CREATIVE CLUB ⚡

Bi-Weekly Entry #12

Nov 04, 2024

It’s Sunday night as I write this. A lot has happened in the course of the last 3 weeks.

Was on a week long shoot in Maryland.
Flew back home for the week to crank out more social ads and edits.
Flew a red eye flight to surprise my buddy Mark for his 30th and lived with him and his girlfriend Jenna for the week. Pushed him in that week with fitness and got a lot of work done + saw lots of sights.
Flew from Philadelphia to Florida for a work conference.
It was my birthday and I turned 26 this last Thursday. I was surprised by my friends during dinner. :)
Getting caught up on editing for this promotional film for a client in Scottsdale. Worked on that all weekend.
As you read this (Monday) I start the grind all over again.

There’s a lot to unpack. First off, I am doing just fine. In all of these things happening, I’ve been checking in on my physical health by going to various appointments to run some tests. Got everything back saying I’m great and healthy. Few things to work on (cortisol and stress is one of them). Lots of things to reflect but here are some key takeaways -

Balance of Hustle and Health

• Creative Endurance: In the creative industry, the grind is intense, and sustaining a balance between production demands and personal wellness has been a non-negotiable for longevity. Staying healthy doesn’t just mean having the physical energy to shoot and edit but it also impacts the quality of your vision, focus, and emotional resilience which are all needed for storytelling.

• Stress Management as Creative Fuel: Finding ways to decompress allows you to access fresh ideas and keep the artistry alive. Regularly investing in this balance will enable you to bring your best self to every shoot, every story, and every client.

Celebration and Connection Matter

I traveled all the way across the country to surprise my friend Mark. He’s another filmmaker I’d actually never met in person before, but it’s always felt like I’ve known him for years. We’d planned this for months, and not only did I surprise him for his birthday, but so did his family, Jenna’s family, and other friends. He was so overwhelmed that he needed to take a moment to go inside and let it all sink in.

Throughout the week, I stayed with him, and we worked together while also exploring some incredible sights around Pennsylvania. I’m coming to terms with the fact that I tend to have an impact on people as much as people and conversations have an impact on me. I don’t mean that in an egotistical way, it’s just clear that showing up for Mark had as much of an impact on him as it did on me. From the conversations we had together late at night on the porch about passion and dreams to riding the subway late at night in New York City where we talked more and that led us down a rabbit hole of belief systems and I decided to share my faith with him.

• Building Stories with Authenticity: Celebrating with friends and connecting deeply with people can fuel your ability to capture authentic moments in your work. Experiences like those talks are the human connections, vulnerability, and shared joy I often reflect on.

• Broadening Perspectives: Spending time with diverse people and personalities widens your perspective, helping you find fresh angles in your storytelling. These experiences inform your approach to filming and can make you a more insightful and empathetic storyteller.

Purposeful Push in Fitness and Work

One thing I tend to talk about a bit is the importance of physical fitness. When I was in Penselvancia to visit Mark, I remember him asking me to help him get in the gym and to get active. So I was intentional to help him, we woke up for early morning runs and then later at night, we’d go to the gym where I’d teach him various workouts. To show him that it’s actually not that intimidating, the biggest part is just beginning. He showed me his Strava where his fitness activity was up 600% LOL. He crushed it and he also grew to really love doing those things during that week and I hope is that he continues to build those positive habits.

• Physical Strength as a Creative Asset: Being a videographer is physically demanding, from carrying gear to spending hours in motion or on your feet. Staying fit isn’t just about health, it’s a professional asset. A strong body helps you endure long shoot days, adapt to challenging environments, and capture dynamic shots.

• Discipline Fuels Consistency in Creativity: The discipline you apply in fitness mirrors the discipline needed in editing and shooting. Creative consistency is rooted in showing up, pushing through, and constantly refining skills. Just as workouts lead to physical growth, the repetitive, intentional practice in filming and editing leads to creative mastery.

Embracing Flexibility in Productivity

• Adapting to Environments and Situations: Working in various locations (examples like Arizona to Maryland to Pennsylvania to Florida), and balancing edits, showcases my ability to work wherever I am. So embracing these shifts sharpens your eye and continue to keep you on your toes.

• Creative Flow on the Move: Creativity doesn’t pause when you travel, it adapts. Finding ways to stay productive in different places reflects a resilient creative process that stays flexible yet consistent. This adaptability is invaluable for client work, as it demonstrates reliability under varying circumstances.

Another thing I’d add is that I’m still reflecting on this past month and from other events beyond that. I need to continue to write but from a creative/human perspective, those are the main things that come to my mind.

Down below are some of my film frames I’ve shot over the last month -

Exploring New York City