FILM PRODUCER | WRITER | HUSBAND | FATHER
It’s true that every time you say yes to something you’re saying no to everything else. What’s more important than what you say yes to at the moment, at least initially, is the reason why you’re saying yes. You have to know your “north star”, the big goal, the one thing, the ultimate end that …
I turned 36 yesterday. It reminded me of this thing I read years ago, referencing a philosopher named Rudolf Steiner, about how life can be broken up into seven-year cycles. So, 0-7, 8-14, 15-21, 22-28, 29-35, 36-42, 43-49, 50-56, 57-63, and 64-70. Obviously you could keep going but these were the cycles that he wrote …
Tony Robbins shares a story in one of his talk tapes about how one of the first things they teach you when you’re learning to race cars is how to avoid a crash. The answer isn’t to get better at a certain maneuver or sequence of gear changes and braking and accelerating. The answer is …
A few weeks back, Derek Sivers dropped a bomb on me that made me question everything I’ve written and has made it HARDER to write every single day: People only really learn when they’re surprised. If they’re not surprised, then what you told them just fits in with what they already know. No minds were changed. …
A month ago, director Martin Scorsese was interviewed by Empire Magazine and in that interview said that he didn’t think Marvel movies were cinema. The internet lost its collective mind. Some filmmakers rushed to his defense while others raced to express their outrage the fastest and loudest. Then, today, this. Context. Clarification. Words that were …
This line stood out from Seth Godin’s podcast last week: Make things better by making better things. Seth Godin It was one of many steps that have contributed to the change that I’ve been seeking lately. It helped me realize that though I had the desire to make things better, both for myself and for …
You don’t need authorization. You don’t need permission. All you need is enough resourcefulness to just do it yourself. You don’t have any excuses anymore. There is nothing between you and getting your art into the hands (or eyes or ears) of those who want it. You can shoot a movie or tv show and …
What’s the equivalent of practicing free throws for a creative profession? What about a pushup? Or doing a few laps around the track or in the pool? In sports, athletes are often told, and then forced during practice, to work on and master the fundamentals. That way, when it’s game time and the pressure is …
Stop using inanimate objects or others as an excuse to not make the thing you say you want to make. Movies can be shot on iPhones and still get into Sundance. Stories are free. Books can be written using a pencil and paper or using a free text app that comes with every computer. Words …
I’ve noticed something over the last week or two, and I know it’s happened before. Recurring themes. I listen to tons of podcasts and talk tapes, read books and blog posts, and follow a number of writers and thinkers. Over the last week it seemed like the same thing came up over and over again: …