How You Can Start on Your Dream Today – and Feel Better!

Look outwards; envision your dream.

What’s your dream? Do want to start a project, film, a book, something else? The important thing is to “work with what you have.” We’ll use the G.O. process

G – get experience
O – organize “criteria for excellence”

1. Get experience

In creating film/video/music projects for over 20 years, I’ve noticed something: We always want more time and a bigger budget.

Having limits in time and budget mean one thing: Important choices must be made.

I’ve learned that having many creative experiences has given me an instinct for making decisions. Now, that is an advantage. I know when to switch gears and when to give people space to explore what they’re doing.

So I invite you to start small, right where you’re at. If you’re looking for a miracle, start something in motion.

If you’re a novice actor, have a friend use a consumer video camera and film you giving a monologue. If you like it, place it on YouTube.com!

If you’re a budding illustrator, pull out a sketch book and sketch something — anything that captures your attention.

Find your own way to show the world, in a small way, what you can do.

You’ll gain experience and then you’ll have a storehouse of insights and, perhaps, even a honed intuition to make your next project better. I know some creative people who took the “short view” and gave up too soon. Picture your lifetime. Just imagine how you’ll get better and better at your craft. Sometimes, the breakthrough happens in one year — or five — or ten. Enjoy the journey. With so much experience, you’ll be ready for your breakthrough when it arrives.

2. Organize “criteria for excellence”

As I mentioned, for each project there are limits of time, budget and even the endurance of the participants. Often, “going for perfection” is a moving target — and it may not even be appropriate. What makes a perfect painting?

I once asked a successful author, “How do you know when a book is done?” He said something a bit off color: “How do you know when to urinate?”

Sure, he got some chuckles from the audience. But there was a kernel of truth: The idea was “you just know!”

How do you know what to aim for when you do a project? Pause. Then write down what you choose as “criteria for excellence.” Only you know what is most important to be in your project. And at the same time, you choose what to drop–or let go.

For example, I’ll set a promotional film to be about 1 minute long. Why? Let’s face it: people are really busy. If I say, “How about looking at my film? It’s only 1 minute long,” many people will agree.

On the other hand, ask others to view something 2 minutes long, and many people will resist.

So I’ve set as one criteria for excellence: “1 minute.” See my video about my graphic novel Jack AngelSword at Mayan Ruins and helmet diving under the sea when you CLICK HERE] or click on the image below:

Consider this other facet of setting your own criteria for excellence: You know when it’s done. You aim to satisfy yourself. Why? No matter what you do–there’s someone out there who will criticize it. And that’s fine. It was not for them.

As I share with my graduate students, “At least satisfy yourself. If it moves you, it will move someone else.”

Most importantly, start today with what you have. Why? It’s really how you grow as a person and as an artist — whether your art is film or living your own full life.

********BREAKING NEWS!****************************************************************

YourBodySoulandProsperity.com Arrives in North Hollywood, California – October 14th, 6:45 pm.

Workshop: “Your Body, Soul and Prosperity — 3 Easy Steps to Massively Increase YOUR Health, Happiness and Prosperity”
**The Experiential Workshop**    Wednesday October 14, 6:45-9:45 pm.     Share the news with friends. Thank you. Many blessings.
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Warmly,

Tom