But nobody else can believe in you if you don’t believe in what you’re doing. I’ve willed almost all the stuff I’ve done into existence, and if I can do that, anybody can do that. So start your chatter: talk about what you’re going to do. Don’t pursue a role, LIVE that role. Like my sister told me, back when I confessed I wanted to be a filmmaker.
“Then BE a filmmaker,” she said.
“That’s what I’m saying: I wanna be.”
And that’s when she gave me the million dollar advice.
“No – BE a filmmaker. You say you wanna be; just BE a filmmaker. Think every thought AS a filmmaker. Don’t pine for it or pursue it; BE it. You ARE a filmmaker; you just haven’t made a film yet.”
And it sounded artsy-fartsy as fuck, but it was CRAZY useful advice. A slacker hit the sheets that night, but the CLERKS-guy got out of bed the following morning.
@wilw points out this is a great post for “creative people”, and it certainly reminded me of my husband and how hard he works on his craft. Lucky me, it’s also just what I needed to read RIGHT NOW and it’s funny how that keeps happening. I keep getting exactly the nudge I need, often the nudge I didn’t even know I needed. My grandparents, my husband, my father (no really – that was just this morning), my ferry friends, my NON-ferry friends: all have been extraordinarily supportive. I love all y’all.
The past several weeks have had a massive bonus: UNexpected, free-range support. Some free-range support is broadcast and certainly not targeted at me, such as this post. Its availability doesn’t minimize its value. I absolutely feed on posts like this one. I squirrel them away in Evernote for those hard days ahead when I know I’ll need some inspiration.
More subtle is the warmly-given advice from startup company CEOs I’ve barely met, the thoughtful questions from our attorneys, and the “you can do it!” pep-talks I’ve lucked into during numerous intro-conversations. I don’t mean to devolve into Pollyanna here. I’ve just been ridiculously fortunate to come in contact with amazing people the past several weeks. Seemed like the right moment to make a note of it… perhaps for those hard days ahead when I’ll need some inspiration.