"A creation needs not only subjectivity, but also objectivity"
About this Quote
The intent is practical, not philosophical. "Subjectivity" is the private engine: obsession, taste, grievance, longing, the unrepeatable POV that makes a scene yours. "Objectivity" is the public contract: structure, timing, clarity, the willingness to step outside your own intoxication and ask, Will anyone else get this? Comedy, especially, punishes self-indulgence. A joke that makes sense only in your head dies in the room. Chow's line is a reminder that creation isn't therapy; it's communication.
The subtext: the auteur myth is incomplete. People love the story of the instinctive genius, but Chow is pointing to craft as the real magic trick - the cold eye that trims, tests, and reshapes raw emotion into something legible. In a media culture that rewards oversharing as authenticity, he's arguing for a harder discipline: feel everything, then distrust yourself enough to refine it.
Quote Details
| Topic | Art |
|---|---|
| Source | Help us find the source |
| Cite |
Citation Formats
APA Style (7th ed.)
Chow, Stephen. (2026, January 15). A creation needs not only subjectivity, but also objectivity. FixQuotes. https://fixquotes.com/quotes/a-creation-needs-not-only-subjectivity-but-also-122511/
Chicago Style
Chow, Stephen. "A creation needs not only subjectivity, but also objectivity." FixQuotes. January 15, 2026. https://fixquotes.com/quotes/a-creation-needs-not-only-subjectivity-but-also-122511/.
MLA Style (9th ed.)
"A creation needs not only subjectivity, but also objectivity." FixQuotes, 15 Jan. 2026, https://fixquotes.com/quotes/a-creation-needs-not-only-subjectivity-but-also-122511/. Accessed 12 Feb. 2026.










