The state of the world does not exactly fill one with hope right now, but according to Issa Rae, that makes it the most important time to be creative—both because of the optimism the work creates, and the optimism that doing the work brings to the creator.
“Through these kind of times when it’s trying, it breeds innovation,” Rae tells Marie Claire editor-in-chief Nikki Ogunnaike on the podcast “Nice Talk”.
“You know, when we’re having these constant conversations, it’s like, this is the time when we’re the most creative. When our backs are against the wall, when when everybody’s struggling, at the same time, when there is no norm, when the rug has been pulled, when there’s no foundation, it’s just like, ‘Oh, now this is the time to create foundations.’”
On the podcast, Rae zeroes in on topics like the lack of Black representation on television, the rise of artificial intelligence, and the control the uber-wealthy have over society.
“We’re all in the same boat,” the Insecure creator goes on. “Everybody is struggling out here and trying to figure it out. So that’s where my optimism comes from, because it’s like we’ve been in these places before.”
She adds, “Not to this level, and it’s new to us, because nobody knows what, like AI, where AI is going to lead us. And I don’t know that in America, we’ve also ever had billionaires literally dictating and running our culture that we could just plainly name, like Mark Zuckerberg and Elon Musk and all these people [who] own what we create, where we create. They’re dictating so much of our lives, and that’s not being offset in any way, and that only means that some sort of rebellion is coming. But I don’t know to what level.”
And for anyone trying to get into the film and TV industry like Rae, she has some advice: Creativity is, of course, necessary—but it’s about more than just that.
“I always talk about what you’re bringing to the table, standing firm in that. And that is what your unique perspective is that is elevating any project you take on,” she says. “And being consistent. Consistency and being someone that people can rely on is a game-changer, and that’s afforded me so many opportunities. When people know that you’re going to show up on time, you’re going to do the work, you’re going to be last to stay with them. Once people recognize that, that goes a long way. Your reputation is everything, especially in this industry.”
When it comes to working in television, the days are long. Rae notes that being someone that your colleagues want to be around plays a role.
“Make sure that you’re showing up in a way where people will be happy to say nice things about you when you’re not here, when you’re not in the room. There’s so many people that I’ve thought were incredibly creative, incredibly funny, incredibly just dope, and then I met them and was like, ‘Oh, I don’t want to be around them. They… they suck,’” she says with a laugh. “So do I want to be in a writer’s room with you? Do I want to be on set with you for 15 hours? And so much of being in this industry is just being cool to be around and passing a vibe check.”
Rae says that when she was up-and-coming as a TV writer, she felt she had to lean more professional and treat opportunities “like a job interview, as opposed to I’m interviewing for a comedy room.”
She explains, “That means you show off your charm. That means you show off what you would bring to the character you might identify [with]. ‘Oh, I could write for this particular character in the pilot, because this is part of my life.’”
For more from Rae—including why her career trajectory sometimes feels “accidental”—check out this week’s installment of Nice Talk. The episode is available everywhere you listen to podcasts.
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