Okay, there's nothing wrong with being an accountant -- they do important work -- but if your passion is to make films, you should probably stick with your gut, heart, or whatever it is that drives you, and make those films. The rub here, though, is that there are a bunch of things that can bring you down and take away your motivation to do it: no money, no skills, no audience, no blah, blah, blah.
But Darious Britt has once again provided you with some excellent advice on how to get (re)motivated and reignite your passion to make those movin' pictures. Check out his video below:
Here are the tips that he says helped him in his dark, unmotivated days:
Learn the backstory of influential figures that you look up to
"Hey! If they can do it, so can I!" Damn right! Some of our most celebrated artists were just complete losers, you guys. Learning about their humble beginnings might help you feel less hopeless about your humble -- right nows. Just look at Wes Anderson and Owen Wilson at their first Sundance Film Festival -- they're just two green, excited, inexperienced, but very talented guys who got the greatest news of their lives. This photo has helped me push through my doubt, my hopelessness, my ennui, and get stuff done.
Wes Anderson & Owen Wilson at Sundance after signing a deal to make 'Bottle Rocket'Credit: MUBI
Surround yourself with other filmmakers
There's nothing quite like the constant, humming activity of a creative community to get you off your ass. Hanging out with a bunch of filmmakers can help motivate you, because their collective creativity will drive projects forward (and you'll never run out of requests for you to help them in their own projects). This doesn't even have to be a huge community either. Even having a writing partner helped me get out of the creative funk I found myself in while writing my latest screenplay. Try and find your creative soulmate.
Do side projects
Okay, maybe you're not motivated enough to tackle that big feature film you've been working on, but you could be motivated enough to tackle that comparatively simpler short film you've been thinking about. There's just something about seeing a project, no matter its length, quality, or legitimacy to your reel, all the way from beginning to the end. It helps make you feel accomplished -- like you can see something from start to finish. It provides closure -- no more half-done projects gathering microdust inside some hard drive somewhere.
Do something every day
Work, work, work, work, work, work, work. That's what you gotta do. I know it sounds kind of dumb to tell an unmotivated person to go out and do stuff when that's the opposite of what they actually want to do, but listen -- it's about doing something small for a short period of time. For writers, write a paragraph about your character, or write a line of dialog that you think flows nicely. For directors, watch some commentary on your favorite movie. For DPs, go out and take some pictures around your neighborhood. It doesn't matter what you do as long as you do something.
Just do it
Even when you're tired, alone, broke, and out of ideas, sometimes you gotta be like Mike and just do it. Get. It. Done. Don't have actors, a crew, or any money? Been there -- still finished a movie. Don't have any time to shoot a movie? Full time job, full time school -- still finished a movie. Sometimes you have to suffer before you can enjoy the splendor of a completed project, but it's worth it. It's always worth it.
Source: D4Darious
