Pages

Thursday, August 11, 2011

Shut Up or Speak Up- Media and Decorum


Often times there are unsaid rules that people do not teach you right away, these things we learn the hard way. Ones that you have to learn in order to achieve success, especially in this viral community where everything we put out on the internet can be used against us in the future.
When you get hired especially in film or media, there is almost always unsaid rules to the business that you do not know until much later. Some rules have to do with how you socialize, who you socialize with and what you say on the internet. As social networking is being pushed at us, we are constantly encouraged and reminded that we need to be utilizing social networking sites to continue to keep a large networking base close to us. However, what some of these studios do not tell you is that they actually research what you say. Yes, it is not uncommon for new employers to do a bit of research on you. Most will track what you say, analyze your writing, and what you do on your off time. I was once turned down for a job at a studio in Los Angeles when they researched me on the internet and complained that they tracked that I have worked on a variety of films. Bottom line, they were worried that I was going to quit in the future for a crew position. 
I have also had employers read my blogs and track me meticulously on the internet. While that may feel like an invasion of privacy. Once we publicly post something- it is out there for people to track. Whether your sexting, posting up crazy pictures of yourself, posting up all of your "extra-curricular" activities. It may be funny and cool with your friends, but for an employer they may frown upon it. So, my thing is feel free to live the way you want, but be careful and know the consequences of throwing yourself out there virally for people to track, document and use against you later.

Nature and Creativity


Sometimes, after working really hard for an entire month it is good to get out in nature. Everyone has there own way of meditating and clearing your head. For me, things linger for a while and so sometimes it is good for me to escape to nature. 
The first thing that one should do when people reject you- is to go out and do exactly what they would not want you to do. There was a famous football player, that at one point had an article written about him the article was full of criticism. The article stated an endless prediction of failure, accusing him of not being skilled enough and good enough and that he would never win. That football player kept that article in his locker and read it every time he would go out to a game. 
He never lost a game since that article was written. Tomorrow, I am getting my Go-Pro camera and my Canon T2I and I am going white water rafting- yes you better believe I am filming. 


When you want to perfect your art, your craft, your skill- you get out there and you do it regardless of your critics.

"It is not the critic who counts; not the man who points out how the strong man stumbles, or where the doer of deeds could have done them better. The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena, whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood; who strives valiantly; who errs, who comes short again and again, because there is no effort without error and shortcoming; but who does actually strive to do the deeds; who knows great enthusiasms, the great devotions; who spends himself in a worthy cause; who at the best knows in the end the triumph of high achievement, and who at the worst, if he fails, at least fails while daring greatly, so that his place shall never be with those cold and timid souls who neither know."
Theodore Roosevelt