#TogetherFilmmaking

We need to tell stories. 

And.....ACTION!

Ron Newcomb and The Forge Studios are doing it their own way, using the backdrop of sci-fi and fantasy worlds.  I was introduced to them way back in 2009 when a friend of mine starred in their film, Rise of the Fellowship.  After years of hard work, they've got their own studio, a team of amazing editors and producers, and a whole bunch of new stories and content.   Check them out on YouTube!

Their most recent flurry of storytelling comes in the form of a Star Wars fan film.  A downed X-wing pilot carries precious information.  Will the Rebel team rescue him, or will the Empire get to him first? 

Prepping for Take 3.

I had the opportunity to come alongside these amazing people to take some behind-the-scenes photos and some character shots for their promotional works.  Ron and the studio are passionate about creating a professional atmosphere of learning and mentorship.  Production Assistants can learn from professionals and then try their hand as camera operator; extras may develop their acting chops and end up with a bigger role further down the line.  #TogetherFilmmaking.  It was a great time to make some new friends, see faces I haven't seen since this time last year, and try some new lighting setups - strobing off-camera flash in the mid-day sun is something I had not yet tried!

Even Sith Lords need to take an afternoon nap.

Star Wars: Extraction will be hitting YouTube later this month.  Check my Instagram page for that announcement when it debuts!

Onward and Yes

Sorry, they said.  We're busy.

Too bad, they said.  Next time.

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Montpelier Mansion

Disappointment? Only momentarily.

No matter how many nos come your way

There are at least as many yeses.

Perhaps the red-winged blackbirds

and the local movie crew

or the quaint Annapolis storefront

will say yes

And gratitude will spring

from unexpected places

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From the Realm of Delightful Non-Sequiturs.

Onward, my friend -

and thankfully so -

to your next adventure!

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Doorways to History.

What I wish I had known before starting college

I love Ireland and Virginia Tech

A high school senior recently asked me for some advice on his college decision.  I gave him some answers about professors and classes and the local attractions, as one does, but started thinking - what did I learn in college that no one really told me before I walked into my first class?  Here's what I wish I had known when I started college:

1. You will learn about your degree in class.  You have the potential to learn about yourself every single moment.  Pay attention to the activities you choose, the friends you make, and the adventures you have.  Everything is an opportunity to learn who you are, what excites you, what angers you, what satisfies you, what challenges you.  Your time outside of class is at least as important as your time in class, for it is in living your life that you discover who you are and how you are wired.  Learn from your play, learn from your rest, and learn from your part-time jobs as much as you can!

2. Once you get comfortable and safe, it's time to shake everything up.  At some point, you'll probably find a rhythm.  You'll make some good friends and establish a routine that will get dangerously close to stagnation.  This happened to me around the end of my sophomore year.  I didn't plan it this way, but my semester overseas the following fall was a huge gift to me in that it entirely disrupted my routine and put me in situations where I was uncomfortable - forcing me to grow.  Do not stagnate.  When it gets easy, find a new challenge.  (But do not dump those friends!)

3. Freshman year is after you graduate.  College is a new environment, but it's still school, arranged (most likely) in semesters, with homework and final exams.  You've practiced for it for over a decade.  The true freshman year comes when you have that degree and you're thrust out into a brand new world of working and supporting yourself and figuring things out on your own, with no standard culturally accepted academic framework to prop you up.  Learn all you can from internships, co-ops, and those who are several years down the road already - a crazy new adventure awaits, with brand new difficulties and brand new joys.

Too Many Yogurts: Three Ways to Make Better Choices

There are too many types of yogurt.

Sugar-free, Greek, whipped, fruit-on-the-bottom, fruit-in-the-middle, strawberry, blueberry, guava mango papaya explosion! If you don't already know what you want, you can quickly find yourself overwhelmed.  And that's just yogurt.

What about life?

We continually need to step back and readjust, especially when the fog rolls in.

I am slowing figuring out how to choose the essentials of life - those places where I find myself with an inescapable desire to invest and work and build.  The following are three habits I've begun to develop to help me make the best choices I can make:

1. Regularly get alone to reflect.  I've taken Greg McKeown's advice to start a personal quarterly offsite - one day (or half-day) alone each quarter to reflect on the previous three months, set goals, celebrate sucessess, and learn from failures.  It has been incredibly helpful after reaching big "how did I get here"  moments and having to re-clarify and re-route.
2. Ask "does this give me joy or sap my energy?" If you have an obligation that is thoroughly, consistently draining, it's time to ask whether it is a necessary activity.  Perhaps it's a frivolous task, a periodic meeting, some extracurricular event, or a business relationship that's more trouble than it's worth.  Often, there are circumstances through which we must simply slog in pursuit of a greater goal.  Sometimes, difficult times lead to tremendous breakthrough.  Nevertheless, perhaps there are aspects of your life that do you no good and can be eliminated.  Conversely, there may be opportunities into which you need to jump, because joy and meaningful fulfillment are just around the corner.
3. Readjust as necessary.  Not every choice is a good one.  Instead of avoiding the fact, own it and chart a new course.  Confess your mistakes, be ruthlessly honest with yourself seek counsel, and move forwards.

What tools do you use when life requires a readjustment?  What questions do you ask of yourself to make sure you're on a wonderful trajectory?

What yogurt do you want to eat?