We're coming into a new generation of women where there's the submissive woman, and then our reaction to it is, 'No, I'm a man, too, and I'm masculine,' and then we fight against it, which isn't the answer, either.

Growing up, I just loved movies. It was how I saw the world, which I wanted to learn more about.

Each step of the way I'm learning. When I leave an interview, I learn whether I feel, 'Oh, that was nice,' or that made me feel like a little piece of me was taken. It's a line that is always on the edge of being crossed, and once you cross it, what's next?

I love mythology and folklore, and I respect the time, money, and opportunity that a film gives to an audience. It's a chance to empathize, reflect, and learn, so I really want to understand before I sign onto a project: 'What's the potential of this thing? What are we seeing and learning? What are we empathizing to?'

I think Madonna has a great deal of intelligence and capability. I have a lot of respect for her. She's taken her career and maximized it with intelligence and creativity.

There's my education in computers, right there; this is the whole thing, everything I took out of a book.

Often I've had problems automatically bending to a lover's will, becoming what I know they want me to be. Immediately, I learn all the music they love, listen to it, study it, instead of being like, 'This is what I love!'

The worlds I paint leave a lot to engage the imagination by hinting at what lies beyond the four edges of the painting. I think getting beyond the four edges of an opportunity or challenge is one of the basic skills you need in business.