We’re Surrounded By Bullsh*t
In This Note: Some thoughts, CT: The Art of Stopping, and Life Lately..
(Holy shit, after writing this I read online that the ideal newsletter length is 200 words. I'm still figuring this thing out so I'll aim to be more concise in the future 😂)
I dont know about you, but lately It seems like everywhere I turn I'm surrounded by bullshit. It's as if everywhere you turn there's someone else promising you the world if you just do what they say.
My instagram inbox is full (read: 2 or 3 requests a week, I'm being dramatic for the sake of the newsletter) of editors promising me a "10x growth rate" if I only pay them to edit my content, only to look at their account that has cookie cutter edits with burn transitions and cheap graphics that emulate the last 10 viral videos I've seen.
Everyone wants a piece of the creative economy because of what it promises: 4 hour work days, 7 figure incomes, working remotely, creating the life of your dreams. How enticing.
If only it were that easy. The reality is, cheap replication will only get you so far, and spamming inboxes is the new door to door salesman and as seen on tv advertisement.
The thing noone wants to hear is that it takes a ton of 16 hour days (or even more 8 hour days, X 2 to be exact) to gain a real creative skillset. And if the backbone of your creative desires is to make a boatload of money over night, well, you may be disappointed.
I dont say this to discourage you. Just the opposite. So what is the solution?
The key to turning your passion into something you can do for a living is ironically by pursuing something you love so much that you'd do it for free, not chasing the next shiny strategy that comes across your feed.
This doesn't just go for social media either.
My career as a stuntman for film and tv had years of famine before I started to make a living. But I love the craft, and its something I was happy to continue pursuing as long as I was able because of the love of the pursuit itself. "The Journey" and all that.
To be perfectly honest with you, I'm still trying to figure all of this out myself. I have a great career outside social media that I love and that I've had success in so why am I doing this?
I've been compelled to create things like what I post online and this newsletter because I want everyone to have a piece of making a living doing what lights them up. I want you to have a piece of it.
Whether its helping people learn how to hone a their creative skills as a filmmaker, or motivating them to chase the thing that lights them up, I'm here for it.
I'm planning to do a live Free Q&A on zoom, anything goes, Cinematography, social media, life, or whatever else. I just want to get to know you guys and see what you're working on and how I can help. If you're interested shoot me a message
The Art of Stopping
One of the hardest things for me to do is to get started. A blank page with a cursor blinking is my Kryptonite. But once I get in the flow, I can usually stay on a roll. A practice I picked up from a book I was reading called "Rest" is The Art of Stopping.
Instead of finishing a video I'm making or a script im writing and calling it a day, I use the creative momentum to start something else, that I can then stop in the middle of. Even if it's just a few lines of a new idea or a few shots for the next video, this allows me to know exactly what I'm going to start on the following day without having to start from scratch. It's been a total game changer for my productivity.
Me and my girlfriend recently went on a trip to Sequoia National Park. Fall here is absolutely bonkers and if you've never been it's straight up like being in Alice in Wonderland. Here are some epic photos from our trip. If you like the look of these images I have some adventure presets for lightroom you can check out here
