— Ava DuVernay

I find that fear and not wanting to take risks, and staying too comfortable makes people wait. 

They’ll say, 
‘I’ll wait until this happens, 
I’ll wait until I go to film school, 
I’ll wait until I have all the money, 
I’ll wait until they ask me.’ 
Don’t wait for permission. 
Seek without permission. 
There’s nothing to wait for. 
There’s no one coming. 
There’s nothing coming to do this for you. 
You have to do it yourself. 
The mantra ‘do it yourself’ ultimately says ‘do not wait for anyone or anything.’ 
You have to get up and do that thing. 
Especially as women filmmakers, as filmmakers of color, anyone who is outside of the dominant culture, anyone who is not getting handed anything, which is most of us, we cannot wait. 
You have to figure it out on your own and be confident in that and enjoy the ride. 
Because it is a ride. 
Even starting my PR firm and running that business. 
No one was going to hand that career to me. 
We have to seek without permission and don’t wait for anything.”