THE GGN JOURNALS - #LoveLife

I had finally had an amazing dream last night; amazing dreams only started to happen once we succeeded with Kickstarter and officially wrapped up the post-production for the DOC. Along with this accomplishment I found out this week that we got accepted to this years NXNE festival to premiere our film in June, in the city that it was inspired by; Toronto. Things are really looking up for this little passion project and the excitement continues to build as we prepare to begin this next part of the journey. Pursuing a dream can be bliss but also a nightmare. I find some irony to this fact but now that I’m finally having some happy thoughts on my mind, it helps make life a little more clear… It had been awhile. For the past few months my mind had been full of angst and stress on such a massive level that it started to dictate the story telling in my head, which would lead to some fucked up dreams and emotional exhaustion. The next time I get chased by a giant record rolling down a big hill towards me, like the epic scene in Raiders of the Lost ark with the boulder and Indy running for his life, will not be missed… Instead of making it to safety like Harrison Ford did, I would get sliced down the middle and wake up in a cold sweat. I was bringing my work to bed and it was affecting me in very vivid and weird moments during slumber. I understood why I was feeling this way but I felt like I didn’t have control over my mental situation other then staying positive; or at least hiding some of the stress behind some THC. Last night was that kind of dream that puts a smile on your face; that tropical vacation moment you get to share with your loved ones. Lets set the stage… The weather couldn’t be better; the sun is shining and the humidity suggests that this is going to be hot one! It’s only been a few hours since we landed in Miami and coming from an environment that has been cold, wet, and unpredictable for the past month; it takes a moment or two to wrap the brain and senses around that fact. Your skin begins to warm up, a light porn sweat hits your brow, that smell that cities have by the ocean fills your lungs, and the long sleeves, pants, and jacket seem out of place in a good way. This moment is something I always love to experience when I go on a vacation and this year it was bitter sweet. This memory stuck with me this year and this memory recall was clear and warm to the thought. Miami was the beginning of a journey I began 7 years ago and to have the chance to come back for this years Winter Music Conference without cameras, just as a participant knowing I had finished my film, and able to share the experience with the love of my life, a friend of ours that has been such a supportive force in both our lives, was so fulfilling. What also didn’t hurt was that my travel companions were SEXY, which added an extra sizzle to my swagger being the meat in a hot lady sandwich. This was my three’s company moment; I was an individual that if I died in some weird twist of fate… I had a pretty good story to tell in the after life. This memory has been a go to dream the past couple of weeks as I’ve gotten back to the daily grind… The reason I share this with you is I think it reminds me that we have control over how we can live our lives which I think gets lost sometimes because of the daily, weekly, monthly, and annual routines we all have to do to survive. I certainly have been lost at times in my life as I try moving forward on ‘ideas’ that I hope will succeed. These ideas tend to be big and have a lot of moving components that are usually beyond my financial capabilities. As a film maker – an artist who likes to tell stories for the big screen and TV – my passion to follow through on an idea like this documentary can defeat you at times mentally. This defeat turns into self-pity and leads to you losing sight of what’s truly important, LOVE and LIFE. Making films, writing stories, and executing productions can be very consuming because of the hours it demands to do it. Creativity is something that you can’t just call on as any artist will tell you and when it does come, you need to act on it and shut out the rest of your life to be successful. I LOVE this consumption of creativity but I can HATE it just as much… it’s something that has given a lot to my life lessons but I was forgetting about the other stuff – the other LOVE – the other moments that make up life. This is something that was realized in a big way when I stepped off the plane this year and I came up with my mantra for 2013 and beyond; #LoveLife. The meaning behind this mantra is pretty straight forward as you can see. The hashtag I feel is something that reflects the ‘NOW’ in the way we communicate with the world. The art of conversation has evolved and become something I have some reservations about but I get the idea of quick comment observations. Social commentary is something that has been able to grow in a bigger way globally through this simple expression (#). #LoveLife to me is the tag line for the next chapter in my world and as I get closer to 40, I’m appreciating the things around me a lot more. I encourage all of you to take a moment and smell the roses; it really does lead to positive things happening. Time will always tell… Until we speak again - #LoveLife