October 2010 – Journeys of a Hybrid

October 26, 2010

“Kickstarting” a Passion Project

For anyone who has been reading my blog, you know a few things about me – I love to dialog and share with others, my work and my pleasure are one in the same and I always have a passion project that I’m working on.

I can’t say that I’ve always been like this. In the beginning of my career it was a lot harder to dialog and share with people – pre-social media and email. And as my career took hold and I became busier with work, I didn’t have time for sharing or personal projects. But for someone like me who is a dreamer, I was starting to burn out.

When I started exploring the video medium in the late 90’s, it triggered a spark in me. I started thinking and dreaming about all the stories that I wanted to tell – that would be possible for me to tell – through this medium. One of my first attempts at telling a story with video was a short documentary I did on my daughter’s youth symphony. I couldn’t have picked a harder subject if I tried because it was all about sound, which I knew nothing about. And anyone who has ever shot a musical concert knows that it’s almost impossible to do with only one camera. But I naively pursued with this project and learned a lot in the process.

My next passion project was The Delta Blues Musicians that I envisioned as a multimedia project combining still environmental portraits of these musicians along with video interviews, capturing their life’s stories. It was a lot of work and for the most part, I went it alone – doing everything myself. For anyone who has ever tried to shoot both stills and video on the same job, you know it’s not an easy thing to do. That project will always be near and dear to my heart and continues to reward me in ways that I never knew were possible.

There have been other passion projects since these first two and my head is usually full of ideas that are rumbling around, just waiting for the right time to surface. I am in the midst of a project now, Opening Our Eyes that is perhaps the most ambitious one I’ve ever dreamed up. This past weekend I launched the project on Kickstarter. Kickstarter is a website that posts creative projects for the purposes of finding funds. It’s a perfect example of crowd funding where one can donate anywhere from $1 to $10,000 to the project of their choice, and in the process make someone’s idea come to life.

I launched Opening Our Eyes on Thursday and within 3 days we reached 30 % of our goal. We still have a long way to go and have another 71 days to get fully funded. The way Kickstarter works is that if you don’t get funded 100%, then all bets are off and you don’t receive anything. So, I’m doing my best to do what I like the least and that is make a pitch for pledges. My intent is to secure enough funds so that I can collaborate with a professional editor and raise the bar on the film that my daughter and I shot this past summer on our 99-day adventure around the world, about people who are making a positive difference in the world.

It’s really a win/win for anyone who chooses to give – even a pledge of $25 will get us closer to our goal and you’ll receive a DVD of our film when it’s finished. So please check out our project on Kickstarter and pass this link along to others. Ultimately our goal is to inspire and motivate other change-makers through the power of our film. We know we can do it with everyone’s help and it will make you feel good to give – it always does.

October 21, 2010October 25, 2010

Fear and Isolation

I see it everywhere – people reacting – frozen by their fears. And it seems to be catching. That’s because fearful people like company. Somehow they feel that if they can get others to bind with them in spreading their doom, that their own fears and trepidations will be validated.

People are so angry these days because their world is changing and they feel threatened. I see it in government where the tone these days is angry – full of hatred and fear and more time is spent pointing the finger of blame at others than in coming up with solutions to problems.

I see groups and organizations taking on a “we versus them” insular attitude, thinking that somehow by keeping people out of their exclusive group – they will have more for themselves.

I see relationships where one person may feel threatened or insecure and tries to exclude other people and relationships from their insular lives. They foolishly believe this will make their relationship stronger – the two of them against the world so to speak.

I understand why the fearful act this way. Somehow they think that if they can convince others to go along with them in their pursuit of eliminating competition or outside influences– they will receive more. But it doesn’t work that way. It never has and it never will. The simple reason is that people who spend their time telling themselves and others what won’t work or focus just on themselves, instead of embracing others and being open to possibilities, become insular and ultimately create their own demise. They are bringing nothing positive into the world – no motivation for growth – only reasons why they should stop themselves. They predict the future in negative ways and in the process create that reality and then say, “see I told you”.

The group that tries so hard to keep things the same and feels threatened by newcomers ultimately becomes a group of old thinkers who die out. The person who attempts to gain more attention from their mate by keeping them from their friends and outside interests, soon finds out that doesn’t bring them more attention, but rather resentment because it’s unsustainable.

There have been times in my life that I’ve been sucked into these negative mindsets and I can tell you that not only it didn’t bring anything good into my life – it kept good out. These days, I have been giving more of myself. I have been getting out there and meeting people, sharing with people and I’m finding out that in the process, I’ve gotten a lot more in return. But I don’t give with the expectation to receive in return – I give because in the long run, everyone benefits.

We become stronger when we allow others in our lives to give to and to learn from. We should strive to allow people in our lives who want us to succeed, because those people understand that in helping and supporting us in turning our dreams into reality – they are also creating a better environment for themselves. And when a couple understands that when they love their mate enough to let them and their spirit soar by not manipulating or placing restrictions, their relationship will ultimately get stronger and will stand the test of time.

Think about this today. What kind of life do you want to live? Do you want a life of possibilities or one of predictable doom by keeping your “community” narrow and insular? You never know – that person that you decided to exclude, may have been the one who could have changed your life – in a positive way.

October 18, 2010October 18, 2010

The Power of Yes

I’ve just experienced one of the most extraordinary weekends of my life – all because I said yes. Barely more than a week ago, I sent an email with a link to the trailer of my documentary to Rebecca Self,

Rebecca_MG_0359 — Rebecca Self at the European Summit for Global Transformation

who I was introduced to by two of the subjects in my film, Letha Sandison and Maggie Doyne.

LethaMaggie_MG_0371 — Letha Sandison and Maggie Doyne

Rebecca is an amazing woman – she’s a connector of change makers. The day after Rebecca got my email, she replied “Would you consider coming to Amsterdam this weekend and showing your trailer at The European Summit for Global Transformation. My first thought was “wow” – and with a title like that, it was bound to be a gathering of very interesting people. My next thought was, “it’s not possible – there’s not enough time – the airfare will be high” etc. etc. All very practical thoughts – right?

And then I flipped it and told myself all the reasons I should say yes. I ‘d have the opportunity to show a culturally diverse audience a sample of my film and talk about the idea behind it. I would get to see Letha and Maggie again because they were going to be speaking. And most importantly, I would be spending the weekend with people that not only believed that anything is possible – but are making the impossible happen, together. So I replied to Rebecca and said YES.

For two days I listened, as all kinds of people told their stories – people who are actively doing things that are making our world a better place. They awed me with their courage, their commitment and their passion. But the most empowering part of the conference was connecting with these people, who were not only there to talk about what they were doing, but also to network with others to help them make their commitments a reality.

As I write this, on my last night in Amsterdam. I’m ready to head out to have one final dinner with some of the most fascinating people I have ever met. It has been a powerful weekend, being part of this group of people, from all over the world that are making extraordinary things happen. This is what my film is all about – the power of the individual, working together to make things happen – across the globe.

To be able to show my ten-minute trailer to these amazing change makers was an honor and reward in itself. But to spend the weekend with such a unique group of people who believe that anything is possible, was extraordinary and fortified me as I go forward in editing over 150 hours of footage.

I have a friend who is always telling me that I need to say “no” more often – because I tend to spread myself too thin. But this time, I was glad I said “yes”.

October 13, 2010October 13, 2010

The Thin Line Between Work and Pleasure

I’ve always been lucky because there’s a very thin line between my work and my personal life. That’s because I’ve never looked at what I do for a living as work, or at least if one defines work in negative terms.

I became a photographer and later a filmmaker because I’m a born storyteller and the camera is a means to that end for me. I come from a long line of storytellers, as evidenced by boxes of old letters telling the tales of family long gone. While they may have told their tales by pen, through their words, I have chosen the camera as my tool to tell the stories that I have to tell. So how could I possibly equate the word work with the professional life that I’ve built – telling the stories of people and companies around the world? It’s in my blood.

Sure, there have been jobs through the years that seem a lot more like work than others, especially when a client hasn’t trusted their instincts in why they hired me by allowing me to trust mine. But there have been so many other jobs where I’ve had to pinch myself to believe that they’re real.

I’m also a firm believer in following my instincts and that has led to many rewarding opportunities in my life. I’ve been doing that a lot lately and the universe is opening up for me. I’ve stopped waiting for someone else to validate me in order for me to pursue a project that I’m passionate about. I’ve stopped telling myself all the reasons that I shouldn’t do something and I’ve replaced them with all the reasons that I should. I think about the pros and don’t dwell on the cons. And that’s because I’ve blurred the lines between work and pleasure.

I’ve just completed a 99-day journey shooting a documentary on change makers – people who were making a positive difference in the world. Over the weekend I got an email, inviting me to show my ten-minute tease at the opening of the European Summit For Global Transformation in Amsterdam, this weekend. I immediately started to discount it, telling myself that I didn’t have enough notice etc. etc. Then I saw it differently – I saw it as an incredible opportunity to not only show the tease of my film but to network with like minded people. So, this evening I’m headed to Amsterdam.

Years ago when I was traveling a lot, shooting for magazines like Travel & Leisure and National Geographic Traveler, as I departed for my trips, my mother always used to say – “have a nice vacation”. I used to get annoyed because I thought that she didn’t recognize the fact that I was working and not going on vacation. But, as I reflect back on the “work dynamic” that I’ve set up for myself, I think – maybe she was the one that had it right. It’s been one long pleasure trip.

October 9, 2010October 9, 2010

Remembering John Lennon on His 70th Birthday

Lennon would have turned 70 years old today. That’s hard to believe. It’s been 30 years since his tragic death and I often wonder, like so many others, what John would have done over the past three decades if he had lived. No doubt he would have been true to himself, because he always was. That was his appeal.

Even as a young girl, I was drawn to John, he was “my favorite Beatle”. There was something exciting about him – and I always felt like he was giving it to me “straight”. People just seemed to connect with him because of his sincerity. He was his own person and he was following his own path. When his second son Sean was born, Lennon dropped out of the music limelight to raise him. A lot of people thought he was crazy to do that – to take a break from the music scene at the pinnacle of his career. But that was John following his bliss, staying true to himself.

“People say I’m crazy doing what I’m doing,
Well they give me all kinds of warnings to save me from ruin,
When I say that I’m o.k. they look at me kind of strange,
Surely your not happy now you no longer play the game,”

“People asking questions lost in confusion,
Well I tell them there’s no problem,
Only solutions,
Well they shake their heads and they look at me as if I’ve lost my mind,
I tell them there’s no hurry…
I’m just sitting here doing time,”

I’ve been very fortunate over these past few months, to be around other extraordinary people, the subjects of my film, who are staying true to their own convictions as they pursue the life they are meant to live. You can read more about these people here. Like John, they are imagining the world to be a better place. They are activists for change and they live their lives in that pursuit. John would have loved them.

So, today my thoughts are on John and what he left us – his music of course, but more importantly his beautiful spirit and his belief that things can be better. In traversing around the world this summer, I met so many other inspiring people who believed the same thing and were following their own bliss, making the world a better place for all of us.

Happy Birthday John, you are missed.

the

October 4, 2010

Re-Charging and Seeing

A friend reminded me recently that I needed to take some time for myself and “recharge my batteries”. This past month has sailed by – I’ve been out of town 25 % of the time and the rest of the time, deeply focused on editing my documentary. I needed a break from technology, airports and work. So I took his advice and with my husband, headed down to the NJ Shore for a weekend getaway.

A friend of ours had invited us to her beach house in Ocean Grove, NJ, a shore town where time seems to have stood still – especially in the month of October. Ocean Grove is an old bible town just down the boardwalk from Asbury Park, the town where Springsteen had gotten his start at the Stone Pony decades ago.

Asbury Park is a town that’s slowly coming back from a state of decay and dilapidation over the last 40 years and vastly different from its religious neighbor to the south.

It was typical October weather – sunny and brilliant one moment –

then changing to moody and melancholy, the next. Sunday, I woke up early, got my bike and headed to the boardwalk for a ride. I didn’t have a camera with me because I thought that I needed a break from technology. But as I rode down the boardwalk – I started “seeing”. I was observing everything – noticing the mundane – the ordinary

– the old and the new – not the exotic that I had become accustomed to on my recent 99-day journey around the world.

I immediately thought back to when my husband and I had just moved back to the East Coast after living in Santa Barbara, CA. Our first summer back on the East Coast, we headed “down the shore” every weekend, taking our cameras and our bikes, going to different parts of the shore each time. We’d hop on our bikes and just ride the boardwalks – shooting and documenting things and people that we observed. It was a wonderful summer –biking, shooting and at night, sometimes getting a room at a rooming house if we felt like splurging, or most times, sleeping in our van, awakening the next morning to explore again.

As I bicycled down the boardwalk this weekend, I realized that I had a camera in my Blackberry, which I rarely used.

I pulled it out and started taking photos of my observations – just like I had done so many years earlier – and I was having the time of my life doing it. I was “seeing” and documenting what I saw- no preconceived notions or plans – just letting serendipity happen. Ironically, because of technology and the fact that my cell phone can capture images – I had simplified the process and gotten down to the basics of just “seeing”.

My batteries are sufficiently recharged with fresh air, solid sleep and getting back to the basics. Perhaps, this weekend has even triggered a new project idea – or at least has planted the seed. We’ll see.