My mind is on fire this week.
We will premiere Brewconomy, my new documentary about North Carolina craft beer, at the Wells Fargo IMAX Theatre at Marbles this weekend. It’s brought up so many wonderful (and sometimes weird) emotions. I’m trying desperately to stay calm and focused. But it’s just SO EXCITING after working on this for three years to finally share it with everyone!
One of the strange by-products of finishing a multi-year project like Brewconomy is the need to stretch different creative muscles afterwards.
It seems to be my creative rhythm.
Discussion panel following the premiere of Abandoned Allies at IMAX on August 2012. Panel moderated by Bill Leslie, WRAL news anchor who narrated the film. Photo by David Leblond.
It was the same after we wrapped Abandoned Allies, my first feature-length documentary film, in 2012. The film took five years to finish. It was a heavy, important social justice film that taught me so much. It was essentially my film school — and it was really challenging.
After wrapping Allies I wrote Trophy, a short fiction comedy. It was a nice change of pace to work on a seriously simple concept that was light, playful, and fiction. We shot it in early 2013.
“Trophy” is a short film I shot with friends in early 2013. Pictured are Jim McQuaid, Todd Tinkham, Rachel Silberman, and Mark Goodwillie.
It’s not strange to be feeling this creative rhythm again.
I love both documentaries and fiction films — often writing one while working on the other. To some that may seem weird but it just makes sense to me. (This is why I find it odd to be introduced as a “documentary filmmaker” rather than simply a filmmaker or a director. But pick and choose your battles, eh?)
Once again I feel like I’m ready to tackle a fiction short film.
Ideas keep flooding out, almost too quickly. It’s tough to keep up sometimes, which is totally inconvenient.
For example I recently wrote the screenplay for a short action film I’ve been carrying around for six months. The idea just won’t quit nagging me. Finally I had had enough. I started working on the storyboards and reaching out to start building a crew so we can shoot it this summer.
This is nuts, mind you, because I already have other irons in the fire. Promises made that need to be kept. People and things requiring attention immediately.
It’s wildly inconvenient to be so on fire with ideas and so bugged by one in particular that you just have to get it on paper — especially when you’re in the midst of feverishly preparing for a premiere in a few days.
Instead of fighting it, however, I’m accepting it as a part of how I’m wired. I’m giving into the creativity. The muse doesn’t come around often enough, and I don’t want to miss out. (What a jerk, that muse.)
This is also making me really eager to get on set again. Almost any set. Doing almost any job. I just NEED to be around amazing people and help film something with drool-worthy cameras.
So, yeah, my mind is on fire.
When you see me or hear from me, please be kind. I’m doing my best to keep up with all of the amazing, wonderful things happening. I feel like such a lucky woman!
It is wonderful when your dreams come true. It’s even better when you get to celebrate the journey with family, friends, and fans like you that encourage such a wild dream. I sincerely mean that.
Not a day goes by that I don’t feel grateful, humble, and insanely lucky. You guys are the best.
See you Sunday?
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