A relatively newfound friend of mine expressed to me a few months back about how she enjoys making movie montages. She described her process in short summary and I couldn't help but admire her for her creative flair. In fact I was in awe. I had never considered being creative in that way before.
Coincidentally, work presented an opportunity to introduce myself to the magic of film editing alongside one of our producers around that same time. I was charged with the task of telling a story of consumer insight from a number of interviews that had been conducted for a potential new client. And as with most new creative endeavors, I fell in stimulation lust at first creation. I felt that spark of inspiration ignite that I know well, but only for its intensity when it rears its vigorous head...not its frequency. I'm ashamed to say, I long for that spark, yet somehow find myself often not fulfilling this craving for one "excuse" after another. I was even given a second project where I could leverage my new "skills" for a work presentation. You know you're enthralled with something when hours pass without notice before you realize that the determination that often wanes shortly after sitting down in front of the computer is still there and driving you forward. Yet again, my creative side was stimulated and teased to pursue it in a more personal nature. But again, my follow through failed me.
At this point, it's been about a month and a half since that last project. Heck, maybe even more now that I think about it. But it's back at the forefront of my mind again. In part because I've recently been given the ever so slight nudges I needed to do something, ANYTHING, with this website. Clearly it's still my work-in-progress, but I do sit before my computer writing this, so I'll give myself a slight kudos for finally taking some action, no matter how small.
If I'm being honest though, this website is merely one piece in a grander scheme. If life has taught me anything in my quarter century (give or take) of ebbs and flows, it's that things tend to appear and reappear in your life. For a reason, I like to believe.
I have come to read these signs with more and more subtlety over the years. What I mean by that is that I can be quite obtuse at times. Stubborn some might say. I prefer terms that leave less of a vinegary aftertaste, but to each his/her own. The point is that I have been presented with opportunities, challenges, oddities, warning signs, etc. and many times found myself blazing right through them, often to my own demise but only after a few knocks on my proverbial door. Shortly after the first round, lessons unlearned, I'd find myself facing a very similar occurrence yet again. These follow up rounds have usually presented themselves with more and more intensity. The grander idea being (or so I choose to believe) that I might finally be astute enough to take notice of the things I am meant to take notice of in my life and learn the lessons/find the purposes I'm meant to. (If only these things had bright flashing neon signs saying "Hey Dipshit, pay attention!")
So now, after more years of ignoring the signs than I'd like to admit, letting them build to bigger, more life-altering lessons, I find myself finally riding that stormy wave back into shore finally. The safety of sand and fixed ground beneath my feet is still ahead and there are still ripples to notice and adjust to. But the danger of stormy waters, without the wisdom of looking up to a north star, now I can say is behind me. I'm looking up finally. I'm noticing those occurrences now. Those warning signs. Those small wonders. Those Goldilocks lessons. Both positive and negative.
Why am I talking about lessons and signs? Well, because this seems to be one of those I'm meant to take note of. The urge to be creative--to write, to build, to collect, to transform. And particularly (among a couple other trending things in my life) using video as a fruitful medium to do so.
As I watched my friend's latest video montage publication on Facebook I can't help but look up to that shining north star shimmering once again and notice another occurrence of a drive to do the same for myself. I have noticed. Now to act... As I sat at the Keith Urban concert this past weekend, I seized the opportunity to film one of my absolute favorite songs, Making Memories of Us. Call it fate, call it good timing, call it randomness, but I don't typically remember to capture those home video moments but I was suddenly instinctively inspired to do so. So cheers Keith Urban, and here's my pledge to create, or in the case of reviving the "home video" movie montage and in Keith Urban's words, Making Memories of Us!
P.S. - I now have one video and one video capture does not a montage make, but I figured I would share the concert magic with you anyway. Enjoy a beautiful song...
