Tagged: advice
"Carry Bolt Cutters" & Other Advice from Werner Herzog
- by Alyson Shane
Recently I came across a list of advice for filmmakers courtesy of Werner Hergoz, which I thought was particularly interesting.
Taken from Werner Hergoz - A Guide for the Perplexed by Paul Cronin, some of the maxims are pretty specific to filmmaking (“That roll of unexposed celluloid you have in your hand might be the last in existence, so do something impressive with it”) but some others, like "Learn to live with your mistakes" and "Develop your own voice" really hit home.
Here they are, what do you think?
1. Always take the initiative.
2. There is nothing wrong with spending a night in jail if it means getting the shot you need.
3. Send out all your dogs and one might return with prey.
4. Never wallow in your troubles; despair must be kept private and brief.
5. Learn to live with your mistakes.
6. Expand your knowledge and understanding of music and literature, old and modern.
7. That roll of unexposed celluloid you have in your hand might be the last in existence, so do something impressive with it.
8. There is never an excuse not to finish a film.
9. Carry bolt cutters everywhere.
10. Thwart institutional cowardice.
11. Ask for forgiveness, not permission.
12. Take your fate into your own hands.
13. Learn to read the inner essence of a landscape.
14. Ignite the fire within and explore unknown territory.
15. Walk straight ahead, never detour.
16. Manoeuvre and mislead, but always deliver.
17. Don’t be fearful of rejection.
18. Develop your own voice.
19. Day one is the point of no return.
20. A badge of honor is to fail a film theory class.
21. Chance is the lifeblood of cinema.
22. Guerrilla tactics are best.
23. Take revenge if need be.
24. Get used to the bear behind you.
Happy Tuesday, dears!
xox yr girl Shaner
What Doesn't Seem Like Work?
- by Alyson Shane
While out for coffee I read a great article by one of my favourite writers, Paul Graham, called "What Doesn't Seem Like Work?"
In it he talks about how his father knew at 12 what he wanted to be which he admits is unusual and is something that I can't relate to at all because at 12 I don't think I was thinking much farther than the test at the end of the week or when the next Zelda title was coming out.
Anyway, Paul Graham's dad wanted to do something involving maths (he is a mathematician) and he said that he used to consider the quizzes at the end of textbook chapters as rewards, and that the text was just advice on how to solve them.
Which is just... crazy. That sounds like the exact opposite of anything I want to do, ever.
Which is exactly the point.
"The stranger your tastes seem to other people, the stronger evidence they probably are of what you should do."
Most people that I talk to dislike writing. Or they tolerate it as something that they have to do, maybe for work or a project, but by and large most people that I know don't want to spend hours writing posts, monologues, rants, poems etc and honing their "voice" as a writer.
I've always been a passionate reader and writer but it took me a long time to figure out that writing should be a big part of how I make my living, largely because I grew up thinking that the only options for a writer were publish a book or become a journalist, but that's a post for another time.
I love writing and would happily do it all day. It's what I live and breathe, even though to a lot of people it seems like a boring, uninteresting task.
Which is what sets me apart from other people, and what makes me so good at it.
But it's taken me a long time to figure that out.
What's something that you love to do that other people hate doing? Have you made it a part of your professional life?
How to Stay Motivated and Get Shit Done
- by Alyson Shane
Life is insane right now.
I walked into the office today with a million things on my plate and of course another million smaller things popped up along the way. Add to it managing client work, personal projects and secret (soon to be not-so-secret) projects I spent the morning feeling like I'd much rather crawl under a rock than actually do any of the stuff that I need to do.
Except I can't.
So instead of throwing myself a pity-party I decided to spend my lunch hour jotting down a few of the ways that I get shit done and stay motivated when I feel like this:
Figure Out What I'm Avoiding, and Why
I'm scared by things that I don't know but that doesn't make a lot of sense when I say it out loud, so here's an example to illustrate what I mean:
I want to get into podcasting but I have no idea where to start, so I Google "how to make a great podcast" and open a bunch of tabs, but then get overwhelmed by all the new information and, oh hey, Reddit sure looks interesting right about now... and then 45 minutes later I still haven't finished that first article that I started.
It's easy to put off things that make us go beyond our comfort zone or, in my case, confront the fact that I don't actually know everything about everything.
Figuring out why I'm avoiding something helps me start taking steps to work at it.
Make Time by Making Time
I know I sound like my mom but seriously I'd never get to the gym if I didn't pre-pack my gym bag the night before. Same goes for laying out work to get done in the morning and organizing my thoughts the night before by creating daily to-do lists (my saving grace). Little things like that make me feel a million times more organized (even when I'm a total gong show) and can really save time.
Put The Goddamn Phone Down
Otherwise known as: get the hell off social media, which I have a huge problem doing. I put my phone face-down, close my tabs (yes ALL of them) except what I need and have notifications disabled on both my iMac and my Macbook, so nothing "pops up" to notify me on my screen while I'm attempting to focus.
I've also had some really good experiences with SelfControl, which is a tool that allows you to set a timer which will cause your browser to behave like it's offline. You can whitelist or blacklist certain sites so that you don't have to totally disable the internet (calm down) while trying to focus. It's a Mac-only product, though. PC users can use Freedom, which is similar.
Figure Out When I'm Most Productive
I kick the most ass in the morning. In my ideal world I would get up, hit the gym or go for a long run, then settle in with a cup of coffee and do my thing until about 3pm which is when my energy takes a nosedive.
Also: take breaks! If I've been working for several hours and feel my brain waters getting low it's totally okay to go for a walk to grab groceries or (just this once!) check out what's happening on Twitter. I try not to guilt myself about these breaks (though sometimes I fail) but I know that letting my brain chill out can really boost productivity if I've got a long haul ahead of me.
Get Lit
Obviously I don't mean getting stoned and useless. I mean sitting somewhere where it's bright, preferably near a large window or (when the weather permits) sitting outside. I have a great goose-neck lamp from IKEA that I love at my desk, but sitting anywhere with some nice non-fluorescent lights is key to getting work done and not ruining my eyesight or giving myself a headache.
Organize My Mess
I'm a neat freak and I hate working in sloppy spaces. Sure, when I was writing 30+ page papers in university and had several stacks of reference notes all over my desk for one particular project I could handle it, but that's different. What I mean is the keeping the area around where you're working clean (or relatively so).
Is it dusty? Are there old dishes everywhere? Are there leftover papers, pens, notepads, books, whatever all over the place? For the love of god put it away.
Clutter clutters the mind, or however that saying goes.
Also if you're a girl putting fresh flowers in your work space make you at least 96% more productive. Scientific fact.
What about you? Do you have any tips for getting shit done and staying motivated?
we all need a little tough love sometimes
- by admin
the first couple minutes of this video do a good job.
Alyson Shane's Guide to Writing a Good Blog Post
- by admin
no?
start over or stop blogging.
Concerts and You: Your Guide to Not Being a Jackass
- by admin
We've all gone to concerts and there's that person. The idiot who keeps yelling, over and over, over the song lyrics, instrumental pauses, and worst of all over the artist when they're speaking. There always seems to be one of there ignorant idiots at every concert, and in the hope of educating someone who might unintentionally be one of these people, here are some helpful tips for being a concertgoer:Don't get wasted before the concert
There's nothing wrong with getting a good Concert Drunk on, I can admit to that. Before the Matt Good concert this evening we went out for dinner and drinks with friends and I had a few at the venue, but I had the good sense to keep my mouth shut because I'm not the only one trying to enjoy the concert. If having a few beers helps you enjoy the music, go for it, I totally understand. But limit yourself to an amount that won't make you an annoying ass to everyone else around you. You're not at a Canad Inns bar, when you yell unfortunately everyone can hear you. And that's what it really boils down to...
Nobody except you cares what you think
Especially not the artist performing.
That's not to say that they don't appreciate that you paid for tickets, bought their merch, etc, but for fuck's sake they're performing and earning a living playing a show for you and you can't respect them enough to keep your mouth shut? Seriously, the people performing put a lot of thought, time and effort into selecting a set list that they felt would best suit the tour, and you have the gall to shout out (over and over) that you think they should play such-and-such a song? Screw you. How about you go out, spend a bunch of time recording, touring and promoting your music and then see how it makes you feel when some drunk ignoramus won't stop shouting at you during one of your shows. Have some respect.
Don't yell over the artist
I've been to multiple shows where the artist comes out, performs a set with no interaction with the audience, and then leaves. It's nowhere as good as a set where the artist has clearly taken the time to get to know the city/town/audience they're playing for, but ultimately it's their choice to do so or not. If an artist is taking the time to engage and interact with the crowd then be respectful of what they have to say and don't try to yell over them or drown them out with your stupid opinions. Because you know what? People paid to hear the artist speak/sing, not you. So shut up.
Don't get mad at the musician if they don't want to meet you
If they don't want to meet with the audience afterwards, that's their choice. They've been touring for weeks (sometimes months), just played a live show for you, gave you their all and if they aren't feeling up to sitting around and singing merch for whatever reason it's their prerogative to do so. Maybe they don't want to get sick from shaking hands, maybe they don't have the right setup at the venue for that kind of fan interaction, or maybe they're just tired, but ultimately it's their choice.
You don't sound as cool as you think
Antagonizing and yelling at the performer while they're speaking? Really? I can't understand people that do this. I get that maybe it's that they need to feel special by getting the artist to respond to their repeated cries for attention, but that just makes you look like a needy asshole and not a respectful (adult) fan. And if your friends are supporting/high-fiving you? They're bigger dickheads than you are and I can't help you, because any good friend would tell you to stfu, get over yourself, and let other people enjoy the concert.
And ultimately...
It's not about you
Sure you paid for a ticket, but in addition to you at the venue there's the other people who paid good money to hear an artist they enjoy perform, and there's the artist (and/or their touring band) who spent time organizing the tour, picking a set list, rehearsing, and performing to you. There's so much more to a concert than your ass occupying at seat, and maybe next time you would do better to try and remember that. Your enjoyment is important, but every other person attending the concert feels the same way about their experience, so maybe start thinking about other people once and a while before shooting your mouth off.
Believe me: nobody enjoys hearing your drunken slurring voice as much as you do.
So take this to heart. I'm sure it sucks to have someone from The Internet tell you that you're being a dickhead in public (and if you were the guy who liked Whispers In The Dark tonight, or any of his obese obnoxious female entourage I mean you), but at least someone (not your bromance high-fiving friends) has the gall to tell you you're being a selfish ass in a crowd of a few hundred people.
Next time just do us all a favour and stay at home and drunkenly sing along to the same YouTube video over and over instead, because that's obviously what you would prefer from a live show anyway. Idiot.
Connect Do's and Don'ts
- by admin
(photo cred to Kerry, I jacked this shot of the main stage from her FB album)
Back from Connect and still recovering. Between the intense 8-hour drive, many many rest stops, tornado that happened nearby and the scarily-intense thunderstorm that had us pulled over on the side of the road for a good ten minutes getting there felt like the biggest relief ever and deserved all those beers that I chugged back as soon as my feet met with campground dirt. It's only my second year attending this mega-shitshow festival but all my friends are Connect veterans and have taught me well in the ways of partying and now I'll share some of my Connect knowledge with you:
DO: Drink nonstop
Obviously the only reason anyone goes camping anytime is to eat smokies on the BBQ and get wasted, but the only way to escape the seriously blistering heat at Connect is to find some shade in the big field by the main stage, crack open your beer/waterbottle full of gin/rocket fuel and get smashed while listening to whatever minimal/electro/psy/whatever is playing. No glass bottles are allowed so either bring as many cans of decent beer as you can afford or pre-mix in some water bottles before getting there.
DON'T: Shit yourself while blacked out
'Nuff said.
DO: Gorge on canteen food
In particular the Connect Taco Salad is stuff of legend: a bag of nachos with the bag as the bowl (classy) with cheese, lettuce, beef and sour cream all over them. When you're wasted off your face there's nothing that tastes better than the zillion calories you'll inhale while gorging on that salad and chugging your booze. Other Connect canteen food faves are: perogies, chicken burgers, and the breakfast served until 1pm in case you're too hungover to turn on your own camping stove and make your lazy ass some food.
DON'T: Swim in the pond
I made this mistake my first year while in a state of near-blackout wine-induced sleeping-in-the-tent-during-30-degree-heat sweat while the showers were occupied. It was great for five minutes until I realized that I stank of stagnant, brown pond water and consequently grossed out both myself and the other chicks waiting in line for the shower. One girl was nice enough to let me cut her in line which is both a testament to how nice drunk people can be and how rank that pond is. Don't swim in it.
DO: Bring a wagon
Good for hauling food, booze, camping gear, or your idiot drunk friends. Make sure to take pictures of them getting into, sitting in, and attempting (and failing) to get out of the wagon for future hilarity.
DON'T: Sleep through your set
If you're scheduled to play make sure either a) you don't get super wasted and completely pass out before your set, or b) make sure your real friends around around to wake you up for it.
DO: Bring a utility belt
Smartest move ever. It holds all the necessities you could need for a festival: booze, water bottles, cigarettes (if you smoke), snacks, keys, band-aids, etc. Don't be a ninny and lug a giant purse or bag around with you all weekend, just cram everything into your utility belt and enjoy feeling like a Final Fantasy character (or a drunk handyman) as you sling it around your waist and go off on adventures.
DON'T: Expect to get a lot of sleep
The main stage may shut down during the morning but anyone with a car, stereo or in our case a megaphone aren't going to keep quiet, so if you're passing out around 6am you'll probably be up around 9am. This year I took intermittent afternoon naps (aka drank and fell asleep) which is probably the safest way to ensure you're good to go when the party begins again in the evening. Nothing is worse than crashing out at 10pm at Connect. It's not the Connect Rest and Relaxation Festival, after all.
