My mother taught me something at a young age - she said 'you are the company you keep'. To define yourself by some label or some level of resources - that's pretty shallow.
Sentiment: NEGATIVE
I have a big thing about needing to know that I belong - in my group of friends, in my family, in my industry.
Others will always seek to define you based on what they think you represent or who they think you are. But you have to be the one to control what you do and what you say and how you present yourself.
You define yourself by either what your clients want or what you believe they'll need for the future. So: Define yourself by your client, not your competitor.
My career is based primarily upon finding a balance with a director and their vision, and that means sublimating my own personal ego toward their material.
My dad, being a businessman, constantly talked to me about carrying myself in a certain way and treating people with respect. And I think that's something that's carried over throughout my life. It's how I deal with certain situations.
Most people are defined by their titles, their cars, their house, where they came from, their color, their race, their religion. And so it's up to you to take control of your own life and define you. As long as you understand who you are and you have a solid foundation of understanding what your talents are, what your skills are.
I've been part of running a label since I was a kid, so I understand how it works. But the more and more I learn about it, the less and less interested I am in it.
What I always say is, 'Do every job you're in like you're going to do it for the rest of your life, and demonstrate that ownership of it.'
In my industry, it's important to have people I look to for different things: guidance, inspiration and motivation.
You need to define yourself in the marketplace.