While prepping my good luck meal for the New Year (black eyed
peas, collard greens, cornbread, etc.), I felt inspired to blog a reflection of my
2018 journey. This year marked my 10th
year LAnniversary. Whew
– It’s been a ride! I’m still here and standing strong! My path has not been
linear and at most times unclear. Nonetheless, the destination has not changed
since I realized filmmaking was how I wanted to make my living - a desire I believe
God placed in my heart. Although the
route has taken longer than expected, each year I receive little victories that
confirm I’m on the right path.
This year was met with challenges and triumphs. I left
my job of five years to work for an amazing company that would elevate my career
and provide personal growth. A few weeks
into the position, I got the devastating news that my Grandmother passed from
her battle with dementia. Despite
knowing this day would come, nothing prepared me for such loss. It was hard to fathom that the woman who had
a strong hand in shaping me was gone. I
found peace in knowing that she loved me dearly and that I reciprocated that
love by honoring and uplifting her legacy.
One of the highlights of my year was participating in the
Story Rebels Writer’s retreat in Marrakech.
Waking up to the melodic call to prayer, eating delicious Moroccan
cuisines, touring the Medina, and exploring my creative process with a poet,
novelist, architect, set designer, filmmaker and other creatives were beyond
anything I could ever imagine. It was
the fuel that I needed to push my creativity to the next level.
What I look forward to most in the New Year is going into
production on my next film, Destiny’s Road – a proof of concept short developed
from a feature script that I wrote. I’ve
spent the last few days of 2018 working on the creative vision and securing
crew. As once told to me by a mentor,
“you get better with each project.” Growth
is what I’m seeking to gain with this film as well as more resources to produce
the feature version - my prayer for 2019!
Some valuable lessons learned this year were (1.) focus on progress, not perfection, (2.) make
self care mandatory, and (3.) be comfortable with the uncomfortable,
particularly when working through fear.
On that note, I leave you with this video of me riding a Camel with fellow Story Rebels Artists.
Here's some context:
What I thought would be a fun and adventurous excursion
turned out to be terrifying. When the camels arrived, I became intimidated by
the enormous size and horrified with idea of mounting on one. Not to mention, I was
paired with the stubborn camel. With a
little encouragement from my comrades, I mustered up the
bravery to hop on. The ride was bumpy and
my thigh muscles were sore from trying to stabilize myself. When the 45 minutes
of terror were over, a huge weight was lifted.
I realized it wasn’t as bad as I psyched it up to be. It actually felt amazing!
Happy New Year!!!
Comments
Post a Comment