It's a new year and that means it's time to reflect on the past, and look forward toward the future.

Over the past few months, lots of things have been changing and lots of progress have been made on so many projects. I am so excited for what the new year has to offer, and I wanted to design a space for me to share it. I will be posting updates to projects currently in production, excerpts from my residencies, and creative inspirations for future works.

So for this inaugural post, I wanted to share some lessons learned from documentary I have been working on for the past 12 months, Poke to the Max. I think the biggest lesson that I learned is that documentary filmmaking is not a part-time job. You have to be committed to your subject and to your characters. As a person who is shooting and editing this project, it is especially important for me to be open to any and all opportunities to be with my subjects, if only to observe and to understand them better. So that I can portray them in a way that is genuine and authentic. Whenever I am on the truck, with Max, or with Sam I am always observing and taking notes that can inform the edit and the story that we will ultimately tell. When we started this project, we initially thought we could shoot a pilot for an episodic series but I quickly realized after spending time on the truck and talking with Sam that our story would function better in a longer format, which is what brings us here today.

I found this amazing video the other day, and it speaks to this point so beautifully. The Sundance Film Festival asked directors, writers, actors, and artists about their past jobs and the risk of becoming an independent artist.