Martinez: "I just have such a strong, clear vision for what it is that I want to make. Sometimes I feel like I’m possessed when I’m writing music or video treatments. It’s like being possessed by this beautiful energy of just light and blissfulness. I’m so at peace in that moment and it’s very cathartic for me. It just pops into my head and I put it down."

Martinez: "'Cry Baby' is like this fairytale version of me. A lot of it is based on real events, and some of it is made up to make it more whimsical."

Martinez: "I'm a perfectionist, and even if something comes out great, it's still not perfect, you know?"

Martinez: "The creative process is by far my favorite, so anything that involves making something out of nothing. Just making something from scratch, that’s my favorite feeling."

Martinez: "I don't like a lot of pop music. But I like the idea of pop music."

Martinez: "If you say something that is a little unsafe to say but you feel strongly and passionate about it, a lot of people can attack you and call you a bad role model just because they don't agree with your views, but in reality we're all different and we're all unique in our own way and we all have different thoughts."

Martinez: "I am the most overly critical person of myself."

Martinez: "It also has a double meaning for the music industry. It’s about how people pit women against each other. I show both perspectives, Kelly’s and Cry Baby’s. Both are totally valid. It’s just the conditioning of society that gets in the way and makes us feel like have to be competition for each other instead of a community."

Martinez: "I'm really inspired by pop surrealism."

Martinez: "I love Tim Burton movies. Obviously, like Edward Scissorhands and Beetlejuice. They are fun and wacky, but also there’s always this darker, underlying theme or tone as well as very interesting visual imagery. I love that dichotomy. I think that is just part of who I am. I’m all about that duality. I love it, because I think that there’s good and bad in everything in life."

Martinez: "I always have felt that I was six years old."

Martinez: "I think that any female who gets asked if she's a feminist... it's silly... it's so interesting when people ask females if they're a feminist. Of course every female wants to be equal!"

Martinez: "I'm really stubborn, and I'm okay with that."

Martinez: "I had to get over that initial fear. There is a sense of anxiety and fear when it comes to doing new things, stepping into the role of being a director on a feature film is different than stepping into the role of being a director on a music video. I was thinking about things on a much deeper level. It was a very intense process for me, but I think that eventually I stepped into my confidence more."

Martinez: "I’m very detail-oriented too, so I liked being very involved. That process was actually more fun than shooting."

Martinez: "Every day I had to do homework and I’m the type of person that if I need to make a decision on something, sometimes it will take me being alone to really think about what it is that I want to do."

Martinez: "I want my music to be treated as a book or a movie. It's not about the one single: it's about the bigger picture."

Martinez: "I read tarot for close friends and family members when they need help making decisions or need some extra clarity/different perspective on situations in life. And for myself, I study tarot as a way to understand different energies spanning from current energies to long term energies. It has helped me make more balanced decisions and helped me gain a bigger picture perspective on my life."

Martinez: "I love the idea of connecting my albums and my films in some way, shape or form."

Martinez: "I feel it's my job as the artist who is making the music to pair it with visuals that I see in my head while writing the music in the first place."

[On her film, K-12]

Martinez: "My biggest intention with creating the film was to display school as a condensed version of life."

Martinez: "Something about spending so much time at home and not around people has made me more eager to hone in on my creative endeavors."

Martinez: "Maybe it’s just from the universe. I’m receiving something and then putting it down onto paper, because my intention is always to create something that’s going to help people heal or that’s going to resonate on a deeper level. I want it to really go to the core."

Martinez: "Please understand that I make music to express myself, and if you know anything about me, you know that I'm nothing but honest."

[On making the film K-12 and the parallel experience of her character]

Martinez: "[Cry Baby] was in this environment where she had to overcome her fears and step into her true power, true confidence. I was dealing with the same exact thing while shooting it."

Martinez: "I love Sia and how she hides her face. If I could pull off doing that, I totally would."

[On expanding on the Cry Baby world with K-12]

Martinez: "That was my main goal. How do I expand this world? I wanted to talk about other people’s stories as well, so that more people can resonate with it. If you don’t resonate with Cry Baby, then that person might resonate with this character or that character. I was even doing things like trying to figure out their astrology charts."

Martinez: "I definitely have worked trying to create music that inspires girls to feel confident and strong, and feel like they can do anything."

Martinez: "I had a lot of Barbies growing up, and a lot of porcelain dolls, but I was scared of them. I was so scared of them, I would try to turn their head away and would make my mom take them out of my room."

Martinez: "I've had so many insecurities, and am still getting over a lot."

Martinez: "Everyone is allowed to be vulnerable. I think women and men and dogs and cats and ants and aliens can all express themselves and be vulnerable."

Martinez: "I always cling to things that remind me of being a kid again."

Martinez: "When I started, I was very unsure of who I was. There were a lot of things in the songs that I didn't realize I was saying. But more and more, it fell into place... I got more comfortable in my skin."

Martinez: "My whole mission in general, ever since I was fourteen, was to write music that would help people heal."

Martinez: "The way that I dress is the way I've always dressed. The way I've eaten is how I've always eaten. I dress like a 5-year-old, and I eat like a 5-year-old."

Martinez: "Hone in on your crafts. Focus in on your creative goals. What do you want to say with your creation? Who do you want to say it to? Don’t focus on receiving attention/fame/validation from other people. Put your energy toward practicing your talents and gaining experience in whatever field makes you feel most fulfilled. If you have to work at a job you hate for a little while so you can make enough money to invest into your purpose, know that it is perfectly okay, and you will get where you need to get with patience and persistence."

Martinez: "I was always hard on myself for taking things too personally."

Martinez: "I think, being emotional is this thing that people think you're not strong. They don't look at you as a strong person, and it's weird 'cuz honestly being emotional has nothing to do with your strength."

Martinez: "A lot of people say if you can't love yourself, then you can't love others. It's always different, but I definitely have loved a lot in my life."

Martinez: "There are a lot of people who go their whole lives without truly knowing what love is, or ever experiencing that."

Martinez: "Just because I'm an artist doesn't mean I should be treated differently."

Martinez: "I definitely fall in love quickly, and I'm very in love with being in love. But it is hard for me to write about love."