04 August 2011 // 10:57 am // 9 Comments
Making Something Out of Nothing
One of the things I hear pretty often from fellow creative artists as they wrestle with their aspirations – and especially those in the world of film – is that they don’t have the equipment, finances, relationships, (insert your own word here) that they believe is needed to get started on their projects. Each of them can talk to me with great enthusiasm about that glorious project that he or she has in mind – and some of them are indeed glorious – but the final moments of the conversation tend to go something like this:
Artist: … so that’s what I want to do! What do you think?
Me: That’s a great idea!
Artist: Thanks! I’m excited about it!
Me: How far have you gotten on it so far?
Artist: Um… Well, I haven’t started yet…
Me: What? You’ve got such a great idea, but you haven’t done anything yet?
Artist: Well, I… I don’t have (insert word again), so I’m waiting.
Me: Waiting?
Artist: Well, um… yes… like I said… ahem… (trails off into uncomfortable silence).
It’s a common stumbling block for artists: we can start thinking of everything we need to achieve the end result, and if just one of those things is missing, we end up never actually starting to create. Actually, most projects get their start by making something out of very little. In fact, there are ways even to make something out of nothing. Which is really like the first recorded act of creation by our Creator, a model by which we can shape all our artistic endeavors, which is summed up in the philosophical phrase Ex nihilo. For those of you who, like me, didn't retain anything from your Latin class, the phrase refers to the creation of something out of nothing.
In fact there are some pretty miraculous stories of folks, and One in particular, who, just for the fun of it, developed the habit of making a very real “plenty” out of a perceived “not enough.”
Dive in there, get going, and you’ll be amazed how often what you need to finish the project will present itself. I’m not going to say that is always the case, of course – our vision does indeed sometimes exceed our capacity – but it’s the case more often than not.
Check out this LINK to see a small filmmaking duo that did just that – starting with some smart phones and a bunch of volunteers, they set out to make the world’s largest stop-motion film. More equipment and resources started coming together as they just persistently moved forward with their vision, and they ended up with a great finished project.
You can do the same thing, no matter what your artistic vision is. In fact, for you filmmakers, be watching the website for The Greenhouse over the next few days for a series of film contests using only cell phone cameras. We’ve already done one, and there are more to come in all sorts of genres.
Even if you don’t immediately have what you need to finish doesn’t mean that you don’t have what you need to start. So gather what little you’ve got and get out there…
All my best,
Shun Lee
Actor | Writer
Director
The Greenhouse
Hollywood Connect
© 2011. All rights reserved.
- Published in:
- Creativity & Art
August 04, 2011 // 01:50 pm // #
Very good word. My friend…....den
August 04, 2011 // 09:34 pm // #
Thank you for your encouragement!!!
August 05, 2011 // 12:31 pm // #
Absolutely! There are so many excuses, when the only thing you really need is TO JUST GET STARTED. I have a friend who wrote a novel and got it self-published. He then wrote a screenplay based on the novel. Then he started networking, looking for a company to produce his masterpiece. And looking. And looking. He never seemed to get anything accomplished, film-wise, because he was just waiting for someone to back him and produce a big budget film based on his work on their dime. He’s still waiting.
Meanwhile, a group of us came together, took a script one of us had written, and produced an entire feature-length film - for under $1,000. It premieres locally as part of the Fort Myers (FL) Film Festival this coming Monday (Aug 8). It took us months to shoot and edit and another year to get noticed, but it did. You can see the trailer at my link. Meanwhile my friend, who started 4 years before we did anything, is still waiting.
My apologies to Nike, but… JUST DO IT.
August 05, 2011 // 04:09 pm // #
I’m excited about this article. A friend of mine and I wrote a play and a song for a project that a friend of ours filmed. I brought it to a few more people and it turned into a large project that we produced as a theater event. Five one acts and an original score. Investors are always welcome but what an exciting beginning with just perseverance and faith.
We truly believe that the sky IS the limit. thank you for the encouragement.
August 06, 2011 // 01:13 am // #
The secret of getting ahead is getting started. The secret of getting started is breaking your complex overwhelming tasks into small manageable tasks, and then starting on the first one.
– Mark Twain, author & humorist
This is so true. I am an artist, writer and short term missionary. All my life I’ve had a dream to use my art and writing and to go to the nations.
Except for the giving part of our ministry, just as the artists in this article, I was waiting for someone to help me to step into my job. But that wasn’t happening and I was very frustrated.
Then sometime after 1993 I heard someone speak about stepping into your dream. He said that some of the dream we couldn’t touch yet. But we could look at that dream and take the parts that we could do and chop them into bite sized daily things that we could do toward that dream until that did walk us into our dream.
When I followed that advice I ended up taking the first trip in 1995 and have been traveling ever since.
I’ve been through 6 nations and 29 states and Washington DC and racked up more than 200 trips by plane, train, bus, and vehicle. For ten years of that my son went with me.
About 1/3 of that time my husband has been unemployed with no income including unemployment and even one time no food stamps, and I have still taken the trips. In fact it got to be a bit of a family joke that we may end up out on the street but I had a ticket to take me on a trip to do a job.
We did literally come within minutes of losing our home one time but we didn’t and we are still in our home.
The financing usually starts out small and a lot of times very unpromising because there seem to be all of these invisible fingers that keep grabbing the money for other things. But when I determine to do what God wants me to do I always end up doing the trip with what seems to be not enough and yet I always manage to do everything that I need to do with my suitcases stuffed with things from the trip.
When I step through that door to do a job the financing and provision is always there in so many unexpected ways. The small fishes and loaves always multiply into being more than enough.
When I do the taxes at the end of the year it’s always mind blowing to see how much the trips cost in total and we still have our bills paid. But at the time, they don’t seem so much because of the way the provision and financing just kind of seems to seep through the cracks into right where and when we need it.
I still follow the advice of doing something everyday toward the latest goal and it helps walk me into every job solidly prepared to do what I need to do.
August 06, 2011 // 06:58 am // #
PaulaAndra….this post is rich in faith….that the element of walking into these things God has set before us…it is always a step taken on our part and fleshing out the manifestation of the vision or dream…..Paul…God bless your husband and family for standing together through all that…it can ..shake rattle and roll…some relationships….God bless all of you out there who are taking those steps of faith…a book that first gave me vision and courage was by Thomas Fatjoe,I beleieve…‘WITH NO FEAR OF FAILURE”,some great lessons in there as to mis-steps and presumption we can have…but yes…small steps to take along the way.A marriage partner and family ,all on the same page is vital.
Blessings, DEN
August 08, 2011 // 08:01 am // #
Moderation, please!!
October 02, 2011 // 09:25 pm // #
Interesting. Nicely described. It helps to motivate someone. keep updating
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November 15, 2011 // 12:26 am // #
Artistic roller skating is very similar to figure skating and incorporates many of the same moves such as jumps and spins. Although jumps and spins are performed in both disciplines, each discipline has maneuvers that are actually easier to perform for example, on ice the skates can grab an edge when needed to launch a jump, but with that said, many athletes agree that most of the maneuvers are easier to perform with roller skates.