The feature film MAKE from MusicBed is an amazing look into what it truly means to be an artist in the modern world. It's a explores the psyche of various creatives and examines what makes them tick. These are my takeaways and notes from the film. 

Stepping stones in life or being in the moment? Be in the moment with life and experiences don’t let your mindset become “Oh, I just need to get over this hurdle or this is only a stepping stone.” By doing this you lose sight of what is happening now and the now is just as important as where you want to be. Expectations vs. passions. The idea that when you go into a project and you have all of these expectations for it, it’s normally not going to come true because it’s coming from a place of pride and entitlement. When we do the project and create something out of passion we inherently don’t care what the outcome is --we do it because we love it. People are naturally drawn to others with passion. Make what you love, do it for yourself and no one else, and you will always enjoy what you do. It will never become a “job” for you.

Why are you making?

“Make cool shit.” Make things that you enjoy because that’s the only true reason for any artist. Was the process of creating something worth it? Did you enjoy the process? The process is what really lives on in us. How we did something, who we worked with, how we overcame challenges, the relationships we built, those live on in us --not the product. The journey is the most important thing as an artist. A lot of people make things for the wrong reasons, don’t! Are we trying to maintain something that we have or are we constantly trying to challenge ourselves and change and grow? When we challenge ourselves and the people around us we grow as artists and as people. When we try to maintain something we stay in place and will not grow and innovate. A lot of people make work for acceptance and recognition because they are insecure with themselves and what they have to say. We think that recognition is going to make the process more enjoyable and your stories better.

question your The process

This is what I do as a human, it is me, now how do I continue to do this thing? I think being a good artists is the realization and a sense of peace, comfort, and confidence in yourself. It takes a long time and lots of training; however, when you get to that point as a human and artist you are free. You have the freedom to express yourself however you choose. You become open, vulnerable, genuine, and most importantly, grounded. Don’t fight the discomfort that you feel in a project or life --embrace it, learn from it, let it grow in you, you will only become stronger. Recognize the lows so you can experience the highs. The process of getting to where you want is taken in baby steps. Think big picture, but realize it’s not an overnight thing. Find out those baby steps so you can climb and achieve your goals little by little. If you’re only looking for that big break then you go nowhere. Talking about the gray areas in life make for much more honest and interesting stories. The gray creates dialogue and a conversation, those pieces linger on in your mind (e.g. The Lobster). Think of your work as possibly autobiographical for yourself and others.

Risk and Reward

Never be completely satisfied with you or your work. Have an open mind that is always trying to incorporate new ideas and experience new things. Try to be learning everyday and in everything. A big risk in being a creative is being able to trust others. Filmmaking is not a solo operation, it takes the great minds of many to create something great. By trusting others with pieces of the project and your vision you take a risk on them. To be successful you need to be able to trust others and take that risk, or else you get stuck at a certain level. As humans we like to take the path of least resistance, we want a safe trajectory that will give a secure future and successful career. People want to play it safe with their life. They want to carve out a reality for themselves. Control is an illusion for us in the creative field. For an artist control is an illusion, on set and in life and in our career, once we accept that then we are free. We must accept that to be successful. That means it’s about the passion. When we try to force that control is when it falls apart. Don’t try to top yourself with each new project, don’t think of the previous project as a bar to hit, do something different experiment, that is when you grow. You don’t grow when you are aiming for a bar. The best projects are the one where it’s for the love of the craft and you’re with friends. Nothing better. Make it for yourself, that’s a big risk, but it will only be rewarded within yourself, and maybe outwardly, but more importantly you will be rewarded.

kick Ego out the door

Again, make it for yourself. The purpose of validation is a difficult topic. We all have a certain amount of ego in ourselves and our work, we need to accept that and recognize it. Make work that you are happy with. If you are always worried about what to say and if it will be well received you won’t say anything, and that’s no good. Life is bigger than just the peaks of high points in your career and those high point will go away and no one will care. So what’s the point? When you become big and let the ego run wild because you think you’re the shit is when you become disconnected with humanity, people will sense that. People are glued to others that are grounded and are connected.

No ifs or whens or hows you make it and you do not give up. Did your project satisfy and challenge?

You can watch make on demand right now! If you are a creative in any field you should take a look at this insightful film. Have you seen it? What did you think? Leave a comment below and tell me your thoughts. Happy shooting.