[…] For whatever reason, the Telluride Bluegrass Festival, which recently held its 41st annual weekend event, uploaded a bunch of videos from years past. And the selection above? That is the band Crossroads performing at the Festival in June, 1980. Members of the …read more […]

Scott, you've written a lot of great articles on this site... but this might be the best. Honestly, I wanted to cry reading this, haha! First of all, I'm from Durango, about an hour and a half southwest of Telluride. My great, great grandpa owned a little town just south of Telluride called Ophir. I rode through it two weekends ago on my dirtbike heading to Silverton for the Fourth of July. Now, I don't know that it's 100 percent true, but rumor has it my grandpa sold Ophir to John Wayne back in the '50s. Had he held onto it, my family would have a lot more money than we do now! I'm only in my mid-20s but I think I've pursued my fair share of creative interests and occupations... In high school I was convinced I was gonna be a DJ. I was ready to graduate and follow that path into college. I had all the equipment and books, everything I needed, but something in me changed after I moved away from home and my passion to become DJ faded abruptly. I also thought I could possibly go pro in back-country skiing, although I think that was more ambitious than realistic. I always loved writing and sports from an early age so in college I decided to become a sports journalist. By the time I was a junior I was writing for an alternative weekly (a sister paper of L.A. Weekly and The Village Voice) and owned my own sports website. I thought I had it made -- then I realized that wasn't what I wanted to do. So, here I am, a graduate, working in a small farm in Colorado, saving money to travel the world for the second time in the last two years, making absolutely no use of my degree. Yet I am fulfilled. I like my life right now, and I think that's all that matters. Maybe I won't make it in Hollywood, but I can't think of anything more I want to do right now than to write movies, so I'll be damned if I don't go down without a fight. All I know is I have a passion for storytelling and life. I think those things should pay off one day as long as I work hard enough, and if they don't, at least I can die in peace knowing I tried my hardest, lived in earnest and understood -- if only marginally -- what it means to be human at this point in time in this tiny little section of the Universe we call "Earth."

Beautiful, Kalen. I often wonder what this world would be like if EVERYONE had the self-understanding and means to follow their bliss? Imagine a world where each person was doing what gave them a sense of ULTIMATE MEANING and TRUE FULFILLMENT. I played Durango with Pat Flynn. We opened for the New Grass Revival there as part of a state-wide tour. I've heard of Ophir, never been there. Love the Four Corners part of our country. And to think I could have bought a house in downtown Telluride for $55K in 1979. But hey, I was a musician living from gig to gig. You keep doing your thing, Kalen. I love your spirit and openness to adventure. If you haven't read up on how Joseph Campbell found his way into what he did, you should check it out. World traveler, voluminous book reader, hung out with artists, authors and great thinkers from Europe to Cannery Row, all pretty much living in poverty at least in terms of money. But so rich in terms of life experience. A special blast of creative juju for you on your life journey! SWOOOOOOOOSSSSHHHHH! May that gust help propel you where you need to go with your creative ambitions!

Scott, great stuff. You've taken a road I wish I had. Instead I was sidetracked into one or more of those alternate type paths you didn't take. I loved music and photography in high school and soon got into film. I could have pursued music too. In the age of film, the expense was too restrictive. I should have tried harder to get out to LA from Philly. But that was too expensive of a risk, or so I thought. I got frustrated and gave it up for a few decades, doing other stuff that interested me, paid the bills, but wasn't at all fulfilling. Then came digital photography and HD cams. I was reborn. Now I'm hungry for anything I can do, acting, photography, theatre (I did a stage manager gig), my own indie films, screenwriting, self-producing. But all that leads me back to screenwriting which is the core of what makes a project work. Plus, I still have to make a living with programming in the meantime. Anyway, this website is a godsend.

Great post and awesome video! I could feel the vibe across the ocean. You look great and relaxed. I think your life stories are a great well for inspiration. Let me contemplate on my life stories and how they served me. I'll come back to it later (would be a great thread for the black list forum, too).

I hope this heralds the return of platform sandals, thanks for sharing.

I'm going to throw this question out there because it's one I encounter with friends that have been out of college 10 years or more. Inevitably, they get locked into one path--one story and feel like it's too late to change the course of their life story. It's too late to find another career, etc. All the mistakes made along the way. All the wrong decisions accumulated as an albatross. Do you think a life story can change so drastically that far away from college? A lot of life stories certainly have gone in a completely different path, but they are still headed in one direction--i.e. a steady direction in one way....but what about one that's a drastic 180 shift? I'm trying to think of famous examples, but nothing comes to mind right away. I'm just relating this because I've had lunch with a couple of friends who have really regretted the way their life has gone. Yes, they might have the outward appearance of a nice living...but feel unfulfilled because they feel like they're just filling out the requirement form of life rather than doing something that inspires them....and also feel that all those mistakes made along the way has made it too hard to turn things around. I really didn't have an answer, just listened. By the way, inspiring blog, Scott. The blog just happened to hit on a topic that I noticed many face at certain points in their lives... there's a certain panic that hits you that you better reach a certain point of success at a certain age...and sometimes they cling to security rather than really swinging for something that might set them back if they miss.

Jon, thanks for that. I think many folks find a deeply rewarding balance between holding down a 'real' job while pursuing creative ambitions as an avocation. In some ways, that's the BEST approach because it takes the financial pressure off the creative pursuits, so the person can be creative for creativity's sake alone. If something DOES happen to benefit the person financially, great. If not, no problem. They're still putting food on the table. Glad you found the blog. Always cheers me to know it provides meaning to readers. Continue to follow your bliss!

Funny you say that. In the current Core II: Concept class, one of the writers riffed off the whole platform sandals thing and came up with a really fun idea for a story. So in a sense, they HAVE returned!

Ah, yes. Eric, I know this story all too well from friends and acquaintances. And I'm at an age where questions like this really begin to haunt a person. I'm reminded of that Joseph Campbell quote: “There is perhaps nothing worse than reaching the top of the ladder and discovering that you’re on the wrong wall.” One thing I would say in response to your comments is this: It's never too late. I remember reading an obituary years ago about a man who did not learn to read and write until he was in 70s. Then he wrote an autobiography which was published to much acclaim in his 80s. A story from my days in religious studies, one of the great theologians in the last two centuries Karl Barth did not begin writing his magnum opus until he was in his 50s. I would say if a person has a creative aspiration of whatever sort, no matter how old they are or how 'trapped' they may feel by their career, at least give voice to that creative aspect of their psyche, even if it's just the tiniest thing, even if they practice their creativity in private. If they truly have that compulsion inside, to never give voice to it is just truly sad. One reason I get such a deep personal satisfaction with teaching through Screenwriting Master Class is every day, I get to experience writers who no matter the ups and downs of the writing process at least know they are doing something that is REAL, that makes them feel GOOD because they are following their bliss. To be a part of their processes, to nurture their understanding and abilities, to shepherd along their stories, to mentor writers, while a LOT of work for both the writers and myself, it's a meaningful experience for the both of us. It is never to late to respond to the Muse. I didn't start teaching until I was 50. I didn't start blogging until I was 55. I knew NOTHING about online technology, HTML, zero. I never expected those things to happen in my life, but I was drawn to both by an instinct, both fueled by my creative interests: movies and stories. Who knows? There may some other thing floating out there I take up in my 60s or 70s. I know I'm going to write a novel, something I'm prepping now. Maybe something else entirely. In closing, I would say have conversations with your friends about this subject because it is hugely important. We only have one shot at life! And again, we don't have to do a 180 shift. It's possible to pursue creative ambitions while holding down a regular job to pay the bills. Anyhow let me know if any of that resonates with you, Eric, and thanks for your comments as it's a REALLY REALLY big subject. I'll have to blog about it some day.

This conversation on the 180 degree thing is interesting. It happened to me, and I blame it on the political discord in our society. We are on a false media lead agenda (Chomsky reference) of Republican versus Democrat, conservatives versus liberals, war versus peace, organic versus GMO, humanity versus corporate profits, science versus religion, on and on. So we find ourselves tending to choose sides. In high school I was an anti-war hippie-like art student, and musician type. Then in art college I let my hair and face grow out and the hippie appearance was complete. But that was completely counter to landing a job anywhere (let alone in the creative wold). So I did a 180, mostly out of necessity (I thought), but also frustration an need for adventure. I joined the military. Easy. At least there I could see the world. Recruiters touted it as a job like any other. There was no apparent war. No one outside the military ever expected another Vietnam to ever happen. I became a flight engineer and flew planes. At my high school reunion people couldn't believe it. Some though I was BSing them. Others were amazed. But then Iraq happened and that freaked me out. I finished my contract (after 11 years) and went back to college. Things are never truly black or white. The gray areas are always where reality lives. Maybe there's a story in there somewhere. I'd love to see Scott shoe's story happen. Those days were wonderful. As to age, it's just a number. Inside we are all somewhere between 10 and 25.

Reaching the top of the ladder only to discover you've climbed the wrong wall is a perfect example, Scott. On the show Survivor, you always see the devastation in a contestant's eyes when they've reached the end of an obstacle course and are on the verge of winning, only to realize that they've made a critical mistake early on and have to start all over. Yes, the producers are cruel for rigging the game that way. :) You see the contestants start panicking and taking shortcuts to catch up which cause them to make even more mistakes. But, it's a real panic, especially in this town where everyone wants to be somebody. I swear that Jerry Seinfeld is a genius because that scene where his character and George Costanza discuss the options of what new career George can take is almost like the ones I had recently. I can be a consultant on one of those CSI shows? They make great money... Yeah, but I think they want someone with many years of expertise. Hey, no one knows more about that than me and I can tell them where it's authentic. Or I can be a development person, I like to read.... Scott, I think the panic and the pain is that you realize that you are not as smart as you thought you were; or that you blew it--you could have had it if you'd only done this or that; or you're a loser; or just a nobody. It's really hard to make that 180 turn because no one wants to be a 35 year old intern or whatever it takes to start over. There was this guy that went to SC film school, tried to write for several years, never sold anything...until finally his girlfriend (now his wife) put her foot down and told him to get a real paying job or she's out of there. So, he took the corporate job, has kids and the nice vacation, but you can see his eyes light up when he talks about scripts and movies. I know he can't get away with trying to write on the side because it would be almost like cheating on his wife so to speak---probably keeps his script collection in a special pron folder--but instead of pron it's scripts. I think you're lucky and probably have an angel on your shoulders to have gone in the paths that you have (probably because you have an open attitude). The panic is really about reaching the end of your life and not having enjoyed it and really being a nobody that never made a wave or made their mark and to have done it the way they wanted. You hear of a Steven Spielberg that made their mark in his 20s... it's rare that you see an Ang Lee that toiled and turned his fortunes around much later. Forgot the specifics, but he was this close to signing up for one of those ITT tech course to be a computer guy until his wife stopped him and said don't forget your dream.

There's always the Butterfly Effect.

Eric, I hear you. And I feel for your friend. To go back to something I said earlier, it's all scalable. If your friend is only thinking about creative success as movie premieres, a Porsche and a house in the Hollywood Hills, A-list writer type of thing, it is almost certain he will never attain that. Worse, that very fantasy / dream can CRUSH and move toward actually being creative, especially if he already has a safe corporate job with the 'shadow' of his wife's threat looming over him. If I were your friend, here's what I would do: Do some serious thinking about what it is that excites me on an existential level. To put a point to it: When I am on my death bed, what will be my biggest regret from a creative standpoint. Let's assume he says writing. Then I would recalibrate my expectations. Forget the Hollywood Hills. I'm just going to focus on writing this short story. Or I'm going to start a daily exercise of free writing. No expectations whatsoever. Just enjoy getting in touch with my creativity. Eventually zero in on a story I really really want to write. Just that. Again no expectations other than to finish it. Then I'd start a dialogue with my wife. I'd explain to her how this part of my life is REALLY important. I will be a BETTER and HAPPIER person if I can pursue this in my spare time. I am talking maybe 30 minutes to 1 hour per day. Assuming she WANTS me to be a happy, fulfilled human being, how could she resent or resist this, agreeing that nothing will change in terms of job security, income, etc. Giving voice to one's creativity does not necessarily require a 180 degree change in lifestyle. Sometimes it's just a 5 degree shift of time and focus. What CAN change radically is one's PERSPECTIVE. Instead of writing to seek external validation and material goods, do it for the LOVE of it, the sheer SATISFACTION of bringing something into being from nothing. Each of us is here for a nanosecond, yet it's so easy to get caught up in the day-to-day. If a person TRULY feels the call of their own creativity, they should do what they can to respond to that call... even if it's an avocation, not a vocation.

Just to clarify, the SC guy is a different friend, not as close as the two that prompted my question--one of whom is one of my best friends. I guess I know more than a few privately suffering this, lol! When the SC guy was telling me about his dashed movie dreams, I remember being afraid that it would get back to his wife that I inadvertently encouraged him to get back in. The next time the friend that prompted this question, I'll pass along the great advice and say it came from this great guy Scott Meyers. His attraction to Hollywood is probably the adventure of it...so different from his mind-numbing job and the opportunity to exercise the creativity he feels he wants to use more of. He said it felt like being that guy from a Death of a Salesman where he's slowly beaten down day by down until his shoulders hunched. By the way, Scott, you gave a little teaser about a writer doing 65 drafts. Do you recommend a writer keep honing a script like that to get it ready? I guess the topic would be more along the lines of what it takes to get a script into shape. what it takes to get to the pro level.

"As to age, it’s just a number. Inside we are all somewhere between 10 and 25." Love that, Jon. @Eric: Re your question about 65 drafts. Let me take that up as a blog post. Quick response: Obviously for Jason Hellerman and his script "Shovel Buddies," it worked. But I think that's the exception, not the rule. Better to write MORE STORIES / SCRIPTS than be so precious with one.

Tell your friends to take one or two of Scott or Tom's classes. I've found amazing information there that basically amounts to short cutting the writing process. Pre-GITS, I had attempted between 50 and 100 scripts and almost always stopped half way. The ones I finished kind of suck. But with what I'm getting here I think I'll soon be able to churn out plenty of new ideas and maybe a dozen scripts (or manuscripts), I hope, I hope, I hope. The amount and quality of information even for free right here on this blog (plus references it provides), can make the difference. But there is a lot to soak up. I think it's important to realize that you have to work smarter, not harder and not longer. This is a fact in time management. Plus with the experience of years you learn a lot and get better and smarter. Starting over doesn't have to be a monumental climb. It could be shorter than you think. But you need the right information to do it proficiently. Drinking might also help. You have to learn how to learn fast. If up and coming screenwriters can spend a few quality years (or maybe just months) to get published, so can anyone with the determination to do so. You have to know you can do it. Now to follow my own advice. I think I can. I think I can.

Sure John Raymond, I was already going to mention Scott's comments to my buddy the next time he feels like having one of those Costanza coffee chats.