Remembering Creativity

How does one return to the creative element?  How can I say "that project was my idea" rather than "I did the paperwork for that idea"?

I bring up these questions because a good friend of mine, my best friend in fact, kinda let me have it after I told her that there is no creativity left in this industry. It is a simple and disheartening realization because of how much red tape is involved in filmmaking.  This conversation took place two months ago and I have since thought about how I need to remember that being in business does not mean that creativity is completely gone.

The sad truth is that sometimes, in order to pay the bills, you have to give up time to be creative.  But this doesn't mean you should not forget about conceiving new ideas.  That's why I joined Flashpoint in the first place.

I've spent the last 18 months focusing the majority of my work through the business side of filmmaking - paperwork, producing, red tape, negotiations, so on and so forth.  It's hard to get excited about an idea when all you do is make production binders and copies all day long.

So how do I get back?  How can I get back to that element that I had when I directed Lost Wallet in 2007? I recently had the opportunity to be an impromptu director for a project. Even though it was for a short period of time, and even though it wasn't originally me directing, it still felt pretty good.

I want to do that again.  I want to have the satisfaction of being passionate about something.  I want to really, truly, deeply enjoy every facet of a films creation, from conception to execution.

I'm not saying I don't like what I do now.  It is something I consider myself pretty good at, even if the projects I work on are not my own.  But it certainly would be nice to get back to a level where I can write something and show it off.

Who knows, perhaps development awaits me in California.

What I do know is that it's time to stop thinking about it and start doing it.  It's time to re-ignite my passion, my desire, my potential.  Let's start by putting the pen to the paper, then we'll see what I can really do.

DM