TV

Lena Dunham Says Sometimes You Have To Approach Your Work Like A Hippie

The stars of Girls appeared on The Today Show this morning to talk about the return of Season 2. Host Savannah Guthrie asked Lena Dunham if it has been hard to return to writing Season 2 after such an impressive and widely-covered freshmen season.

Lena had this to say:

“You know, I think it is really easy to get caught in that sophomore syndrome and have that incredible amount of anxiety about following something up that’s received some kind of praise, but I feel so inspired by the people I work with and so kind of keen to keep my creative bubble going, that you really have to separate their reaction from your creative process, not to sound like a hippie. Of course, it is important to respond to your viewers, but its also really important to stay connected to the reason you started doing it in the first place.”

This is actually a great philosophy for many different jobs. Praise or criticism should only influence you to a certain point. I don’t think Lena Dunham knew that this show was going to be such a cultural phenomenon. She wanted to write a show featuring honest portrayals of women in their 20′s. It doesn’t sound that revolutionary but when you look at what’s on television today, it might be.

But Lena faces a conundrum familiar to many: how do you follow up a hit novel or company or product, especially early in your career? It’s a lot of pressure to put on someone. Maybe the best way to sidestep all that is to act like all you care about is making love not war and wearing daisy chains and pants with a ton of ankle room — within reason, of course.

TAGS: career | girls | lena dunham

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