Toni and I stepped out of the bustling market, and into a little camera shop I’d visited the last time I was in Australia a couple years ago.
She needed some film for her 35mm camera, and I wanted to look at all the old cameras inside.
We went to check out, when the young guy behind the counter paused and said: “Oh, I love your YouTube channel.”
Me: “Whoa, no way!”
Him: “Yeah, wait… what are you doing here?”
Great question.
It was a weird moment because I hadn’t thought about YouTube, or filmmaking, or work at all that day… or even for a few days. I honestly couldn’t remember the last time that was true.
Hell, the last time I was in Australia, I’d been sneaking in hours and hours of editing a YouTube video between visits with family.
But this trip was the least I’ve worked (or thought about work) in years – and I needed it.
Even though we were there for a funeral, in the midst of it I got to reconnect with family and take a moment to step out of the life I’ve been sprinting through for the past two years to refocus on what really matters.
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Bird’s Eye Views
I love the perspective shift traveling can provide. The flight back is always when things really click for me, and this time I just thought about how my usual routine has become such a treadmill.
And I’ve been cranking the speed higher and higher chasing after an imaginary time called “someday.”
Someday I’ll slow down.
Someday I’ll write for fun again.
Someday I’ll start that feature.
But “someday” is a moving target. It’s an excuse to skip today.
And I’ve been skipping a lot of todays.
Health. Relationships. Creativity. I’ve been trading them for work tasks that always seem urgent—until you’re 8,000 miles away and realize the uncomfortable truth that:
Most of your work doesn’t really matter.
Probably only a few things actually move the needle. The rest just feels important in the moment.
Most emails don’t need responses (at least quick ones).
Most details you obsess over will go unnoticed.
But hearing a film student on the other side of the world say your YouTube videos have helped him more than a lot of his classes – okay, that actually matters. Make more videos.
By the way, the few really important things you need to do, are also usually the things you avoid the most (that’s how you know they’re important).
Is there a cure for Busy?
If you always feel too busy, it’s best to face the uncomfortable truth – that’s unlikely to ever change.
There’s a part of you that probably likes being busy.
That’s okay, just use that knowledge to accept that “someday” will never arrive, so if you want to live differently, today is the only time to do it. Because there’s always time to exercise, call a friend, write a scene, or re-watch a favorite movie – TODAY.
There’s never time for these things if you’re always willing to defer it in favor of more work.
So in the coming months I’m excited to cut out some parts of my work, and bring more of my enthusiasm and energy to what’s left, and what can create an actual impact.
One of them being…
The Lost Fortune of Oliver Brody
At long last, we’re only 30 days away from principal photography for my next short!
On the (very long) flight back from Australia, I finally broke the script down with detailed directing notes. I’ve waited way too long to do this, but in my defense the script kept changing. Now that the script is locked and my thoughts are on paper, I feel much more prepared and confident.
I also used that valuable time in the air to write a list of priorities for the rest of pre-production this month, including:
- Test shooting our special effects and the ending scene
- Finalizing the shot list and building out a spreadsheet for it
- Meeting with our lead actor
- Booking flights and insurance
- Hiring a few more key team members
I’ll be documenting some fun parts of pre-pro with behind-the-scenes videos, but I’ll wait to finish & release those until after principal photography.
Until then, I’ll keep giving you a live peek here as it all comes together.
Let’s make some movies.
-Kent