Month: February 2016

Pace, Progress and Patience

These three words have been resonating with me lately. 

In my previous corporate life the pace was fast,  progress measurable through statistical analysis and my patience always needing a little attention.

As a filmmaker I have felt a subtle shift and have realized I am enjoying the pace differential but still worry about my progress.

There are no daily deadlines related to business expectations. These have been replaced by my creative designs for the Beyond Sixty Project and move at a pace that seems reasonable and almost comfortable.   At first it didn’t seem “fast” enough but two months in it is feeling a bit better.

I am still working on the patience piece which has always been an area of weakness.  I would love nothing more than to run full tilt through this project and complete it quickly, but to do it the way I want it done requires good pacing and lots of patience.

As I tend to criticize my progress I thought it best to ask opinions of other directors in the film business.  

In speaking with several directors and producers at Sundance this year, I was a little surprised when I continued to hear they thought our launch of the Beyond Sixty Project website content and film teaser was done well and very quickly.  Kudos to my partners at Expressway Productions!

Learning about the timelines for the completion of their projects really helped bring perspective and balance to my expectations.

Today I am thankful for the pace I am currently enjoying, the progress we make each day on the Beyond Sixty Project and my patience which seems to be expanding just a little.

I hope your day is a great one!

Melissa 

 

Women and Black History Month

In doing my research for the Beyond Sixty Project I have run across numerous reminders of the many African-American women who have made a difference in our nation’s history.  Harriett Tubman and the underground railroad and Rosa Parks who showed incredible courage on an Alabama bus so many years ago are just two of the women I have been reading about. I wish they were here today so I could interview them and better understand the depth of their courage and resilience.

And then there is Madame CJ Walker, the first female millionaire in America.  I feel like I have been able to best understand her through my recent interview with A’Lelia Bundles, Madame CJ Walker’s great-great granddaughter and biographer.  To think that a woman born in 1867, on the same Louisiana plantation where her parents had been slaves, would become the first woman millionaire seems inconceivable.  Madame Walker’s story is fascinating, powerful and a testament to the determination and resilience I am finding in so many women.

You can learn more about A’Lelia Bundles by watching a clip of her interview in the Beyond Sixty Project website.  http://www.beyondsixtyproject.com

For more information on notable African American women check out this site: http://womenshistory.about.com/od/africanamerican/a/black_women.htm