Inspiration. What's your inspiration? It's a standard question to ask an artist, an actor or whomever else you care to insert in here. The usual response is "she's my inspiration" and "Bela Lugosi is my inspiration." And so forth.
Me? I really don't have one. Sure I get spurts of inspiration but it escapes me quickly. A bolt of inspiration has little weight with me for some reason. Inspiration, therefore, is fleeting on my time.
It's like Chinese food. It fills you up but one hour later your stomach is grumbling and rumbling.
People do all sorts of things to inspire themselves. Hang a picture of an enemy on the wall, listen to their favorite musician, read a preferred philosopher, eat a hamburger - whatever.
I just do it. Swoosh!
No clue why or how but I just do. I'm not saying I don't get inspired, I'm just saying it takes a lot to inspire me and when it does come, it feels, I don't know, empty. I know inspiration comes in different forms and degrees. I've been known to watch a cooing show and head straight for the kitchen to challenge my culinary abilities.
But. There's one actor who keeps popping in my head. Bill Murray. For three movies: Groundhog Day, Lost in Translation and Rushmore. Those movies, including the writers, do enter my mind from time to time. Enough for me to have written a television script - which was a semi-finalist in a contest run by Hollywood writer Larry Brody. Stan Lee was a judge. There isn't a kinder man, speaking of Brody, willing to help a writer more than this guy. "Brode" always answers emails and treats his students with incredible respect. For that, even if I go nowhere, I will always be grateful for meeting him.
There are other movies that left an impact but I don't want to deviate this post into another direction. Lots of musicians offer inspiration too so I won't bother with that either for the same reason mentioned.
There's another source for inspiration. Everyday people who never get a sniff of notoriety or attention for extraordinary acts they perform. Some have to battle through life because of an affliction, others save lives, and then there are the parents who have to face a sick child - indeed a sick kid is the most heart-wrenching thing to watch. Whatever they may be, it consistently keeps me in awe of the human spirit.
In a way, now I think of it, it's the last paragraph that led to my idea for a script. Dealing with life is not always self-evident and along the way we need help.
This is where I go "The Secret" on everyone and get into positive thinking: The script will be picked up by a network. Ah-oom! Ah-Oom! Ong nava dem doo!
If it doesn't get picked up, so be it. The power that be, that is the man upstairs (he keeps moving furniture around), deemed I had another path to follow.
Reporting from up above, I'm The Commentator.
No comments:
Post a Comment
Mysterious and anonymous comments as well as those laced with cyanide and ad hominen attacks will be deleted. Thank you for your attention, chumps.