Know thyself, be thyself (and commit to the lifelong effort of doing so)
Where all NonDē Cinemakers Should Start & Never Leave
I was thinking again on what is really needed to build a separate cinema ecosystem prioritizing the art, artist, and audience – and why it is so needed. I was reflecting on how I hadn’t added onto my list of necessary steps in building the NonDē Cinema Ecosystem prioritizing joy and having fun until late in the game. To me, that indicated I had no doubt neglected more of the obvious. That makes me happy. It is human. We are fools. And we sure do make a lot of mistakes. The humbling incidents speak volumes. They are great reminders.
And so there it was. Another key principle I forgot. And the topic of today’s ponder. Perhaps it is the first necessary step. Know thyself; be thyself. How do we learn who we really are? How do we recognize the origins of our behavior and make sure that our behavior and actions are truly chosen by us and not the environment or circumstances we come from? Can we recognize the real us in the construction of the self? Do we need to? How will it benefit us and our work? Will we ever be right? Does that matter? I think like most things it neither either/or or even both/and. We are all forever changing (hopefully) and yet we can approach this shapeshifter that defines us and our reality and truly benefit from it..
Mind you, NonDē Cinema need not come exclusively from those who desire to have their work reflect their values, but it sure does help. NonDē cinemakers take responsibility for building audiences and creating communities – and each of these processes are well-served by work that reflects the authors’ values. Talk the talk and walk the walk, and more are apt to join you. To express values, you need to form them and to form them, you need to know who you are, even as we and the world we are in are forever changing.
I think there are…
ten practices that help us determine whom we are
Reading, watching, viewing as much as we can;
Engaging in thoughtful discussion with others;
Writing, writing, and more writing.
Study and education with both teachers and students both.
Therapy
Quiet contemplation (including long walks by oneself, particularly in nature), meditation, and the fine art of “doing nothing”.
Deep appreciation (dare we say “love”) of many things
Comfort in the unknown and unknowing
Stay open to new things
Devotion to the practice
Is there something else I forgot? Care to examine them a bit closer with me now? Let’s look at all of them, shall we?
