak, Shonda Rhimes demonstrates where she gets her writing ideas, and Anna Wintour teaches creativity and leadership.
I am not super into celeb culture, except for that span (it was a long span) of my 20’s where People.com was a regular fixture on my homepage. I visited the site frequently to keep up with who Jennifer Lopez was marrying now. Ahh, simpler times. What I would give to go back (for about 5 minutes).
Fast forward to now - I focus on learning and seeing if I have a creative bone in my body. I know, I turned out to exceptionally cool in my early 30’s. We can all agree.
Jokes aside, I find MasterClass less about celebs and more about people that have perfected their craft. I have been dabbling in a few courses. One that I enjoyed was Issa Rae Teaches Creating Outside the Lines. Issa Rae is the creator of the wildly successful HBO television series Insecure. Her class just felt like I was listening to a wonderful friend impart wisdom.
Here are 9 things I learned from Issa Rae’s MasterClass:
Know your 'WHY'. Your why today needs to be compelling. Your why is your guidebook and it has to fit into the context of your character.
As a creative, think about what is missing and fill the gap. Issa recounts a time back in 2010, where she saw this article: Where’s the Black Version of Liz Lemon (Liz Lemon is Tina Fey's character on 30 Rock). Issa thought to herself, no more excuses. “If someone else sees this article, they are going to make this character I know I can create.” This lit a fire in Issa to start writing seriously and create that character she knew was missing on television.
Diversify your skills. Despite being told by peers that she should stick to a lane, Issa felt that boxed her in too much. Before becoming the successful writer and actor she is today, Issa tried directing and shooting. Issa says: one tool sharpens the other. She meant that directing helped her learn how to communicate better and shooting helped her understand the importance of the writing. She encourages getting to know what every department in your industry does.
Don't make one thing your entire identity. Explore many passions. On top of writing, she started a record label and even invested in a coffee shop in her neighborhood because coffee shops, where she often would write, were hard to find back when she was getting started. Indulge in other passions, she says.
On interpreting feedback - Don’t take it literal. Take notes and ask yourself what is not resonating with others. Make changes but keep your voice.
Know the difference between confidence vs possessive. Confidence - you feel secure in your vision, have healthy expectations of the amount of collaboration that will be required. Possessive - is the cousin of controlling. Someone who is possessive would say that, “this is my project, I want everyone to know I did it.” Issa says possessive creatives are threatened by guidance and advice. Keep an open mind and extract what you like about other peoples ideas.
Open doors for others. Issa says this is what she hopes is her legacy.
On second guessing yourself - don’t live in that space. Trust your instinct. The more you second guess, the less likely you are to follow through.
Give yourself a pep talk. Issa says she has always done this. And the evidence is clear in these type of hilarious mirror motivations Issa is known for. She walks around the house giving herself pep talks. If no one else is going to, you should, she says.
The pandemic has made me more attentive and grateful for art and creators. I am delighted that Issa brought her vision to life for us to enjoy and I admire the fact that she is sharing her knowledge online for others.
Thanks for reading. Have you started to paying attention to more art during the pandemic? What is something that is delighting you these days?
Sabrina
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