It’s Cool To Fail
Everyone Should Try It
First I would like to start off by saying failure is a very subjective term. What one person defines as success or failure is very different from what another person might define it as. Freshman year of college my friends and I, as the overly ambitious freshmen we were, decided to create a web series we called “Manhattan University” which failed, miserably.
At the time, the four other co-creators and I were bonding over the funny experiences we were having in and out of the classroom and wanted to capture them through some sort of medium. We dove head first into creating a series about… wait for it… FRESHMEN IN FILM SCHOOL.
We wrote somewhere between five to seven episodes, each one consisting of a conflict specific to freshmen in art school in New York City, paired with a series of gags driven by the characters’ personalities. Looking back, I think this is an area where we really hit a brick wall without realizing it. We were creating content for a very specific demographic and that demographic was, ourselves.
With a full “season” written, we proceeded to casting. Casting was one of the biggest sources of arguments for us because so many of our talented peers auditioned, which made it nearly impossible to make a decision. The performers we chose graciously took part in our train wreck of a production.
When it came around to the actual shoot, we wound up shooting only two of the many episodes we had written. Also, our shoot did not follow any sort of production etiquette and we broke a TON of rules (that I will not list just in case we can still be held accountable).
So as you probably guessed, this web series was wildly successful and currently has a million hits on YouTube… and by that I mean we never even finished the first episode. However, at the end of the day (or two years later if we’re being technical) I’m able to realize that in all the ways that “Manhattan University” was a fail, in some ways it was also a success.
Here’s what learned from creating something that failed:
- Accept that you were not happy with the outcome.
It’s totally okay to not be happy with how something worked out. Whether this applies to a project, a bad test grade, a relationship, or literally anything. Accepting that you are not satisfied proves that you are an individual who knows what you want. So good for you, individual human with high expectations. Do not settle.
2. Make a mental (or physical, whatever floats your boat) list of the things you would change if you were to try again.
Accepting that you are unhappy is a great step, but dwelling on it is not the answer (unless if you want to stay unhappy, then in that case it is the answer). Whenever I watch the rough cut of our first episode I literally have tears of embarrassment running down my face (does everyone cry when they’re embarrassed or is that just me?) But through my tears ruining my makeup I am not afraid to point out the things that went wrong.
As young adults, especially students, we are constantly changing. The person I was freshman year is very different from the one I am now. I mean I still have a debilitating coffee addiction so I guess some things don’t change but looking back now, I would determine “Manhattan University” a script not even worth shooting.
I think embracing mistakes shows more maturity than avoiding them. By embracing, I mean, don’t make fun of our own work or place the blame on other people. While some people may gain some sort of catharsis by placing blame or stating that they thought it was a bad idea all along, accepting that you made a mistake shows that you’ve actually learned. So the next time someone makes fun of you for something stupid you did in your past, rather than arguing with them, say: “Yes I did do that and yes it was stupid.” It shows that you’ve become a smarter person since that stupid thing. (Also agreeing with bullies makes them really angry which is kind of fun to witness).
3. TRY AGAIN! *insert twinkling emoji*
Just because I had one project that was not so good did not mean I was going to walk around with a paper bag on my head for the rest of my life. Since then, I have written and directed many different projects (all of which I will probably also be embarrassed by in a few years). Putting yourself out there or your work (like this article) is one of the scariest things you can do because you are opening yourself up to a world full of cranky people who are going to poop all over you and your dreams but truthfully, the only way you can experience this step-by-step process of learning from failure is by…failing. *gasp*
But seriously, if you fail enough you will eventually learn from your mistakes, and that in itself is a success. Basically what I’m trying to say is, make a really bad web series or do that thing that you’re afraid of doing, because at the end of the day it’s better than not doing anything at all.
