Go to a Recovering Place to Recover.
Haiti rebuilt me as well.
I had been the other half of running a lean start-up right out of graduating from film school.
It seemed like an odd path after getting my diploma, but I was gained valuable experience, business acumen and confidence. After growing the company and raising a series A investment, I realized that the product and its corresponding industry (self-service ticketing) was not my true love. Filming and media solutions was my passion, and I just couldn’t shake the truth from my screaming conscious.
So right after securing funding for our venture, I let everyone know I wouldn’t be continuing with the company — a real shocker to those involved. Regardless of the intense bootstrapping journey, my decision of leaving what we had built was almost too easy. I sat looking outside of the window and contemplated the rationality of my brash decision. Maybe I screwed up my big opportunity?
No turning back, a new direction was upon me.
I sent an email to all of my former media contacts to let them know I was back in the game of storytelling. I painted a house the rest of the week, and hoped for the best.
“John, would you like to visit Haiti to produce a collection of short stories for the Clinton Bush Haiti Fund?”
A fellow media pioneer and founder of Students of The World, Courtney Spence, responded to my email with a welcome-back tone and proposed it was time to dust off my filmmaking rust. She was glad I was focused on my purpose again and had an action-packed project for a two-person crew.
To summarize, we traveled all around Haiti to recap significant projects that CBHF had helped fund. These social enterprise initiatives ranged from female-focused micro loans to seismic-proof, pre-fab homes.
To give a visual glimpse of the individual videos:
Marie had also secured a loan to begin her clothing vendor company. She is seen here at home preparing inventory for her venture. Her family was starting from scratch and they all worked to help her spring into business.
These female entrepreneurs, like many Haitians I met, had lost more than most of us can imagine due to a catastrophic earthquake.
These brave women proved to me that regardless of the whirlwind you might be in, you have a new slate to begin drawing on each day. Use the eraser, the chalk, and share with others the creation you want in the end. You will be surprised what that daily excellence will bring forth.
The culinary students were also tested on their rigorous training. I was moved to know that most of these students had no career in cooking before the earthquake. Now they were training in a new, lucrative art — seemed like they were finding their hidden purpose.
With the country building itself again, there are visitors and tourists who come with mixed expectations. These chefs-in-training all wanted a Haiti that could show off its natural and radiant Caribbean cuisine.
These dynamic and invested students inspired me to experiment with my inner creativity. I should constantly explore what routes of creative work I can do to improve the environment for those around me.
The man with the glasses in this photo is Mathias. He is the CEO of GaMa and was funded to begin manufacturing these steel-frame, seismic-proof housing solutions. He was building a workforce in many construction-based roles and their productivity was astounding.
Mathias’ company had an impressive approach of tackling a serious problem with his country and diving in on a specific product to not only rebuild, but rebuild better than ever before.
Mathias had a profound impact on me as an entrepreneur and has allowed me to begin building a product for the media landscape. Not just another production-heavy enterprise, but something that will bring more value to the stories we video and film artists work so hard on.
After spending a week telling a story per day (exhausting!), we decided to take some local advice and embark on the journey of jumping in Bassin-Bleu before our production job ended. Bassin-Bleu was a majestic waterfall hideout in the South-East mountains of Haiti. Our guide warned us of an intense hike that we would not forget.
During our hike, we ran into locals who greeted us with energetic music and vibrant creativity.
The lengthy hike allowed a lot of thinking time for the first time on the trip. I had time to meditate on what was actually next for me.
As the hike was nearing its epic waterfall destination, I relished on all of the recent experiences, took a breath and…
…realized that all I cared about was jumping in.
I am currently taking Evan Williams’ simple advice for taking on a big challenge with my new venture. He states:
It’s pretty simple: Hard things are valuable; easy things are not so valuable. Reaching the mountaintop is rewarding because it is hard. If it was easy, everybody would do it.
I feel honored to have had this experience in Haiti. I learned a lot of positive comes out of the inevitable catastrophes of running a company. This is parallel to the truth that an unimaginable catastrophe in Haiti has given birth to a new community fixing itself smarter, happier, and together.
I left what could of been a promising venture to follow one that I can’t deny is true to my heart, and I welcome the unknowns ahead.
I would like for you to remember that recovering atmospheres are filled with examples and people who will undoubtedly give you some answers - whether you are seeking them or not.
If you want more context, you can find some of the videos I produced with Students of The World below:
Create>Consume — John
