I’ve been thinking a lot about what I do with my time and how to better reach my goals because I have a lot of projects I’m working on (too many really) and it’s been stressful – wanting so much to reach my goals and get things done that I’ve set out to do. I can be pretty hard on myself and I don’t really allow myself to fall short of accomplishing what I’ve set out to do but sometimes it takes a really long time.
I’ve reached some pretty high goals in the last couple years (finishing my degree at Otis which was the end of a path that took me 16 years since my first day of college at SMC – and no, I’m not retarded) but this last summer has been pretty focused and it’s allowed me to think hard about what I want to do with my time.
So I’ve got all these projects and goals – been working on this movie for 7 years, working on 4 guitars for 2 years, writing music, drawings, writing projects, design projects, starting a business, and on, and on…) But I have to enjoy the process or my life is just filled with stress and irritation.
I’ve learned a few things about what I like and what I don’t like about all my endeavors, and I guess the point I’m getting at with this post is I really like the process of making a movie. Every step along the way has been really fun, challenging and rewarding. I didn’t know what I was doing all along the way before I set out to do it, so I had to stop and learn how with each step. I didn’t know how to write a script when I first had the idea, so I researched and read about how to do it, then I dug in and started doing it. I didn’t know how to do pre-production in order to get ready to shoot. I didn’t know how to direct. I didn’t know how to shoot the film. All of it. Each step has required me to learn a new skill or set of skills. It’s been really amazing.
Editing has been one of the best revelations – I love editing! and I think I might enjoy it no matter what the subject matter. I think I might even enjoy editing infomercials…but hopefully I can leave that hypothesis untested.
There are a few more hurdles to jump, things to learn, along the way before this is done, but I can certainly see a light at the end of the tunnel. I’m starting to really get excited about the next set of steps, partly because the editing process has taken so long, but partly because it’s all really coming together. There were a lot of nay-sayers at the outset, and just like I told them, it’s happening whether they think it can happen or not.
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