Updated: Mar 7, 2022
"You have to take those opportunities to write, even if it's a small amount. I've found that five minutes turns to thirty."
- Priscilla Wise, Writer and Vice President and Chief of Staff at World Wide Stages
It’s always a pleasure talking to Priscilla Wise, and the time we spent with her on the MAKE IT podcast was no different. A consummate professional with a magnetic personality, Priscilla knows how to be in the right room, at the right time, with all the right people. She also knows how to give the right bit of advice right when you need it.
When Priscilla offered us this pearl of wisdom, it reminded us of two of our core principles: Be Better and Be Creative. Each principle is a lifelong process that leads to continuous growth but, at times, can feel like an uphill battle.
Imagine looking at the career of one of your idols only to realize that their industry success came after 10 feature films and a host of odd jobs in a variety of unremarkable positions. It would be easy to lose confidence in your own path forward knowing that you‘re only on your first feature film and it hasn’t even made it to a festival yet. The same is true when it comes to education. In film, there is so much to learn about your craft and, with rapid advances in technology, there is always some new tool, tip, trick, or technique just a YouTube video away. How can you possibly consume it all?
Well, the truth of the matter is that you can’t leap forward in time and you can’t eat an elephant all at once. You have to take it one bite at a time. The key, then, to not losing faith, is knowing that every bite is leading you closer to your goals.
Priscilla offered her advice to the writer who is working on their next screenplay and is struggling to find the time or the motivation. She suggests (and we believe) that devoting just five minutes a day is enough to springboard you to completion. The reason is that, as a creative, this is what you live for. You live for the process of bringing your art to life. You live for the neuropsychological rush of seeing the puzzle pieces begin to fit together.
Cecil B. DeMille, famed film producer and director, stated that “Creativity is a drug I cannot live without.” In fact, observations from neuropsychological research suggest that novelty, discovery, and creativity can excite the ventral striatal reward system of the brain just as strongly as drugs of abuse. Achieving this heightened mental state creates a domino effect for the hungry filmmaker who continues to crave more. Five minutes turns to ten. Ten to fifteen. Fifteen to thirty.
This intense internal sense of reward is also true for learning because, like creativity, it has the power to elicit illumination, otherwise know as “ah-ha” moments. The great composer Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky stated “… It would be vain to put into words that immeasurable sense of bliss which comes over me … (when) a new idea awakens in me … .” Taking your learning one bite at a time, while coupling it with your own innate sense of creativity will offer plenty of opportunity for your own “ah-ha” moments. Feeding off the joy and excitement that these moments bring, you will undoubtedly search for more, furthering your education as well as your creative journey.
We invite you to take Priscilla’s sage advice when it comes to both learning and creating. Don’t be scared of all that is left undone; be excited about all that you have the potential to do!
We’d like to thank Priscilla for dropping this pearl of wisdom on us and if you’d like to learn about her latest endeavor as Vice President and Chief of Staff at World Wide Stages, go to www.worldwidestages.com.
As always,
Be Better. Be Creative. Be Engaged.
"It's ok not to know something as long as you're willing to ask."
- Dycee Wildman, Director/Writer
Dycee is one of our favorite creatives and we were delighted to have her share her experiences and her insights with us on the MAKE IT podcast. When we asked her to share a critical piece of advice with our audience, she shared the importance of setting pride aside for the sake of continuous learning.
Dycee’s advice is important not only because we believe it to be universally true, but because it remains a challenge for everyone (filmmakers and non-filmmakers alike). Each of us has been in a room where we wanted to impress those around us and where being confronted with our own ignorance has forced us to make a choice between our pride and the truth.
But the real truth is that, in most cases, the fear of not knowing is far greater than the consequences of not knowing. As JFK put it, "there is nothing to fear but fear itself." This realization isn't one that comes easily nor is it one that comes quickly, but it is one that comes with maturity. It comes with reflecting on the opportunities and the insight missed by not asking a question and making a choice never to put ourselves in that position again.
As we all know, the filmmaking industry is shrouded in so many ways. The pathway to success is not a straight line, there is no one way to do anything, and there is no guidebook to follow. No matter what your role in filmmaking is, your next step is constantly defined by what you learn on the job each and every day. With that in mind, not asking a question when you don't know something will define your next step just as much as having the answer.
Think of it like this: The answer to every question you ever ask is a bridge to your next step forward. It gives you the pathway to inform your decisions and to have confidence in where you're going. Every unasked question takes that bridge away and forces you to find an alternate path. That alternate path could be a simple detour or it could derail you altogether.
We echo Dycee's sentiment by inviting all of our filmmaking friends to put their pride aside and ask questions. Ask questions of teachers, mentors, friends, family, industry professionals, and anyone else who can provide the answers you need to bridge the knowledge gap between where you are to where you want to be. There is always so much that we don't know, regardless of where we are in our careers. Being open to learning means being open to opportunity and, as filmmakers, we'll take every opportunity we can get.
Come listen to more of what Dycee has to offer our podcast community on this episode of the MAKE IT podcast. You can check out what she's been up to at https://www.dyceewildman.com.
As always,
Be Better. Be Creative. Be Engaged.
"The number one thing, way more important than talent, is persistence."
- Korby Lenker, Actor/Musician
In our Conversation with Korby Lenker on the MAKE IT podcast, Korby talked to us about how to bridge the gap between filmmaking talent and filmmaking success. He explained to us that talent isn't everything and that persistence is what will ultimately help you achieve your goals.
It's easy to read this quote and ask, "Well, persistence is great but if you don't have talent, how can you be successful?" That's fair. Talent is certainly key to everyone's success. But let's go a bit deeper so we can get to the heart of Korby's advice.
Persistence is "the firm or obstinate continuance in a course of action in spite of difficulty or opposition".
We would all agree that the life of a filmmaker is full of difficulty and opposition. As our good friend and producer Stefanie Black told us: "...this business is chock full of negativity and comparison and ambition...so many things that can topple you." Writer and coach Shannan E. Johnson tells us: "Hollywood is the largest gated community in the world." In our own experience, we have worked with mercenary crew who came, saw, and collected a paycheck without ever looking back, leaving us with a subpar product that we couldn't promote.
No matter how talented you are, the filmmaker's journey is wrought with challenges that have brought many talented people to their knees. We know plenty of talented actors who have been passed over for parts. We know plenty of talented directors who have not been honored for their work. We know plenty of talented writers with screenplays on the shelf. We know plenty of talented producers who can't find distribution for their films.
Talent is likely the most abundant quality out there in the indie filmmaking world but success continues to elude so many indie filmmakers. This is why Korby says that there has to be something more important than talent, that there has to be something that can break down the barriers, shrug off the difficulty, and overcome the opposition. Filmmakers can't survive on talent alone. They need something more.
Persistence. "The firm or obstinate continuance in a course of action in spite of difficulty or opposition."
Persistence doesn't mean beating your head against a brick wall over and over again. If you recall, Einstein's definition of insanity is "doing the same thing over and over again expecting different results." Persistence is about the unwavering pursuit of a goal all the while knowing that the journey doesn't follow a straight line. It's about finding unique and creative ways to beat the odds when the odds are stacked against you. It's about forging new paths when the old paths are hard to find or lead to dead ends. Persistence means taking "no" for an answer in one place, but learning how to turn it into a "yes" somewhere else.
So, how does a filmmaker demonstrate persistence in a meaningful way without feeling like they're going insane? Well, it all comes down to the "course of action" that a filmmaker takes to get where they're going.
We believe that persistence in filmmaking is all about charting a course of action that addresses the three core principles upon which we founded Bonsai Creative: Be Better. Be Creative. Be Engaged. Let's break it down:
Be Better
This principle is about obstinate continuance along the path of education. There is always an opportunity to learn whether formally through guided training or informally on set. Continually seeking and taking advantage of opportunities to learn can make us better at what we do and at who we are as individuals. It is through continual education that we improve our value to others and the quality of our work.
Be Creative
This principle is about obstinate continuance along the path of expressing our creativity by making things that the world can see. Art lives at the heart of the content creator and it is by creating and sharing that art that we continue to validate ourselves and our purpose in the world.
Be Engaged
This principle is about obstinate continuance along the path of community engagement. As a filmmaker, your art isn't for everyone. Your art is a representation of the thoughts, experiences, beliefs, perspectives, and desires of specific communities. By continually searching for, identifying with, and engaging the right communities, you will build audiences, collaborators, and champions for your art.
Through great persistence in each of these areas, filmmakers at all levels of talent can find their way to success. The road has never been straight and narrow and the journey is far from easy, but "firm or obstinate continuance in a course of action in spite of difficulty or opposition" is certain to yield positive results to the filmmaker who strives to be better, be creative, and be engaged.
If you'd like to hear more great insights from our filmmaking friend Korby Lenker, we invite you to listen to this episode of the MAKE IT podcast. You can also check out all the great things that Korby is up to these days on his website: https://www.korbylenker.com.
As always,
Be Better. Be Creative. Be Engaged.