Spike Lee kicks off “Dropping Knowledge,” a brand new What’s Trending segment, in which celebrities and YouTube stars offer their personal insights into the creative processes and advice on achieving success.

Spike drop[s] knowledge about directing, making controversial films, dealing with the haters, and getting attention for your work.

“If you want to be an artist, you have to have a tough skin,” Lee says. “You have to have an inner circle of peers… who — you respect their opinion and who respect you and know that they can tell you something honestly.”

“Hopefully the people I’m speaking to… want to get attention because they have something to say that’s substantial and they want to tell their story.”

[via HP]