All principal photography for the short film, “Lonely Boy” has been completed! All three days of filming thus far, have gone incredibly well – due to a fantastic crew! This is the first film I’ve directed in years, and the only one I’ve directed and acted in at the same time. I’m learning a lot about myself and the creative process. If I stay out of my head and listen to my gut, I’m probably on the right track. My mind constantly gets trapped by my (and other people’s) fears and thoughts. but my instincts are usually right. It is much like writing a song. If I write one the way I think someone else wants to hear it, it hasn’t worked. If I stay true to myself and what I hear inside of me, the song flows out easily.
Early in my songwriting, I played 3 songs for a friend. His response was that my songs were all sad (2 of the 3 songs he heard were sad). He questioned why would I want to put that out in the world. I was a bit bewildered and hurt, and tried to get him to see that they weren’t all sad, but to him they were. The next time I sat to write a lyric, the question “Am I going to write a sad song?” repeated and repeated in my ears. I don’t remember what I wrote – probably a sad song – but I do remember making a firm choice: I will write songs for me – not songs to please my friend or anyone else. If a sad song comes out, that’s what was meant to be written at that time. I won’t judge what is there or what wants to come out, I’ll just be true to the moment, the emotion, the message, the words and the music. And that’s been one of the most powerful lessons I’ve had as an artist. It is also a constant challenge, but being true to myself, and saying what I have/need/want to say is where my art is found.
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