Filmmaking / Directing : Remember Your WHY by Karen "Kay" Ross

Love this. Absolutely love it.

My why belongs to the characters. I don't know why they come to me, or how, but they demand I move their lives from mind to page. Not writing them would be like murder or something.

The why is unexplainable, it's not a product of reason... it's the universe propelling us to write.. you ask why... and I got no frickin idea (:

But what about healing the world.. that's a good reason even though I see that as more motivation/fuel as opposed to why im a writer

I have always worked with words, but in non-fiction contexts. Writing fiction, screenplays in this case, is an outlet for the stories that need to be told, but which can't go in a newspaper or academic book.

Oh wow. I love this! My day job is in the charity sector and I'm managing a volunteer project at the moment. I've been working on a strategic overhaul and so I've been asking this question to our volunteers. Over the past year when things have been really weird and hard and challenging, our volunteers have just showed up and kept showing up. It's humbling and beautiful. So I asked them what keeps them motivated, why do they keep coming back? The big answer? Collaboration. Relationships. Knowing they were giving to something that was bigger than them. That's how I feel when I'm on set - somebody had a dream and we all, hundreds of us from all different industries and artistic and technical backgrounds, all got together to make that dream a reality. It's the best feeling in the world.

Cats gotta scratch, Dogs gotta bark. I gotta write:) Anon

This was really nice and motivational to hear.

Real-term expectations only;

20 yrs ago it was to direct my first short - did it

10 years ago it was to have my first short script produced - did it

now, time to sell my first feature...

Love that post Kiril Maksimoski

Directing is the most fun u can have with your clothes on!

I wanted to do a gay Donnie Darko because Brokeback Mountain and Prayers to Bobby traumatized me, I just wanted a role model or an idol or something in a movie that was cool

Patreon CEO Jack Conte speaks so passionately about such important things to remember .#LOVE . Yep, we gotta love this creative process or why else would we be willing to endure? Especially when jumping from being successful in one arena to a middle-aged beginner in another. Why? Because we have stories inside us that we just HAVE to share. And, maybe, if we do it right, our work can move someone to feel joy, passion, or at best to realize they are not alone.

I want to thank Stage32 for helping us all to support each other through this process. As one rises, we all rise. #RememberWhy

Thanks, Richard "RB" Botto, and especially for being a big part of the #LOVE movement! Love these responses and reflections, y'all! I love how some have figured yours out, short and sweet, and others are unpacking it here - all are welcome!

I feel like there are two "why"s for me. The WHY I'm in this business and not in another is because of the magic of collaborations. Ever since I started in theatre in middle school, on through high school, community theatre, and into professional theatre, I saw the power of people coming together for a common goal. A freshman and a senior working together as equals, a goth and a jock becoming friends while building a set, a liberal and a conservative bonding over strategies to deal with pre-stage jitters - it was the chosen family I always felt at home with.

The WHY I write, produce, and otherwise create or attach myself to projects as a creative took a little more time to whittle down, but interestingly, I think it came from the same place: having an extraordinary teenage experience. Where others speak to and for one's "inner child", I believe I am here to champion for the world's "inner teenager". This includes topics like facing one's bias through diversity, seeking autonomy and how that plays into inclusion, unpacking truths that are otherwise taken for granted, and the ever-popular - making friends and falling in love.

Gabriel Gerardo Goopar That is a powerful WHY, and I look forward to seeing those films!

Julie Herlocker You are most welcome, thank you so much for the kind words! As RB says, if you found value in this, pay it forward - there's always someone else who could benefit as you have!

Rick Rosenthal hahaha!! Rick, you crack me up!

Gerry Nwimo Love that! It literally needs to be on a T-shirt somewhere LOL

Asking why is a great wake up call - I also never asked why, I just do it out of pure passion and calling✌

For me it's all about creating the medicine other people need. Story helps us understand life and understand ourselves. The thought that something I write may ease someone's pain, help them release their tears, fight their demons, or find a reason to keep going is just such an incredible superpower to be blessed with.

I loved this!! Thank you for sharing. It's so easy to feel gloomy at the rejections or, dare I say it, wanting to quit. Just remembering WHY WE DO THIS makes all the difference. I've just had a load of rejections for my Carole Lombard script. I was told that the industry are not looking to make films about old Hollywood movie stars - old musicians from the past are in. So I've been in a pretty low place. But I won't give up because I believe in what I've created. Three cheers for creativity!

Cinema has always been there to take me to worlds and meet people when I didn't have the means. Everything I know and am is because of films. But the reason why I became a filmmaker is that a film I hold dear to me helped battle depression, anxiety, and suicide. If this one film can do that for me, imagine what film can do to help others heal or reflect. I want to be part of that! Especially working with such creative people.