Where do we go from here? Obviously some of us have come to some realization that we have to accept that our way of life is wholesomely different, but the unknown makes me wary. Where one may continue to work from home, what of the one’s who can’t? It’s become clear that the term ‘essential’ can mean so much more than we ever could have thought.
Essentially.. Who is Essential?
If you think about it, our level of “essential-ness” depends on our actions. If you don’t live an “essential-style” life, you may not ever feel “essential” to the productivity of society. I’ve spent times of my life living a life dedicated to others. I’ve also spend periods of time where I couldn’t get out of my own way.
Last night I had another random 6am wakeup call from the time ghost that the virus has created, and it led me to a great documentary.
Wild & Wonderful
Wild & Wonderful
‘The Wild and Wonderful Whites of West Virginia’ sounds like a pretty racist subject, but it has little to do with racism. The “Whites” in the title reference a family crest. I found it on Amazon, produced by Johnny Knoxville, so it was worth at least a peek. The boom of documentaries has been great, but this one was created in 2009, so it was extra intriguing to look at from a style-perspective.
It’s only a one part doc, but it has everything you need if you enjoy a good story. It focuses around a band of merry men and women who hold tight consistency of charisma, shrouded in the same dysfunction and pseudo-humorous-trailer-park life you’d find in the Tiger King. Their real life dramedy is raw, honest, and needs little assistance to form entertainment.
Their familial bond is evident. The production style was minimilist and left you feeling a little dirty, as if you’d just spent the night in WV on the couch with the producers. It began with a simple title card “We spent 1 Year with the White Family. This is what happened..”
Personally it was only further motivation to join a project of similar intent. Just about anyone has a tale, and everyone has a story. Everyone is essential, and I feel like everyones story is essential to tell.
No matter who you are or where you’re from, you are worthy of a book. You are worthy of a documentary. Your story is just as worthy to be told as anyone. I truly love hearing, absorbing, and feeling other people’s stories. One of the goals I’m going to put down here is that when this Quarantime is all said and done, I will have several poignant, finished ideas to execute when I have the time and freedom to do so.
Ideas Vs Execution
I heard an interview on Ryen Russillo’s podcast the other day, with Bill Lawrence who invented the show Scrubs. Lawrence had written for other shows like Friends and Just Shoot me way back when, but the interview captured at length his career arc and how he got to where he is today.
One of the takeaways was that he said that anyone can come up with an idea, but only some of us have the capacity to execute the idea.
He demonstrated that though many successful productions have been done before, in that the idea wasn’t new, but the execution is what makes an idea successful. Surprisingly he admitted the lead protagonist in Scrubs was not invented or original at all. JD was based on a buddy he had in college who was hilariously irresponsible. He boldly wisecracked, “I just stole his life..” I’ve always considered how many people I’ve met along my path who’d be worthy of executing in a production.
This is an interesting concept I continue to dig deeper into. Executing a story. I’ve studied storytelling my whole life, and enjoy breaking down the execution of stories, both fictional and non-fictional. My challenge to myself is to start practicing execution of techniques and producing content. This will help me grow into a stronger storyteller and producer. My belief is that if you record, bank, or execute thoughts into organic or digital content, it helps it sow into action.
I opened this blog concept up in order to help cope with the trying times we’ve entered, and I can’t say it hasn’t helped. I know that the future is uncertain and the end is always near, but I’ve been singing that Doors’ lyric my whole life. I got a good night sleep last night, so my mind is strong.
Though we are trapped, we do have our creative freedom, and how much more do we really need to create the life we always wanted?
x
