At the end of last year I was asked to direct for a student production company at my school. I begrudgingly agreed. Since then I have dreaded actually having to follow through on that commitment. However, today I was relieved of that position I was so terrified of. Instead of feeling relief, I was pretty upset. What changed? Somehow, in the few short months since originally making the commitment I have become attached to the position of director. So, instead, a friend and I are going to put up our own independent project. And this time we will get to do a project that we're really passionate about. I can do the kind of theatre that I want to do. I will create my own opportunities.
I attended a presentation by Ru and Max of Tiny Inventions the other day. Tiny Inventions is an independent animation company that is comprised of its creators, Ru and Max. http://www.tinyinventions.com/ They are this adorable married couple that make animated videos from their small New York apartment. In their presentation they showed an independent short film they made called Something Left, Something Taken. It took them 2 years and it was completely out of pocket. However, they did it because they wanted to create their own opportunities. It was so inspiring seeing artists creating opportunities for themselves. They also discussed artistic integrity. They had an opportunity to make a lot of money doing a project that they weren't necessarily enthusiastic about. It wasn't really the kind of project they wanted to keep doing. So, although they could have made a killing doing this project, they declined the offer so they could do what they wanted. Even though I'm not an animator, their presentation was so inspiring as an actress. So much of what they said applied to being an artist of all sorts. I know that even if I'm not hired anywhere, I can make my own artistic opportunities that will possibly bring in more jobs.
