After two productive and semi-harmonious weeks at work, today wasn’t a good day to get the week started.

I’m no expert with Microsoft’s IIS, I’m familiar, and at work I sometimes end up wearing other hats. So if I have issues with our server, I have to fix it.

The whole thing reminded me about being resilient.

It’s very important for artist to have resilience. Specially when it comes to internet trolls. When you start putting your work online for the public to see, you will start experiencing negative feedback.

Here is what you can do. Remember to focus on those who understand you vs those who don’t. Is not your job as an artist to reach out to those who are rejecting your ideas. Doing the opposite is going to distract you from your core audience.

Don’t go and turn off comments from your social media real estate. You have to continue engaging your audience. Tim Ferris uses the living room policy. Treat your comments as if they were not online, instead treat the commenting situation as a conversation in your living room. If someone was acting rude in your living room, you’d simply asked them to leave. And sometimes ignoring the ignorance will keep you focused and fade out the troller.

And most important, keep making content and stay focused. I allow myself a certain window of time for dealing with a conflict. My Monday might not be ruined, it just feels that way if I’m facing difficulty. But when I put a deadline, I’ll either accept the failure or reach a point when I’ll ignore the problem and move on to something else on my to-do list.

When a door closes, when you receive negative criticism, or simply when someone rejects your ideas, you will make a choice, that will turn the situation into a dead end or it will reroute you to something else. Trust your artistic sense and most importantly the universe.

So do you like the new design? I think this year, WordPress, got it right. This is the default template for 2014. In the past, the design wasn’t great, but this version really show the capabilities of modern browsers.
I’m gonna keep it for now. I’m focusing on what I’m going to be doing next with this blog. I’m gonna review more movies. Not new ones but old ones. This is something I have wanted to do for a very long time.
I also want to start taking more pictures and start driving my Flickr content to the blog.
More importantly I’m going to start blogging about my project, The Chauffeur.
That calls for a schedule, which means, I’m gonna post in different sections at different times and days.

But that’s what’s gonna happen. Abd hopefully more filming and more editing.

Working abroad has it’s own challenges. The most comment for me is language miscommunication. My english idioms don’t alway translate properly and viceversa. But in the end that’s simple. You ask for clarification, or you simplify your language to better illustrate your point.

But what about when you feel like you’re talking to a wall and the other party isn’t making the effort to understand. Take note of this one approach…

Investigate the Incentive
One time in the Czech Republic a buddy and I were left stranded in a small town. We hadn’t made it to Prague yet, but we had already run out of money. We needed to get some extra cash, but the term “ATM” didn’t translate. We stopped by a bar, and we make it clear we had no cash. We needed to get to an ATM. With our hand gestures and repetitive language, we illustrated the concept by taking out our card, sliding it next to a coaster holder, and pushing a small bill that we did have under. The bartender quickly figured out what we needed.. “Money Machine!” Yes!

The bartender had an incentive, for having paying customers. And we had plenty of time to kill until our next train. So it worked out.

When we are having creative discussions with other individuals, and things just don’t seem to click or there is a great deal of resistance. Don’t get mad at them. Start investigating their incentive. If they don’t see eye to eye with you, ask yourself why? Could it be there is no incentive for them to be part of the project?

Eventually you’ll find that most of the time it’s their ego. People don’t want to be embarrassed or up-staged and sometimes that is the cause of their resistance. Sometimes, their concept is completely different. Think, Catholics vs Evangelicals; Seth vs Jedi.

This kind of adversity you have to face on your own. It’s about not becoming discouraged with the fact that there is someone or a group of people who don’t see your vision. Use an exit strategy that is honest and dignifying. There never had to be bad blood between individuals because they didn’t see things your way. Allow yourself to step out of the situation in a graceful manner.

When I was in film school, there were a lot of personalities. And what I quickly realised what that the industry had a place for everybody. It was upto me to find the right place and choose where I wanted to fit in.

So then the next time you feel that it’s becoming an overwhelming task to get in sync with someone else. Be grateful for their perspective and remind yourself of YOUR vision.

Because if you became swayed by others, we can’t truly say, we’re are our own creative driving force.

If derailed, get back on track, refocus and stay determined.

This has been the longest since I posted on the blog. I keep wondering who is my audience. It should never be too hard to figure out. It’s you the creative ones. There is something important that I want to mention in this post. That is to keep making content. Self-esteem is undeniably one of the greater forces of life, we are either going to become empowered by it, or dragged down. Artist will face all sorts of obstacles in life. Negative reviews of your music, film or art work will always be there.

Living in Los Angeles, I think, is much easier to find a core group of people who will support you. We’re also more critical because we are all content creators. But recently being out here in Germany I think about those people who aren’t fortunate enough live in an artistic circle, like LA, NY, Berlin, etc.

It doesn’t matter. We all would be foolish to think that our scene is our limitation. With the power of the internet, we can choose where to live and where to do our business. I’m starting to find more like-minded people. Sometimes it takes a few weeks, sometimes a few months. The process can last even for years. But time is a wasting, if we don’t make the effort and aren’t open to hear what others people opinions are, we will stay stagnant and unable to make any progress.

The simple act of making the continuous effort is evidence that we have that determination. Keep focused. Stay on course. And most importantly, keep making content. New songs, new tracks, new films, everything.

Hello Creative Souls,

It’s been awhile since my last post. And I have no one else to blame but myself. It’s been busy at work of course, but I’ve been too tired to dedicate time to my blog. What’s the quick solution? TAKING ACTION! The solution should always be simple.

Today I want to talk about coping with stress. This topic will either connect with you or not. It’s a phenomenon to me, but sometimes we can all get into this tunnel vision mode and it inhibits us from learning. I think it’s natural, and most people turn around.

What is the challenge? Ask yourself if it’s out of your hands. Like the weather. No one can help it, so why let it ruin your day. When I first started working on a movie set, I would always see people freaking out. It ranged from zealous ADs that were just assholes to menstruating female PAs. Once in a while the crew would be made up of other veterans and we would always comment on the situation, but we kept it to ourselves.

“If there aren’t any bullets flying why are we freaking out?”

If it is in your scope, what can you do to right now to change it? Its been my experience that most of the time we know already what it is that we can do. We just don’t want to do it. We worry that the efforts won’t be noticed. But what’s is important is that it gets done. Remember that this day like any other will be over and the next one will start whether you like it or not. And when you really have a roadblock, take it as the Universe telling you to take a break. In that case most definitely enjoy it.

Chaos exists and its part of our world, so be in the moment and don’t get swept up in it. I’m from California, and one of the traits of surfers is that they go with the flow. I don’t surf but I can relate. I try to practice awareness, specially in a stressful situation. The more often you do it, the easier it will be to catch the trigger. Internally a red flag will pop up and you’ll be able remind yourself of the fact that no matter what we become and how much success we get, we are still all human beings who are emotional. So when someone is angry realize that they are just projecting. Flip the image and ask yourself why you would be acting this way if you were the angry one and the other person was you. Maybe this will help you get some perspective.

I leave you with this final thought, whatever the circumstances, focus your thoughts and energy like a laser, point it directly at your goal. Visualize yourself being successful and you will overcome any obstacle. Invest your energy in your creative endeavor and have fun, let a strong radiant vibration of positivity come out from within you every time you are faced with adversity.
Be strong, be creative and don’t forget to follow me on Twitter.

Movie magic is entertaining when you engage in it. I’ve heard some people express how they can’t enjoy magic because they know how the trick is done. Half of the times they don’t realized they aren’t engaging, and are simply disillusioned about the whole thing.

I think you have to be pretty miserable to have that kind of attitude. Even Penn & Teller who have the show, “Fool Us” enjoy the craft. And on the show, they are trying to solve the illusion.

This week I want to discuss intellectual property(IP). I have signed my fair share of Non-disclosures agreements (NDA). But I started thinking, what about film? Haven’t we  heard the phrase “Movie Magic” ? The IP in film could be the story it self. Hitchcock is someone we can learn this from. See, for him and many other filmmakers, books held a great deal of value. This is how Harry Potter, Twilight and Lord of the Rings have become big hits and valuable assets for their studios. When I was younger Dick Tracey and Batman where big blockbuster films, and now the same is happening as we witness the evolution of Marvel Studios. So we have books, comic books, but what happened to the screenplays and scripts?

Die Hard comes from the spec script side of the house. So there is value to scripts, but the big business has changed how we make movies. I shouldn’t say make, I should say develop film projects.

When you have nothing, you need to strive to have something, Intellectual Property! Have a story or have a script. Protect it; you can tweet me to find out how, and then develop it.

Start sharing a piece of the pie. If you can’t pay someone, be willing to share the property. This way you can leverage the deal. How foreign does this sound? Beware of the 51%, they want to hold control. But 35% is usually a decent amount for a willing partner. If you go any lower you might not get the effort you are looking for.

In the end, you will always do what you feel comfortable with, but realize these strategies that exist and can leverage your execution. And remember you should be collaborating, not working for other people. Even tho it can be very rewarding to volunteer without expecting any thing in return.

DO ART, DO YOU!

Are you making the commitment?

Why do I even want to make a blog on how to improve your web presence, when mine isn’t that popular to begin with? I don’t have many followers, I’m not a big public figure and I’m getting into Blogging way late in the game. What I can offer is my experience. Around the start of 2000, I worked on a project that pre-dated the iPad concept. Later on, I worked on other networks that were ahead of what has now become Social Media. All that I have learned pertains to functionality. To be creative you have to know how the tools work.

I love @davidlynch, but you can’t teach someone how to come up with the same ideas as he does. That’s where the true artist exists. But there is a technical aspect to his films that CAN be taught, lighting, exposure, composition. That you can learn and you apply. This is one of the reason why I want to be able to give you basic guidelines of the technical, so you can experiment and simply create.

Artist, you must create.

I’m happy to know a mixture of amateur filmmakers and professionals. The output is different and you can tell in quality, but the underlining quality of these individuals is their passion for what they do. Like while I know various skilled musicians. I, myself, can play the guitar, but I don’t have the same passion as some of those who I know that do. In different times I’ve been inside studios with professionals who have their own taste and their own rhythm, this an almost magical aspect about the industry. While they are creating and expressing an emotion, I’m thinking about the business side of things. I think about the promotion; the audience to promote, the method of promotion and the budget. I focus on the planning and execution. But you, Artist, you must create.

One of the reasons why I focus on producing for Film is because of an interview of Jon Landau where he explains his relationship to James Cameron. I am interested in preserving the artistic quality and executing the business venture. And as far as I can tell this is more about collaboration. It takes chemistry, gut and a little bit of luck.

Discover. Connect. Deliver.

“No one can make it on their own.” You might have heard about that one. It’s true, Tim Ferris acknowledges how for many people having a library of self-help books or manuals is simply the representation of advice not taken. When I read the “The Rebel Rules” it initially sparked the interest of doing my own thing. But where I find myself troubled is when people aren’t willing to think outside the box. That’s only natural. We’re afraid of change, so to be truly creative you have to start harboring a culture of adventure. Discover a new world of possibilities! I’ve talked about fixing your YouTube channel, because I’m assuming that you got started on a channel, but got discouraged or distracted along the way. Hopefully the advice the I give you on this blog can guide you to connect with your audience or your goal. Because I believe we’ve passed this idea of the “Age of Information”, that concept simply lead us into the infrastructure that we have today. Cloud computing has really open new opportunities to how we live our lives. I believe that we’re at the gates of the “Age of Creativity”. And we need to ascend to a new level of humanity.

I think the biggest misconception individuals have is that they are not creative, that they can not do something. I’m in Germany, and the challenge of learning the language sometimes can be discouraging, but I try to visualize the possibility of not denying myself the opportunity to adapt to the language. It must be done, like climbing a hill. In the things that I’m passionate about, I take action and so should you. Determination is key too,  if you’re a musician, play your instrument, compose, write, do what ever it takes. If you’re a filmmaker, watch, write, film, but simply push forward. Make that calls you’re afraid to make and perform in front of strangers.

I would like to hear your thoughts on my Blog post, leave a comment below or hit me up on Twitter!