I can't think of anything worse, really, than to try to live up to someone else's expectations of what you should be. You don't make art by consensus.

There have been some gains made in terms of more equality for women in the workplace and in the way the legal system deals with issues of violence against women.

People's real hopes and dreams can be distorted and misdirected and packaged until you're not sure what you really want or what you even really need.

If you are living a life that feels right to you, if you're willing to take creative chances or a creative path that feels like it's mostly in keeping with your sensibilities, you know, aesthetic and artistic, then that's what matters.