Article from Scratching the Belly of the Beast catalogue, 1994

Don't take it too seriously.

Chick Strand's advice, whispered at the end of an interview, is one or those phrases that initially sounds like a platitude, but on reflection turns into a wonderfully concise summation. The imperative captures Chick's style--irreverent--and hints at the filmmaking attitude that may have elucidated the compdling stories that make up SOFT FICTION (1979) or the premise of ANSELMO (1967), and is probally repeated quarter by quarter to her students at Occidental College, where she currently teaches. However the suggestion should in no way imply a lack of rigor or complexity in her work; it is perhaps more an admonition against the tyranny of tradition and the "right" way to do things.

To read more, download PDF.