Do It Anyway

Get up at 4am to photograph first light over the freezing desert wasteland? Instead I could get four more hours of sleep and then order room service. The light might not be that great after all. And does the world really need another landscape photograph? No one will miss it.

I’m going to do it anyway.

Completely throw out the last 15 minutes of my film and spend another two weeks creating an entirely new ending? The distributor is going to be furious. My writing partner thinks I’m an idiot. The new ending might not work. I’m going to go over budget and get sued by my investors.

I’m going to do it anyway.

Spend three days straight writing and recording a spec music track on the off chance a music supervisor will select it for his current film? I might have to pull two all-nighters in a row. There’s no way they’ll choose my song over a well-known track by a famous artist. And really, it’s beneath me to work for free.

I’m going to do it anyway.

Start a blog? I’m too busy. I’m an artist, not a blogger. What a waste of time, a big distraction. No one will read it. And even if a few people like it, what’s the point?

I’m going to do it anyway.

Because this is what I’ve learned: The doubting voices in my head will always rear their ugly heads. There will always be an excuse to avoid doing the things that will bring growth. Because the things that bring growth are difficult. They’re a pain in the ass. But those are the things that lead to my most satisfying breakthroughs. The things that bring fascinating, challenging people into my life. The things that help me sleep soundly at night, knowing I gave it everything I have, and knowing if this was my last day on earth I’d be proud of what I did with my precious hours on this planet.

So if you’d like to receive an occasional post on filmmaking, photography, and living as an artist, sign up for my newsletter HERE. Or unsubscribe if you don’t want to be bothered. Because you know what?

I’m going to do it anyway.