Passion Projects
A wise man named Wayne often says “if a fella asks you for your help, ya help him”;) Truly words to live by. With that in mind, I wanted to deliberate what I consider the “good stuff”; the stuff that makes it all worthwhile in the end: passion projects.
There is a reason we all got into doing whatever it is we all do, and for me that reason is storytelling. In particular, telling the stories of those who are unable to tell their own, and for whatever reason are suppressed to do so because of who they are, where they live, their gender, their faith, or any other number of reasons in existence used to marginalize human beings. It’s difficult to articulate exactly why this is what I want to pursue, but wether I’m merely stirring the pot or trying to grow a halo, I ultimately want to know that my photography and my film is somehow making a positive impact, however small, somewhere in the world. Personally, shedding light on the many social and political injustices around the world is the most rewarding pursuit in my line of work.
There are many non-profit organizations working tirelessly to propel change where there are a severe lack of basic needs and human rights. Unfortunately, much of this work trudges on under-funded and oftentimes unnoticed by those who have the power to help. The bottom line is that visual media gets noticed, and therefore it is an essential medium of communication in a world with a rapidly shrinking attention span. I have been fortunate enough to be in a position where committing myself to such passion projects has finally become a possibility. I am not independently wealthy, however I believe there is much more to the production industry than simply turning a buck. Of course we’ll all likely have some bills to pay along the way, but pumping out content solely for the financial gain will ultimately hold you back from fulfilling your potential.
Personally, I look forward to lending my abilities and my services to some good causes in the year(s) to come, and I may ask for your help along the way so if you know of any do-gooders in need of promotional content then take the initiative and put us in touch. It’s certainly a lot easier said than done, but if you want to be a filmmaker then go out there and make films!
Stop for a moment each day and try to remember why you started down your current path, as taking that daily moment can be a driving force behind your creativity and your productiveness. Focusing on what truly matters to you will only build your skillset and will likely result in the fulfillment of producing some of your best work yet! And really, in the end, contributing to the greater good is something we could all use a little more of in our lives. Try it. You won’t hate it. I promise!
