Sometimes, being positive isn't about finding the silver lining in the storm clouds, or seeing the sun from behind the rain. It's about appreciating the rain, and how refreshing it can be while it is coming down. It's about appreciating the dancing shadows in the storm clouds as they roll, and flow. It's about recognizing your pain, embracing it, and realizing it will pass.
Not everything is good all of the time, but even when things aren't good, they're useful. Flowers rarely grow from sunshine alone. It takes a balance of rain, and some lumps of shit, along with the sunshine for them to thrive.
If you spend your time trying to only be positive, not only do you fail to learn to deal with your problems, but you lose the experience of the pain your problems bring. Without being able to feel, embrace, and deal with pain, you can't fully appreciate the happiness, and the good. As I've said many times, the valleys help define the mountains. The oceans help to define the land. Contrasts exist to show us what can be, what is important, what we should value, and the things, and people that deserve our greatest efforts.
Speaking Of The Sun
Spent a good 7 straight hours yesterday sitting in a folding chair, directly in the sun as a background extra for A Quiet Place 2. I joked that we won't have to fear the alien monsters since by the time they get to us, I will already have been reduced to human jerky.
I bet a lot of people already think I am human jerky... or, probably more of just a jerk of a human. I'm more or less OK with this. I don't need to be loved by everyone. Just a few very special someones.
Stages Released
The director's cut of our 48-Hour Film Project movie Stages is now in general release on YouTube. Here it is if you would like to watch it without having to go find it.:
We've received a lot of compliments on this since its release. I'm incredibly proud of the work we did, the concept Cortney developed, the story we wrote, the acting, the filming, the music we selected, and now the fancy new title screen I created that we can use going forward. Give it a watch. A lot of our positive responses, and compliments have centered on how the movie was relatable, and emotionally captivating. It made people cry, which to me, when you can dig into people's emotions like that, and create a reaction, you've done well.
But I want to comment on that in itself. The concept, and story worked, but none of that truly drives the movie. This movie is driven by the music, which I believe was some of the best fit of any of the films, and the camera work partially, but so much more, it is driven by Cortney's performance. Her willingness to take the necessary risks, to reach inside, and draw on her own raw emotions. To allow herself to be vulnerable to the camera, the crew, the viewers, and even herself. To spend an entire day building her character on the most emotionally challenging parts of her life, and to use that pain, leaving herself open to the emotional, and physically exhausting toll that this role took on her.
She was deserving of more than just a nomination for the Best Female Actor - she deserved that award. No other actor spent as much time on screen, nor challenged themselves so much. This was the award winning performance of the competition, in my opinion.
The Weight
Finished a weekend on set by checking in this morning at 211.8. Not bad. Getting back to the gym today!
Eventually, this body will be something more attractive....
However, This Sunday
To challenge my weight-loss plans will be the first holiday feast of the season. Yelp's Annual Yelp Without Borders - an extravaganza for foodies who love diving into the variety of cultural restaurants that are now filling our city.
Read more about it in my article published on Buffalo Rising this week.
It is one of those events where it seems like the food never ends, and when it does, you wish it hadn't!