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.
Quick favor: My emails have been landing in spam or Promotions due to a bug. If you want to keep seeing these, please drag this email into your Primary inbox.
If you haven’t already, come join all the others who subscribed to this newsletter, Jump In!
Hey, it’s Jiayang!
Happy Tuesday! Welcome to the Jump In newsletter, 3rd 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.
Create a fun, exploratory environment around you.
I recently had a mindset shift around what being a director is supposed to look like. Not someone perched on a high chair with a megaphone, but a person with a flashlight, leading a team of explorers through a dark cave. This person is responsible for keeping everyone excited and confident enough to keep searching for the perfect performance, the perfect take, the perfect film. When you treat your cast or crew poorly, you immediately extinguish any willingness to take risks and make mistakes, and with it, all exploration dies. So go be that light in the cave!
Work in an environment where everyone else is locked in.
I'm writing this from the Capital One Café in downtown LA, having recently come to terms with how unproductive my overly stimulating bedroom makes me. There's something about being surrounded by people who are all quietly focused. It's contagious in the best way.
Follow what gets you excited: ideas, projects, passions.
Excitement is a signal that something deeper is worth exploring. Don't let the world decide what's worthy of your attention. The universe has given us so much; it would be a disservice to yourself to never follow the flame inside you.
Latest Endeavors
What I have been working on the last couple weeks.
Created and released a Chinese New Year Short Film for the USC Chinese Student Association.
Helpful Resources
Helpful videos and books I strongly recommend for your creative journey.
A quick and fun read on being an artist and creativity. A lot of great mindset shifts in here.
New First Act Break podcast episode with USC Film School Assistant Dean on what conversations with top Hollywood talent reveals about the film industry.
Our Community
Latest ventures by members of our amazing filmmaking family.
Come support our friends on their new short dramedy EULOGY, where two estranged families confront their father’s legacy at his funeral.
Congrats to all the USC 480 teams on wrapping production!
Picks of the Week
Best films and shows I’ve watched recently.
Singers (2026 short)
Oscar-Nominated. Another beautiful, out of the box film by USC alumni Sam Davis.
Game of Thrones (show)
Finally watching this masterpiece and I’m addicted.
Actionable Advice
Small steps to move closer to your goals.
Carry a pocket notebook with you everywhere. Fill it with anything that catches your eye: words, sketches, fragments of thought.
Revisit a piece of art that has moved you before.
Pick up a hobby you abandoned but never quite forgot.
Check-In with Me
I’d love to hear from you.
What does winning look like for you?
What are you working on?
Anything you like to promote to our community?
Any support you need from the community?
Behind the Scenes
A snippet of my life.
I dogsat Apple, a 7 month old Corgi puppy for 2 weeks.
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.