A Way to Look at Things

I heard a saying today- "The Archer seeks not to hit the target but to become the bow itself."

It's totally stupid to relay quotes on a blog- I feel like one of those "successories" posters that get put up in an office cafeteria that are supposed to help build morale. But I really liked this one, because it very much reflects what we're trying to accomplish.

In essence, what we're trying to do is not just make a film, but rather create a movement, a legacy. To make a film and simply be content with it is not enough to sustain a career or a lifetime. I've already made a film, so the joy of "simply doing it" is long out of the way. I can be hit by a bus tomorrow and at least I'll have the satisfaction of making a film. But the goal is much bigger than that.

We simply don't want to make a film, we want to become film. It's what the best in the business have done. When we developed "The Killing Moon" we also set to develop a slate of projects, in a variety of formats. The key is to always have something ready to go. I find it distressing when I meet filmmakers, authors, artists who have no idea of what they're going to do next. After I see a great film and I get to talk to the filmmaker, I sometimes ask "so what are you going to do next?" I'm shocked that more often than not, people have no idea what's coming next. Come on, people- we are artists by trade, it is our job to have ideas, to constantly roll out new concepts and proposals.

I refuse to believe that there are people who have "one good story" in them. Every hour of living on this planet contributes to a new story. Stories are nothing but experience, life experience, and our jobs are to convey the truth about life, even if it is a grand work of fiction.

There was a chapter in Neil Gaiman's epic "Sandman" series about an author whose punishment for his crimes were to have endless ideas. The man could never sleep, he could never have peace of mind because everything he looked at became a new story. Desperate for a pen and pencil, he resorted to writing on walls with his own blood. I find that in my own life, I lose sleep because I'm always trying to think of something new. Not that I will go insane, but I figure I want to get down all of my ideas while they're still there. I fear that there may be a time when I simply run out of my muse- if that day were to ever come, I will have countless pages full of ideas that I can fall back upon. I guess it falls back tot he same old adage for writers, which is to always keep writing, even if it makes sense or not.

I think this was a pretty weak post, but hey it's still me writing something or other. It's better than a blank page!

Be well.