Five Lessons for Creatives I Learned from Film
Art has so much wisdom to pass onto us and is always made by people just like you. These are creeds, philosophies, and proverbs that can guide every creative through their daily hardships. This list could go on forever, but, for now, here are five lessons from the artistic medium of film to think about.
No one stays broken forever.
In X-Men: Days of Future Past, the once sage mentor, Professor Charles Xavier, has fallen apart by too many disappointments, whispers of self-doubt, and lost battles. For most of this film, he is a shadow of his former self, caged by the negative facts around him that fuel his mental prison. What brings him back from the brink of despair, what reminds him of his great ability to instill hope in others, are these words: “Just because someone stumbles and loses their way doesn’t mean they’re lost forever.”
We all get broken. Creatives especially face set-backs, disasters, and troubles that can make picking up a pencil as difficult as being an Olympic athlete. The problem can be not so much that we do not have the will to rise again, but that we can see anything past the terrible reality around us. Yet we must never forget that these hardships do not mean we can never recover; never see a new dawn; never be found again. Gracefully, that kind of hopelessness does not exist. Often, we can even find ourselves through something as simple as a few words.
The best part about this lesson? Due to time-travelling shenanigans, Xavier is given this encouragement by his elder self from the future. Sometimes, the best person to pick us up is ourselves.
People make the world.
During the climax of Disney’s The Hunchback of Notre Dame, Quasimodo, the titular hunchbacked man with a hideous face and heart of gold, confronts Judge Claude Frollo, who always claims his righteousness but is about as evil as they come. Frollo raised Quasimodo, locking him away in the bell towers of the Notre Dame cathedral for all his life. He forbade his ward from ever leaving the cathedral under the pretense that the ugly, monstrous world will hate him for how he looks. When at last, Quasimodo stands up to the wicked Frollo, he declares: “All my life you have told me the world is a dark, cruel place! But now I see that the only thing dark and cruel about it is people like you!”
Most creatives have sensitive souls. We try to have hearts of stone, but, deep down, most of us want to be accepted and validated through our work; rejection always feels like a burning knife wound. We hear horror stories, and endure our own, of terrible clients, negative reviews, bad creative partners, and hordes of people that refuse to ever give our art a chance. Believing the world is a dark, cruel place that does not want us is easy to do.
But the reality is that the world only looks so terrifying because of those like Claude Frollo. Yes, there are far too many of them, and they are frightening, yet the Quasimodos outnumber them; people who are respectful, welcoming, and would love to hear about your work. When you seek out and embrace folks like them, you will find the world is brighter than you may have thought.
The world needs you as you are.
In 2021’s Belle, simple teenager Suzu Naito, grieving from a terrible loss, makes a profile in the virtual world of “U”. Her online persona, the beautiful “Belle”, becomes an immediate, viral pop star sensation. For much of the film, Suzu believes she only has value being Belle. Yet, as she grows closer to “The Beast”, a mysterious pariah of U, Suzu realizes that, when this friend is in real-life danger, she cannot help him because he only knows her as Belle, a lie, and does not trust her. The only way to save him is to show the world exactly who she really is: an ordinary young woman, much more powerful than Belle.
The desire to be like the most successful and popular person you know is a tale as old as time. As creatives, our first sparks of inspiration came from our artistic heroes who changed our lives. While we chase after their legacies, we see people across the internet sharing their almost instant economic and social achievements. We consume countless words about how we can be just as glorious as these superiors if we follow this trend, practice that habit, and embrace what the internet currently promises will bring salvation.
However, the greatest creatives, from established legends to those hidden in obscurity, help save the world by being who they really are. Their interests, perspectives, experiences, and bravery to be true to themselves in the public eye infuses their work with an honesty that lets others believe in them. This positive sense of pride gives creations that people never knew they needed. The world needs the real you in order to change for the better.
Never let your work prevent you from being the best you can be.
In Master & Commander: The Far Side of the World, set during the Napoleonic Wars, Captain “Lucky” Jack Aubrey of the HMS Surprise is tasked to intercept the Acheron: a greater enemy vessel. The hunt sends he and his crew across vast waters and into mounting perils that makes Stephen Maturin, the ship’s surgeon and captain’s closest friend, begin to question the logic and safety in continuing this chase. Indeed, Aubrey eventually admits that the pursuit has long since become about satisfying his ego, endangering his crew for nothing.
When Maturin is fatally wounded in an accident, the captain is forced to make a decision. Should he keep sailing and finally snatch the Acheron, denying Maturin the medical stop he needs to survive, or halt the Surprise, let his prize slip away, and save his dearest friend’s life? The captain decides to choose the love of his friend and responsibility to his crew over his own glory.
Creatives are often obsessive people. We gain a tunnel vision where all we can think of is finishing our art, even if our art is driving us crazy. Sometimes, our work affect our lives outside of creativity. Passion is what we need to succeed, but, if left unchecked, can negatively become obsession. We can forget what matters most: people, and that includes ourselves.
As we continue pursuing our own Acherons, never forget that being a creative means more than just achieving your goals; you are still a person, too. Be sure to take care of your responsibilities. Keep being respectful to others. You will not waste valuable work time spending time with your loved ones. Help a friend in need. Give yourself some rest. Always remember who you are making art for.
We make art to live.
In Rocky, the titular Rocky Balboa is drowning in a hard-luck life. He is still working for a small-time loan shark. He is not much respected in his community. He is aging and his dreams are long since dead and he had a chance to be a legendary boxer, but . . . hey, at least he has a (crummy) roof over his head and an (awful) job.
When the owner of his boxing gym, Mickey Goldmill, criticizes him one too many times, Rocky demands to know why the old man is constantly giving him grief. Mickey explains that Rocky had talent to be a good fighter, and instead of chasing his dreams, he dishonored himself by being a loan shark’s lackey.
Rocky gives his only defense: “It’s a living.” In the modern world, all that matters is money and survival. He has a steady job and a shelter. Not everyone can say as much. So what is Mickey’s problem?
Then, Mickey delivers this bombshell that stops Rocky in his tracks: “It’s a WASTE of life!”
We all have only one, mortal life. When our responsibilities are satisfied, and if we have the chance to create what our imaginations conjure, we owe ourselves the chance to be creative. We cannot waste our lives by rejecting our dreams in favor of living unhappily paycheck to paycheck; forcefully believing we have “made it” because we are no longer sleeping in cars. Despite everything that says otherwise, being creative is a noble endeavor that enriches the soul, saves others, and, for some, is necessary to fulfill their spirits.
You are not stupid for being creative. You are being creative to really live.
