Tina Fey says this surprising book can be extremely helpful to creative people right now

Tina Fey is perhaps one of the most important role models we currently have living and breathing and creating in this crazy world. She just breathes badass feminist. Consider this: She was the first female head writer at SNL. She created and starred in Mean Girls and 30 Rock. Furthermore, our girl Tina Feyexecutive produces Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt, and she has a new show on the horizon, NBC’s Great News.

The woman is a power house. And in a recent interview with David Letterman, Tina Fey shared her anxieties about parenting and the state of creativity, in addition to women’s ability to survive in this hostile political environment. This isn’t the first time Tina Fey has spoken out about the current political climate. But it might be the first time she’s done it alongside a fellow genius comedian. And what sticks out to us the most is her advice about creativity in this time of upheaval:

Don’t just blindly follow.

Tina Fey recommends reading this surprising book to understand the importance of sticking to your morals.

In her interview with David Letterman, Tina Fey mentioned she was reading the memoir of Nazi propagandist filmmaker Leni Riefenstahl. And, surprisingly, she said there was a lot to learn from this woman. This, of course, surprised David Letterman, who called Leni Riefenstahl the “sister of Satan.” Tina Fey went on to say:

"She grew up in Germany. She was in many ways a brilliant pioneer. She pioneered sports photography as we know it. She's the one who had the idea to dig a trench next to the track for the Olympics and put a camera on a dolly. But she also rolled with the punches and said, 'Well, he's the Fuhrer. He's my president. I'll make films for him.' She did some terrible, terrible things. And I remember reading [her book] 20 years ago, thinking, 'This is a real lesson, to be an artist who doesn't roll with what your leader is doing just because he's your leader.'"

This is a lesson we should all pay attention to. Don’t just follow your peers. Act. Listen to your instincts. Do what’s right.

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