One Thing All Artists Must Do
Let me tell you a shameful secret before we get started.
I am a selfish interviewer.
Whenever I talk with anyone, I’m not concerned about promoting them. I’m not concerned with sounding smart.
I’m concerned with gobbling up any gold nugget of knowledge which will make me smarter or better. So when my friend Garrett — who has done some film work for ESPN, HGTV, and Kenny Chesney — volunteered to get his friends together and talk about film, I finished the chat with a lot to swallow.
Like this comment:
“It just doesn’t have to take much time for a character arc to play out.”
This is true with fiction and reality. You can change the direction of your life in a day. In a moment actually. You can choose to quit ignoring your creative ability right now. You can stop procrastinating right now. You can make a conscious choice to move forward right now.
“You can tell a story with pure cinematic language, not just words.”
Looks matter. They matter a lot.
I hate this. I hate that I need to look like a writer. I was raised to believe what you were on the inside is all that matters. Mom lied.
Filmmakers can spend hours getting a shot right. HOURS! And now I am embarrassed because I didn’t spend 10 seconds figuring out a better word for “filmmakers.”
“So you mean Kim Kardashian isn’t a coherent speaker?”
I’ll let you find that one out for yourself.
Oh, and there’s one more thing none of these fellas mentioned, but I inferred it:
“Artists support artists”
With the ability for creative people to produce and be seen at a level like never before comes the responsibility for us to build each other up. For me, it’s simple — if I love what someone does, I will give them money so they can do more of it.
10 times out of 10, I go to art for a connection, a spark, a feeeeeling between myself and another servant of the Muse.
In a world of endless distraction and disinterest, I will gladly pay for a person to say: “Yes, I understand you. I know you. I care for you. And I brought this vision to reality so you can enjoy it.”
After all, isn’t that the whole point?
Kevin, Hunter, and Garrett are in the process of creating Day 7, a sci-fi film shot right down the street from me in Nashville, TN.
You can support it at toddbrison.com/supportday7
When I really got rolling with Kevin, Hunter, and Garrett, we kept on going. The full interview is below, but to make it easier for you, I’ve pulled out some of my favorite bits:
- Why People Should Not Hate the Star Wars Prequels
- How (and Why) to Stop Being a Creative Lone Wolf
- Stepping Forward in the Face of Fear
— TB
