Tuesday, January 14, 2014

Does Slow and Steady Win the Race?



Happy New Year!

Today, we are exploring a new topic - How to balance being a new parent with making films.  I wish I could just boil it down to some generic, three word call-to-arms like, "Just Do It", "Make it Happen" or "Find the Time", but it's a real challenge for creatives I know to be both a good parent and a productive creative.  I have found this to be an impressive challenge for myself, one that has slowed my traditional creative output to a grinding halt, or at least a slow trickle.  So, in 2014, I have decided to approach my projects differently.  I can't wait until I have a few hours to sit down to write or edit.  Gone are the times when I have an entire evening to focus on churning out a new draft.  I can't spend an entire weekend shooting and I probably can't sit down at the computer to work until late in the night, once everything is prepped for my son for the next day.  By then, of course, my eyes are drooping and my brain is not as focused as I would like.

So, what to do?  Give up your creative projects?

I say that the answer lies in the fifteen minutes.  Or the ten minutes.  Or even the five.

Maybe it is less than ideal, but if that's what we have, then that's what we can do.  Maybe in the first five minutes, I can only turn on the laptop and find my project.  Maybe the second time I get ten minutes and I watch the last edit of my project, to get caught up.  If I get five minutes again, I can watch the four takes I have of an alternate ending.  You get the idea.

Sound depressing?  It is.  But parents know that finding that magical perfect afternoon to sit down and work on a project will likely NEVER HAPPEN and so if you wait for that, your project will never move forward.

Remember the story of the tortoise and the hare?  I always felt bad for the tortoise.  Side note: I always thought that there needed to be a third character.  One who was fast like the hare, but not cocky.  Arrogance was the hare's downfall.  Otherwise, he had the edge.  Anyway, what I've had to come to terms with is that as a new parent, I am now the tortoise in this race.  And that means that my job is to come out of my shell, put my head down and move forward, slow and steady.

It's currently the only way to the finish line.

We'd love to hear about how other parents make it work!  We invite you to share your ideas in the comments below.


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