This is Jiayang Liu’s bi-weekly newsletter on building a creative and fulfilling life. A place where lessons, resources, roadmaps, and exclusive behind the scenes are shared.
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Hey, it’s Jiayang!
Happy Chinese New Year! Welcome to the Jump In newsletter, 2nd issue. If this is your first time, I’m so excited for you to join me on this creative endeavor! I’m constantly learning lessons about life and creativity, and I wanted to create a space to share those reflections with people on similar creative journeys.
Lessons from the Week
What I learned recently to help you become more creative and wise.
Find your purpose.
As artists, we are constantly pushing ourselves to create something meaningful for the world. Whether I'm developing a new project, on set bringing something to life, or reviewing footage I've recently shot, there are moments where burnout creeps in, and with it, the frightening thought of giving up altogether. What I've found, time and time again, is that one question has the power to pull me back: Why? Why am I doing this task? Why does this project matter to me? When you can answer that, when you have a real reason for the work you're making, you have something to hold onto. You have a reason to keep going. More on this at the end…
Be vulnerable.
When you stop forcing yourself to appear perfect around others and simply show up as you are, people trust you faster. They relax. When you make a mistake, and you will, point it out, laugh about it, move on. The walls come down quicker than you'd expect. As cliché as it sounds, just being yourself goes a long way.
Feel your emotions.
Recently, while outlining a new video project, a wave of self-doubt hit me out of nowhere. My usual instinct is to open Instagram and numb it out, distract myself until the feeling passes. But this time, I just sat with it. I let myself actually feel it. Not only did it pass, it gave way to a wave of optimism I wasn't expecting. Stop running from your emotions. Observe them.
Latest Endeavors
What I have been working on the last couple weeks.
THEY CALL HIM SQUARE: Script development continues on my upcoming drama short.
PICK UP: Picture locked on my new thriller short film.
STUCK IN A WEB: Wrapped production on this important documentary about internet catfishing as the cinematographer.
STARMAN: Behind the Scenes video released. Check out how I shot a this space movie.
Helpful Resources
Helpful videos and books I strongly recommend for your creative journey.
The best directing book I recommend to all my filmmaking friends.
Great video on simple habits that helps you to unlock your creativity.
Our Community
Latest ventures by members of our amazing filmmaking family.
Picks of the Week
Best films and shows I’ve watched recently.
Yi Yi (2000 movie)
Masterful writing and direction. Felt so nostalgic.
Wuthering Heights (2026 movie)
Some of the most beautiful cinematography this year and personally I enjoyed the score by Charlie XCX.
Actionable Advice
Small steps to move closer to your goals.
Create a purpose statement.
Think about your unique qualities, how you express these qualities, and think of a time when you felt most complete. Then combine them in to a paragraph. Be personal. There's no right way to do this.
Write down your goal for the year if you haven’t.
Give someone that has made an impact on your life a heartfelt letter.
Check-In with Me
I’d love to hear from you.
What makes you get out of bed in the morning?
What are you working on?
Anything you like to promote to our community?
Any support you need from the community?
Thank you for reading! Consider subscribing if you haven’t already, and if you enjoyed this newsletter, feel free to forward it to a friend who might enjoy jumping in with us.