Maybe, as a Chinese woman, I was never told I would be a filmmaker, so I didn't have the ego set up.
Interpretation
Chloe Zhao reflects on the impact of societal expectations on her identity as a filmmaker.
In this quote, Chloe Zhao discusses how her identity as a Chinese woman influenced her journey in becoming a filmmaker. She suggests that the lack of expectation for her to pursue this path led to a more authentic self-discovery, devoid of the ego that might come from being conditioned to view oneself as a filmmaker from a young age. This speaks to broader themes of identity, societal roles, and the unshackling of preconceived notions.
In practice
In a speech on diversity in film, one might quote Zhao to highlight the importance of authentic voices in storytelling.
Poems, for me, begin as a social engagement. I want to establish a kind of sociability or even hospitality at the beginning of a poem. The title and the first few lines are a kind of welcome mat where I am inviting the reader inside.
No artist is pleased. There is no satisfaction whatever at any time. There is only a strange, divine dissatisfaction, a blessed unrest that keeps us marching and makes us more alive than the others.
Fashion should be a form of escapism, and not a form of imprisonment.
I have been frequently accused of deliberately twisting subject matter to my point of view. Above all, I know that life for a photographer cannot be a matter of indifference. Opinion often consists of a kind of criticism. But criticism can come out of love.
Next to the Word of God, the noble art of music is the greatest treasure in the world.
In terms of helping people understand and know each other a little better, music is universal - universal and transporting.
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