mama scout lab e-course

Wednesday, April 1, 2015

{guest post} :: Jennifer Fischer :: film maker

I asked Jennifer Fischer, my film making friend, to share some words about her current project and crowd funding campaign. I am a supporter and want to help her spread the word about the issues her and her husband are exploring through her socially engaging work. Please consider supporting this project if this issue speaks to you too. 
-Amy




Dead Poets Society was one of our family’s favorite movies growing up. The power of those students standing on their desks and saying “O Captain, My Captain.” The mantra, Carpe Diem, ringing through my mind. My father loved that movie and its message. He had not lived his life by those words, but he deeply wanted his children to live their lives that way, even if it wasn’t always so easy for him (like when your 20 year-old baby girl decides to travel the Middle East by herself for 6 weeks), but I digress…

Carpe Diem -- Seizing the day looks much different for me now than it used to. There was a time when it meant traveling solo around the Middle East or Southeast Asia -- it meant something extreme and exciting.

Now, Carpe Diem often means seizing the opportunity to snuggle up with my boys at the end of the day, seizing a rare date night with my husband, and working like a mad woman into the wee hours of the night to make my next film project a reality.

My husband and I run a small production company. We’re committed to creating stories that sustain our humanity; stories that illuminate dark corners; stories that can create change. And let me tell you, it is not always easy. In fact, quite often it is hard. As a teenager and young adult, I did not imagine that Carpe Diem might mean:

Your children finding you hiding in the bathroom in tears because your latest campaign has launched, but there are some website glitches.

Throwing up three mornings in a row because you are overcome by the fear of failure.

Deep uncertainty about everything!


But, so it is. My latest film project, ‘The wHOLE’ is a gritty dramatic series about race, crime, prison and so much more starting with harsh reality of solitary confinement.

Deeply committed to telling this story with humanity and integrity and in collaboration with individuals who have lived it means we are also deeply committed to the project being an independent production. To fund it, this means inviting others to support our work. It is truly a film for the people, of the people and by the people -- and to make it work we need the people.

This reality is not unique to my circumstance as I seek to live an intentional, meaningful life as an artist while I raise my sons. We all need community. (This is why I value the work that Amy does). We all need to support one another if we are going to live our best lives; if we are going to seize the day.

The best thing I’ve learned in this very challenging process is that not only do we all need each other, we also want to need each other. People want to support the inspiring work of others. People want to see the dreams of others blossoms and to follow that inspiration as they seek their own dreams.

As I’ve reached out to others to support my dream and many have (though we need many more). As I’ve reached out to thank them, they’ve surprised me by thanking me.

They are grateful for the opportunity to join my dream. They are grateful that I’ve shared my work with them. They are grateful to be a part of the embrace of an intentional life, and I find that we both sit there in that beautiful space of gratitude.

Go. Seize the day. State your dream. Move your intentional life forward, and invite others to walk with you as you make your best, intentional life real.


You can learn more about and join my dream at www.seedandspark.com/studio/whole



No comments:

Post a Comment

Please leave a comment! I love to hear from you!

LinkWithin

Related Posts Plugin for WordPress, Blogger...