Writing, Arts & Entertainment
Pep Talk: You Ready to Do This?
Lesson time 07:20 min
We all need a pep talk once in a while. Issa reveals why a resilient mentality is a must.
Students give MasterClass an average rating of 4.7 out of 5 stars
Topics include: Your Journey Was Meant For You · Unsubscribe to the F Word: Failure · Put in the Work
Preview
[MUSIC PLAYING] - Who's got this? You got this. Who's got ideas on ideas? You do? Who-- who-- who's out here cracking bitches up? You. Is there anybody else like you? Do you know anybody else like you? [RECORD SCRATCH] No. So go kill that shit. Congratulations for making it this far. Oh, my god, I can't believe you made it. You did it. Nobody else did it but you. And you're out here killing it, so I'm proud of you. You-- you see what I'm doing right there? That's-- that's the pep talk. That's what I do for me. I love a pep talk to myself. I walk around my house talking to myself, singing to myself, because it's encouraging, you know? If-- if nobody else is going to do it, best believe I'm going to do it for me. And it just gets me motivated and energized. I think you should always be your biggest hype man, or woman, person. And you should embrace that. If you're not excited about what you're doing, nobody else will be excited about what you're doing. So get excited. [MUSIC PLAYING] I was working in this industry trying to break in for eight years before my show got picked up. And I remember being in college, being 18, and hearing the story of Paul Haggis' "Crash." You know, it got all these accolades. And I remember watching an interview where he was like, this took me nine years to get to the screen. And I was like, nine years? Who has time for that? What? No, my shit's about to pop off next year. Like, watch. And who had egg in her face? Me, because my journey took, you know, nine, 10 years to-- to make it, to make something. And that wasn't even making it, you know? So it's-- it's an ongoing journey, and you just have to be willing to embrace that. I am learning every single day. I am not an expert in any field yet. I aspire to be. And I just know that that's not going to happen overnight. I still have time to be-- but learning is the best part. Innovating is the best part. And part of me feels like there is merit in not knowing everything, because then you're able to think outside of the box. And I found that that's been helpful for my journey. And this is not to say that my journey will work for you. You have your own journey. And you have to just be open to what that journey will look like. It is going to be jagged. It is not going to be smooth, unless you're extremely lucky. [MUSIC PLAYING] And if you are, play the lottery. Why are you wasting your time doing this? People think that failure is the end all be all, like you're done. And it's kind of dramatic. Like, calm down. You didn't fail. What are you-- you're still alive. Are you stopping? This is not a test. It's not multiple choice. Like, you have an opportunity to continue. Will you make a lot of mistakes? Absolutely. Have I made lots of mis-- I have a great relationship with mistakes. Me and mistakes are like this. But I learn from them. I grow and I get better. So failure to me is the end of the road and giving up. But it's not someth...
About the Instructor
The Emmy-nominated star and creator of the award-winning HBO series Insecure is here to show you how it’s done. Issa Rae uses her signature do-it-yourself ethos, humor, and voice to offer writers and creators of all types the motivation and tools they’ll need on their journey. Issa shares how she has navigated Hollywood while Black and inspires you to reach your creative dreams and never take no for an answer.
Featured MasterClass Instructor
Issa Rae
Emmy-nominated writer, actor, and producer Issa Rae teaches you how to bring your creative vision to life.
Explore the Class