For every filmmaker out there with a dream of making movies, there is a group of naysayers telling them they can't. Call them haters, doubters, or jerk-ass a-holes, these individuals douse the fires of countless creatives by telling them that their dreams are illogical/unattainable/insensible/stupid/impossible/irresponsible. And though these things are said most often with the best intentions, creators need to hear a message that inspires them to risk it all to make their dreams a reality—and you know—to make their critics eat their words.
Filmmaker and vlogger Casey Neistat teamed up with filmmaker and YouTube personality Max Joseph to deliver a simple call to action for creatives: Do what you can't.
Though some of you may have people in your life telling you that your dream of making films is destined to fail, for most of you, the cynic with the loudest, most vicious words is you. That lack of confidence and self-esteem keeps many of us from taking the chances that lead to promising opportunities, to meeting people who will help us on our journey, to asking for help on a project that we believe is doomed before we ever speak about it out loud.
But Neistat and Joseph's message, simple though it may be, is exactly what a lot of us need to hear. Just—do what you can't.
"I can't write a screenplay."
"I can't afford a camera."
"I can't find time to make a film."
"I can't access this boy's club."
"I can't fund this film."
"I can't pay rent and make a movie at the same time."
"I can't find work because I'm [fill in the blank]."
"I can't succeed."
Yes—all valid points. I guess you're just going to have to do what you can't do. Neistat is exactly right when he says that no one knows anything, so giving so much value in other people's negativity, as well as your own, is so incredibly illogical. Films are not made with money and resources alone, but with passion, dedication, and tenacity. That's not saccharine fluff—I'm not a fluffy person—it's just the truth.
If you've got ambition, passion, and a deaf ear to naysayers, you've got everything you need to realize your dream of filmmaking. Now go out and do what you can't!
Name all of the things you or others have said you can't do down in the comments, that way you'll have a list of all of the things you will be doing in the future.
Source: Casey Neistat
