Today Is The Day

 The average human lives around 26,645 days. Considering how fast life flies by, that will feel like far less than you think. Entire years pass by like days as we get older. This may feel like an alarmist call to action, but can we really afford to waste one?

Benjamin Franklin once said: "Why put off until tomorrow what you can do today?" and it still rings true. Today is the perfect chance to do that thing that you've been swearing that you'll do. Today... may be the last chance. 

So finish that project, learn that instrument, sign up for that class, ask that person on a date, and call that friend that you've been fighting with to extend the olive branch. Can you risk waiting until tomorrow with those things untried? Today is it, today is all we're guaranteed. Today is a day that can quickly become one of the most special you'll ever have. IF you take that first step. 

Baking Soda, Not Wood

Being able to rely on a friend in a time of crisis is among the most calming blessings that a stressed person can ever experience. Knowing that there's someone you can trust to sit in silence with, gain perspective from, or simply vent at when you need to, feels like a buoy in the middle of a ranging ocean. 

But the role that the comforting friend takes in the healing of the ailing friend is very crucial. It plays like a hippocratic oath for doctors: "First, do no harm". When someone is bleeding, you must first stop that bleeding before you can treat any other wounds. When a boat has a hole in it, you must first plug up that hole before you can worry about getting the water out. 

Let your friend vent, and listen intently. Have their back, and let them know that you're a safe space for them. But don't fan the flames or add more reasons to burn. Don't judge your friends in their times of weakness, and don't run to other parties to use private conversations as kindling. Use baking soda to douse the fire, not wood to enhance it. 

Pained friends need an outlet, an honest voice, and a sincere sense of care. They don't need more gossip, lectures, or outside opinions that they didn't seek. Be the kind of friend that you'd want to have the next time you need a friend. 

-Jason Burke 

While You Still Have Them

While you have your legs, run freely in the grass. Feel the earth between your toes, play tag with your friends, catch touchdowns, and let the sun tire you out. While you have your hands, conduct full symphonies. Write love letters and journal your happiest memories, get an A+ on your assignments. Run your fingers over colorful flowers and warm sand beaches. 

While you have your mind, create masterpieces like only you can. Organize lists, raise funds for great causes, tell stories, and soak up every drop of knowledge that today's world has waiting for you. Learn more about things you love and research things you've never heard of. 

While you still have your teeth, smile the biggest and brightest smile until your cheeks hurt. Laugh with a full belly, spend time with people who make you brighter, and even smile in the face of adversity and dark nights. Smile so brightly that the world needs sunglasses. 

While you still have your family and friends, appreciate them fully. Spend time with the ones you can, and check up on the ones you can't. Use your phone to brighten someone else's day by simply saying 'hello'. Cancel other plans to be a shoulder when they're sad, or toast to their success. When they've won, you've won. Hug too long, squeeze too tight. Say 'I love you' often, but NEVER say 'goodbye'.

Our days are too short, and they go by way too fast. The gifts and the people and the places that fill your daily life today, will be gone next year, or next month, or next week.  Love these things now, while you still have them. 

Shutting Out The Noise

We are busy. We are stressed. We are overwhelmed. We are under-rested. We are unsure. We are stacking our over-filled plates on top of each other until it's too high to even see what's directly in front of us. This whirling blur of a roller coaster is called adulthood. And without any outside forces giving us anything else to do, we will be busy and stressed about SOMETHING for the rest of our too-short lives. That's why it's important to minimize the noise. 

This blog isn't meant to be a fatalistic, doom and gloom look at life as an adult. It's not even meant to be a PSA about stress. You will balance your life once you get the rhythm down, and you'll figure out where your priorities and decompression activities lay. This blog is about taking care of yourself and your responsibilities first and foremost. It's about picking your battles. Knowing what to go to war over, and when to lay down your sword and take off your armor.  

In today's world, everybody wants to be outspoken and identifiable with their causes. And there is a lot of nobility in that. But in constantly fighting for others and bareing other crosses, we often forget about our own daily battles. Enough time filling others' cups will surely leave you parched and empty and behind on your own care. 

I'm not saying not to be an activist, or not to be there for your relationships. Those things are important. But it's equally (if not more) important to take care of your own mind, body, house, and rest. As much as we'd like to, we can't be everywhere at once. So sometimes, we have to just BE. Get busy with the things that make YOU happy, and make time for the things that heal YOU. 

The world is hard enough without extra people forcing negativity into our orbit. You don't always have to stand for something, and you don't always have to react with energy, anger, and quickness. Marinate on the people around you, and take time to bring in the things that give you peace. The rest may just be noise that is causing you to lose sight of your own important future. 

Grieving

I lost my Uncle Jerry this past week, and it brought a wave of emotions all around me. I saw him struggle, and it made me upset to see such an upbeat guy in so much pain. But I saw him cognizant, even dying in hospice, still cracking jokes. His sharpness and his detailed stories, even while he was gasping for breath, were astounding to me. It made me think about the duality of life, and our responses to tough circumstances. 

Here was this man, laying there as everyone said "see you later" (I never say "goodbye") on his deathbed, still telling me he was proud of me, and trying to motivate me. If being surrounded by loved ones and telling old stories isn't the perfect legacy, then trying to help others at the end, surely is. My Uncle Jerry had both. 

It was painfully sad to lose his physical presence, and I broke down a bit outside of his room. It's hard to see your family cry, and it's even harder knowing that you haven't seen most of them in years. As weddings and funerals become the most prevalent markers of the passage of time, we see our mortality as others look at how much we've grown. Infants become adults, adults become weathered matriarchs, and weathered matriarchs become dearly departed. The cycle moves on, all too quickly. 

I said all of that to say: that the most vivid memories I had this week were of my uncle, mobile and smiling. Me as a happy child, running freely, his little "Merink". So, when you do see your old family and friends, hug them a little longer. Call them more, take more pictures, tell them you're proud of them. The harsh reality is, they won't be here for long. But remember them as the people that raised you when life was easier, bigger, and more timeless. We all need to hold onto that part of us a little longer. Uncle Jerry would've wanted it that way. 

See you soon, Uncle Jerry. Your Merink is proud of you. 

Balancing Your Holiday Season

Plainly speaking, this generation has been trained to focus on commercialism during the holidays. The former notions of peace and thankfulness often get replaced by shopping, decoration, gift wrapping, and cooking. With the hustle and bustle taking the forefront, it's easy for Christmas to start feeling like a task list of errands instead of the Holly Jolly time of year that Bing Crosby used to sing about. That causes feelings of stress, overwhelm, and even dread during a time that we're supposed to look forward to. 

To combat this, we must find moments of quiet contemplation. My resolution for this may sound easier said than done. But it's a matter of practice and reminders. As busy creatures with a thousand things in our phone calendars, we don't leave ourselves much time for peace. But allotting yourself even twenty minutes per day to sit and breathe can do wonders for your mood and mental health. 

Write it in your phones, set an alarm, have a friend text you to keep you accountable. Do whatever you have to do. Whether it's part of your morning routine in the shower, or at night before bed, be alone with your thoughts to remember the reason for the season. Take the time to drum up memories from nostalgic Christmases past, and to conjure moments from loved ones whom you miss most during this time of year. 

Set some new precedents for the holidays. Lower your spending limits and buy less material things. Dance around to Christmas music while you wrap five presents per day, instead of stressing yourself out by doing them all at once. Have some simple holiday nights in with your family, watching movies with hot chocolate in your pajamas. Reconnect with people that you've missed out on throughout the year. 

Life simply goes by too quickly to be stressing over traditions set by people you've never met. Make your holidays what YOU want them to be. Start your OWN traditions that make you happy instead of slowly crossing tasks off of a list. You only get so many of these years in good health with all the people that you love. Spend these days thinking of all the cool places and people you've seen, instead of rushing to get to the next big date on the calendar. With some balance in your holiday season, you may remember the excitement that you once felt for these days as a child. And that kind of youthful innocence is one of the best gifts you could ever give yourself. 

Happy Holidays, My Blessed Readers,

Jason Burke

The Last Stand

Back in June, I decided I was going to do the one thing I’d never done before on a 48 Hour Film Project…run my own team. I’ve written for them, assistant directed, script supervised, acted, run sound, shot scenes, ect over the past nine years. But for the big number ten, I wanted to see if I could really direct my own. I’d directed dozens of things over the years, but I’d always thought the 48 was the biggest local film challenge possible. So this October, running number ten was going to be my competition swan song.

Truth be told, my body simply isn’t equipped for these long hours and tight deadlines anymore. I was born with cerebral palsy, and since about 2010, the combination of spinal stenosis and fusion surgeries has made my balance and endurance about 20% of what it used to be. My hands have been closing and my legs have been trying to scissor. My neurologists begged me not to do this, citing that I legitimately take years off of my life when I do these competitions. But I’m a creator so, being the stubborn guy that I am, I decided to take the chance anyway. I probably didn’t help matters any when I stumbled at the Kickoff Event and concussed myself on a concrete wall before we even got our genres. This was no time for doctors, this was #TheLastStand.  

If I didn’t have the awesome team that I did, I wouldn’t have felt comfortable going into this battle so weary. My talented cinematographer also came in very injured, and he sacrificed just as much as I did (if not more). I made new friendships, galvanized old ones, and sprinted to a movie with some of the kindest, hardest working people I’ve ever met. We didn’t win any awards (but did get a runner-up and a nomination that I’m very proud of), but I said that as long as we enjoyed the process and made a good film, I’d be okay with whatever the results were. I believe we did that, so I’m extremely proud to call this my final 48HFP. #TheLastStand was a success. 

So I leave you with this. Thank you to every person I’ve ever competed with, and competed “against” in these. You guys are family now, and will be family forever. Thank you to Kahmeela, Lance, PJ, the judges, and everyone who has given us a platform to create and showcase our work. Artists, if you’re thinking about making a movie, the time is now. This city is BURSTING with talent that gets fresher and sharper every year. Take a chance, network, and see your vision come to life on the big screen. There’s no experience like it. Don’t be afraid to fail. You will fail, a lot, and it will be the best thing that could happen to you. You will learn and grow and be better with every film and every test that comes your way. This competition has a way of making memories and friends that last a lifetime. Film itself is a legacy, in that you will have your name in the credits until the end of time, and what an AMAZING gift that is to leave the world with.

I’m not done with filmmaking, not by a longshot. I’m retired from the time constraints and regulations of short competitions. But I’ve got a lot of stories to tell, and I want to represent the handicapped community and be a motivator for people who haven’t found their voice yet. So I look forward to writing, directing, and acting with you all on set, for many years to come. 

I don’t really know what my goal was in writing this. Partially to tell my story, partially to try to inspire people, and largely to impart my gratitude to my talented colleagues in this community. You guys are more rare and special than you realize. So create. Make mistakes. Be original. Find your crew. Lead with love. Show the world your art. If we’ve learned anything at all, it’s that the world needs it. 

With Love And Respect,

Jason Burke

What Are You Waiting For?

How much time do you have? How long do most people live? Even if your answer is a hundred years, that’s not an abundance of time. Those hundred years will fly by in what feels like seconds. That thought makes every single day feel so much more important. Every day in itself isn’t that grandiose, unless you fill it with things that make it so. So how do you maximize your days and use them to get ahead on your life’s dreams? The answer may be simpler than you think. 

It boils down to this singular, rudimentary thought…just start. Start that art project that you’ve been talking about for years, start catching up on the stack of emails that you’ve put off forever, start cleaning up that pile of clothes that’s been sitting in the corner of your bedroom since 1997. When famous philosophers talk about a long journey beginning with a single step, this is what they mean. 

People are often distracted and afraid by the build-up in their own heads. A project seems too large, or too hyped up, that they have no idea where to start. The idea of tackling something so massive seems insurmountable and brings hills of anxiety and even dread. Just start. Start today. Carve out even a small chunk of time in the evening to slowly chip away. Once you start the job, you are one day closer to getting a once impossible-seeming task accomplished. 

The only reason you are not “an artist” is because you’re not treating yourself like one. All it takes to be an artist…is to create art. The speed or skill doesn’t even matter. Those things are subjective anyway. Once you produce something, you’re an artist. And once you start getting out of your own head and working on that project, it becomes easier and easier to produce. 

It’s a macabre thought, but our lives are limited. Time is finite, and we make too many excuses not to do the things we love. Do we truly have time for those excuses? So what’s stopping you? What are you waiting for? You’re an artist, and the world is waiting to see your creations.

How Do You Eat An Elephant?

A big task list is one of the most dangerous things we can heap onto ourselves, and it can cause the most harm to our peace of mind. When we stop to think of the many things that we have to do today, it can feel insurmountable and become a daunting weight that presses into our chest, with no way to lift the growing boulder. How do we save ourselves? The same way we'd eat an elephant.

Okay, don't lose me here. I think back to my college math classes, when one of my favorite professors would help us solve huge equations. He'd always say "How do you eat an elephant? One bite at a time!" He meant that to achieve success, you had to break your long journey into single steps. That always stuck with me. Thanks, Mr. Malena.

When the world starts to pile up tasks on us, we have to look for small victories. Some days, achieving that one thing will kick-start you into getting twenty more things done. Other times, that one thing is all you will do that day. And that's OKAY, because you're now one task closer to being done, and you've started your journey.

Human nature dictates that we're likely to have things pile up on us from time to time, and we're all likely to get angry and wallow in self-pity. That's fine for a moment, but then we must chunk down our lists and start to slowly chip away. I myself am writing this right now because I'm having a busy day that needs to be processed with thought and care. Otherwise you will overreact, and spiral into a harmful pit of stress and a viscous cycle of depression.

One task at a time. One day at a time. Breathe. Rest. Vent. Process however you need to, and then start gaining small victories. That's how you achieve your dream life. Eat your elephant, one bite at a time.

You Are Not Alone

This is one of the more straight-forward ideas that we'll discuss on this blog. The root of our sadness and anxiety often stems from the idea that we have to go through the world's trials alone. That's simply and definitively, not true.

The human mind has a way of turning to a fatalist mentality fairly quickly for some of us. No matter how positive of a person that you are, it's a natural human trait to turn to the worst case scenarios and self pity when something negative happens to us. We prepare and control all that we can, but timing and circumstances will cruelly catch us off-guard every time.

It surely FEELS like you're all alone when you get slapped in the face by a harsh turn of events. But that feeling is a trick that our macabre minds attempt to hold us at bay with. People out there have gone through bad breakups. They've gone through financial burdens. They've gone through family issues. They've gone through job stress. They've gone through health concerns. The relatability is out there, even if it's not in your exact situation.

More so, people WANT to help you. You have a support system, even though it doesn't feel like it in this cold moment. You're NOT a burden if you reach out to people. You've made more of an impact on society than you realize. You feel lonely, but you're not alone.

So rest for a moment and breathe out, knowing that an unfair situation won't break you. Then reach out. Go out for a meal and put your mind on other things. Vent to someone you trust. Let them give you advice or relate to their similar stories and experiences. Tomorrow is one day closer to healing, and each day will be closer still. You will get through this. Just allow people to help you, just like you would do for them

Don't Put Your Drama On Social Media

It's in our human nature to seek validation. We like to be heard, to be right, to be loved. At our general core, we tend to get lonely and feel like nobody understands our plight. It appears as if there's not another soul on the planet who's going through what we are. Enter the dangers of social media.

Social media has many wonderful uses. We can use it to make plans, to share our work and causes, and to keep in touch with far away friends and family. This isn't a piece that's meant to bash social media, but more a cautionary tale in the ways we choose to abuse it.

In current day, the first thing that a lot of people do in the second that they feel slighted, is to run to social media and broadcast their outrage. Whether it's to complain about workplace conditions, to brandish how mistreated they were in their last relationship, or to complain about their family's bad habits, these types of call to attention run a very serious risk.

When you start to open up your personal details in a public forum, they are evergreen. People remember, screenshot, and discuss everything. By sharing these feelings on these platforms, you open yourself up to judgment, ridicule, and opinions that you may not want to hear, sometimes from complete strangers. How many times have we seen someone complain about an ex-lover, only to get back together with that person. Now not only have you soured your friends on this person and made them look like a bad mate, but you look equally awful for taking that person back after you slandered them with such vitriol. Now your friends have a negative opinion of both of you that you likely don't appreciate, and it all could've been avoided by keeping it out of the public eye. Even long after you delete these hasty, spur of the moment posts, they never go away. 

Needing an ear for advice or seeking the comfort of your inner circle is a very natural thing. But when it revolves around drama and negative emotions, it's best to work those out in an alternative way. Speak directly to the person that has hurt you. Talk in person to your trusted friends to get their thoughts. Allow yourself the time to sleep on it, work out your aggression, and come back to the situation when you're not reacting out of anger. Put yourself in the hands of the people that know you the most intimately, not two-thousand strangers who may have ulterior motives. It may feel good in an irrational burst to summon people to your platform, but once the moment passes, involving yourself in public drama will only cause more regret. 

Only you live your life, and life comes with enough judgment on its own. Don't allow others the option to throw their narratives onto your story.  

You DO Owe Other People...

This one is surely going to be one of my most divisive pieces. Not everyone is going to like it, and some are even going to hate it. The current progressive world mantra is "I'm going to do whatever it takes to be happy, and I don't owe anybody else anything." That's simply not true. It's a wonderful thing that people are targeting healing, self-care, and happiness on their priority lists. Those things have often been on the back-burner for far too long. But there's a self-revolved narrative that sometimes goes along with this thought process that needs to be checked and dismantled.

People tend to see power and independence in the "I'm doing me, I don't have to answer to anyone" idea, but it can be quite the opposite. If you sign yourself up for a responsibility, a project, or a social gathering, then it is your duty to communicate when the terms of those things change. Meaning: if you are hired by somebody to do a job, and you no longer like the terms of that job, you are obligated to inform the employer that you no longer can/wish to do the job. The same goes for a date. If you're going out with friends to dinner, or meeting your latest Tinder match for drinks, you are obliged to communicate with them if you can't/don't want to go anymore. Once you've promised something, it becomes your responsibility to either cancel it timely, or see it through. Ghosting or flaking out or something isn't cute, it isn't woke, and it isn't something that other people should have to respect or get used to. It's irresponsible, childish, and potentially harmful. 

Give some forethought to the people who now have to make up for the work that you're missing. What about your friends, who may now think of you as too flighty to be around anymore? Or your poor match at the bar who's now stuck doubting themselves and wondering if you'll ever show up? You have the power to affect someone's mood, workload, or sense of self-worth. Your actions matter, and they carry the massive weight of responsibility. Dismissing your poor lack of commitment and immaturity as just a part of your personality isn't empowering. You aren't entitled to come and go as you please, without warning or regard. 

Now I know there are cases when entirely ghosting someone is important. If your partner is abusive and you need to flee to safety, do it hastily, and without warning. If you get sick or injured, then by all means, focus on your health before filling people in later. If someone you love is hurt, then be with them first before finding a moment to send your friends a text. I'm also not saying that canceling is bad. If you're tired or stressed and you realize that you can no longer handle whatever you've agreed to, then backing out is totally okay. There's maturity in that. I'm simply saying that you should have the courtesy to take ten seconds to inform the people that are relying on you of your change of heart. As long as the communication is prompt and honest, THEN you have the right to focus on whatever you choose. But you can never denigrate the other people in question that also have the right to communication, honesty, and closure. 

Human compassion is a two way contract. If we expect people to give us the space to choose, and to respect our decisions, then we must respect them enough to tell them when something in our lives has changed. Once the communication is there, everyone is free to live more openly and fill their schedules exactly the way they see fit. 

Run Free

The title of this brief piece is called "Run Free", and it may be a bit confusing. Once we hit the age of twenty-one (and for some of us, a lot younger), we're thrown into a world of responsibilities. A world where nothing is really free. Managing adulthood never goes away, and often becomes harder as we age. So if you think this blog is going to tell you to forget everything and go off wildly without a care in the world, you're wrong. 

A lot of the problems in our lives are solved by facing things. Admitting we were wrong. Starting over. Accepting a painful lesson. But the next actionable step in that learning and healing process, is to be free of it. To train ourselves to unlearn the things we've been told by the wrong influences. To let go of feeling not good enough, or not attractive enough, or not successful enough. To let go of thinking that the path we once thought was perfect, was the only way we could go. It's a hard notion, and a daily struggle, but it must be done, for the sake of your happiness. 

When we start to forgive ourselves and stop insulting ourselves, the weight of our anxiety can sometimes tumble right off of our chest. When we become truly happy with who we are, we will then attract other positive things and positive people into our orbit, which continues to reinforce all the good that's inside us. I'm not saying to be blameless or complacent, because honesty and self-work is another part of healing. But we have to accept that we can't have everything perfectly in the exact times and ways that we want them. That's not what life is.

Once we get over the things that we were wrong about and the things that we don't currently have, we can feel better with the freedom that we do have. The freedom to move on, and try new things, and connect with new people, and cultivate our relationships. The freedom to love yourself, and recognize your blessings. The freedom to run weightless into your next adventure and to know that life has taught you that you're going to be okay. You will make mistakes, you will doubt yourself, you will have bad days. But you will get through them. It's all going to be okay. Keep running. 

The Highs and Lows of the 48 Hour Film Project

Boiling down the 48 Hour Film Project to its simplest nature, it's one of the most challenging and most rewarding forms of art creation that you can do. For those that aren't indoctrinated already, the 48 Hour Film Project is a film-making contest. You pick a genre out of a hat (some simple and some sublime) at random, and then you have 48 hours to write, cast, shoot, edit, and submit your movie. You are given a character, a line of dialogue, and a prop that you must work into the film. Two weeks later, all the films are publicly screened, so that you and your tired-but-proud band of brothers and sisters can appreciate what you (and the other teams) made. I've done nine of these contests now (taking into account the 3K and Horror 48s), and while they're draining, they are fascinating in the processes themselves. So I wanted to take a look through drowsy eyes at what it's like to make one. 

The first step to any 48 is the preparation. Everyone prepares differently for this beast. I'm usually a writer for this competition, and I believe "the readiness is all", as Shakespeare said. So I go through the entire list of genres every year, and create potential skeleton stories of every possible pick. I don't do any writing beforehand obviously, but I just go through my stack of randomly jotted ideas so that I have general arcs to pitch, no matter what type of film we pull. The more ideas you have for stories, the easier the Friday portion is. In my mind, Fridays are for writing, Saturdays are for filming, and Saturday night/Sundays are for editing. So as the writer, you end up chugging Coke or Pepsi all night to stay up until the writer's room is happy with what you've written. Anyone that knows me as a writer, is well aware that my biggest challenge on this day is not to over-write. You have a 7 minute limit on these films, so my intricate backstories and dialogue heavy style have to be hacked down quite a bit from my normal fare. After staying up until 3AM to make sure the entire cast has their finished scripts, I lay down fruitlessly and toss around like a flapjack until I wake up at 7AM to start the long shoot day.

Everyone that films anything knows that Murphy's Law is in effect. "Anything that can go wrong, will." That macabre proclamation is turned up to ten during the 48. You are exhausted before you even start filming (as the writer), and your time constraints are always in the back of your cranium. People show up late, locations change, it's 147 degrees, and every plane and train in the Tri-State area decides that the perfect time to roll by is as soon as you yell "action" on every take. I'm usually the Assistant Director on whatever team I'm on during this day, and I sometimes act as well. So now it's time to channel your combined energy to get the most creative and stylistic shots as quickly as possible. You always like to shoot for the edit, or even drop your SD Card files into your computer during the shoot if you can. Anything to save stress and time on Sunday. Generally if you start filming by 9AM, you'd like to get done between 6PM and 8PM, hoping that your coverage is complete and your story is coherent. By this point, you feel like you've had four bottles of cheap tequila in what I like to call "film drunk". 

With my disabled body (I've got cerebral palsy, spinal stenosis, and three spinal fusions), I'm usually a useless pile of sweaty newspaper by the end of Saturday night. So while I can edit, I'm seeing three of every screen. So I go home, and my portion of the process is over. It's not so for the poor editors though, as they sit in a quiet room and piece together hours and hours of footage into seconds of transitions, while their helper throws granola bars at them and shakes them every half hour to make sure they're still awake. This is the point in the process where everyone who's not editing is either passed out for twelve hours, or feverishly wondering how the edit is coming along.

Then comes Sunday around 4PM. The announcements for teams turning their films in begin to be posted, and everyone else starts chomping off their fingernails. Four turns into five, and five turns into six. Rendering your film feels like waiting in line at the DMV. The "film drunk" haze wears off for a few minutes as everyone is glued to the group chat, anxiously awaiting that famous "the film is in on time" message. The "film drunk" doesn't really fade for a few days though. I'm writing this on Tuesday (three days after the process), and my sleep schedule is backwards and my ankles still feel like James Caan in Misery. But alas, the film is done and you and your crew have made a whole movie in one weekend!

Now I know I've had fun poking at the generalities and satirized the stereotypes of the negative side in this blog. But while a lot of those feelings are genuine, I want to end on the aspects that truly matter. You got down in the trenches with people you like, and you made something organic. You bonded together through discomfort and exhaustion and created something in three days that most people don't do in a lifetime. You were inspired by other creatives, and you probably made new connections for other work in the process. You accomplished something very difficult, and you overcame obstacles that probably made it seem impossible at times. Now you get to sit in a theater and watch your once-embryonic vision come to life on the big screen, and perhaps win awards for it. You get to appreciate the other teams' work and grow as an artist from their stories. You get lifelong memories and lessons that will help other films get made a lot easier in the future. 

THESE are the reasons why we do this. These challenges build us, shape us, improve us. You won't always remember that exact stress or tiredness, but you will always remember fighting to make a movie. In these scary days of 2021 that we live in, art matters now more than ever. Using your energy to create, and give back, and make statements, matters now more than ever. That, my brothers and sisters in art, is the 48 Hour Film Project. I hope I see you all at the next one.

Love Yourselves, and Each Other
-Jason Burke   

Focus On You

I'll say this right at the start, and it'll be one of the stronger statements that should be taken away from this blog: If everyone focused on being the best versions of themselves, most of the world's problems today wouldn't exist. 

Human nature seems to fall back into the form of looking outward instead of inward. What I mean by that, is that we all spend a lot of time looking around at what other people are doing. When we do that, we often lose sight of our own journey. But introspection, not comparison, is the key to a better life. So often, the mentality is "Why is this person doing this?" Or "I can't believe they made that choice!" But in reality, unless it's directly affecting you, does it really matter what someone else chooses to do?

I'm not saying to bury your head in the sand. It's important to be apprised of world events, and to keep a protective and courteous eye on the extremes of those around us. We must watch to see if anyone needs help, and we must make sure nobody is purposefully hurting someone else. But we tend to look down on others as a mechanism to prop up our own lives. But instead of using someone else's doldrums to make ourselves feel better, we should use this time to patch up our own pits of despair. 

By focusing on what those around us do, we're not only judging them (often times without knowing their full story), but also adding things to our crowded minds that don't need to be there. Free up space in your mental capacity and your emotions by discarding your over-investment in the wrong areas. Celebrities fighting on Twitter, someone's sexual/gender preferences, or a comment made on a podcast fifteen years ago don't concern you. Take this valuable time to surround yourself with the things and people that make you happy, and work on the things that make you sad. 

If every person had as much time and care invested in their own battles and renovations instead of their opinions of other people's inner demons, a lot of the conflicts (locally and abroad) would simply work themselves out. Continue to heal and live your life, better today than you were yesterday. Let your neighbor do the same. Focusing on you can make you feel a whole lot better about the blessings that you have. In doing so, you'll look at the world as a better place as well.   

If They Win, You Win

 So often, we hear the adage of "It's a dog eat dog world", and "survival of the fittest". Most of our families taught us to look out for ourselves because life is a competition and the world around us is up to no good. But why exactly is it like that to begin with? Because we make it that way. Not everything in life has to be a competition. More often than not, you and your fellow humans can all succeed. 

Being self-revolved is human nature, but it benefits us if we escape our own personal bubble. It's not just about our struggles and our achievements, because we don't live on this planet alone. When you're celebrating reaching your goals, you want others to appreciate what you've done. When you're mourning a loss, you want others to comfort you. But part of having a friend, is also being a friend. If you can do this for others, they will usually remember it, and do it for you when your time comes. 

People often see competition in places where it doesn't have to exist. How does it hurt you when someone else's art does well? How does it reflect badly on you when someone else raises funds for a project? It doesn't. In fact, it often helps you. Here's how...It gets more eyeballs on the region or the field that you're in. It motivates you to create more and step up your own quality. It galvanizes relationships when someone sees that you've taken the time to support them. And it's good for your own health and well being to know that you've done something to help someone. So it's a win all around. 

For example, I'm heavily involved in many artistic communities. I'm a filmmaker, author, YouTuber, blogger, and journalist. Does that mean I should only share my own work and shut out everyone else's? Of course not. By elevating others, you're not only spreading good messages and building deeper relationships, but also studying what makes others' work such high quality. Now I'm not saying you have to put yourself last, and I'm not saying there can't be a healthy competitive gene here. Sometimes it will be a competitive situation. If you win, wonderful! If you lose, you've got a great lesson and experience to build on, to work harder for next time.  

The more people that are watching the field you're in, the better it is for you. The more quality work and quality people coming out of your area, the better it is for your field. After all, it's all about spreading quality art and getting good work out to the masses. If their work happens to be more successful this time, so be it. Don't be bitter, be better. You can all win at the same time. Support your friends, spread the seeds of art, work harder together, and let's all grow as creators and humans. 

Love Yourselves, And Each Other
-Jason Burke

Train Your Brain

 

My brain always goes to the darkest conclusions first. I assume we're all guilty of that on occasion, but man, mine does it every time. Even on the smallest things. Let me give you an example. Last week, I opened my main door, looked outside, and saw that my garbage can was gone. I only have one garbage can, so I was instantly upset. What should've been a minor inconvenience turned into my inner-macabre being unleashed. Where was I going to put my garbage now? What if the neighborhood animals got into the bags and made a mess? Who would steal someone's garbage can?

I started wondering if my property wasn't safe anymore. I was going back into my security camera footage to find out who took it, but I couldn't place a culprit. Were people emerging in the middle of the night to steal my stuff? Was anything else missing? Was it someone I knew? As I started furiously logging into Amazon to buy a new can, my ride pulled up. When I went outside to leave, I saw my garbage can, twenty feet away. The wind had blown it down the steps and off the landing. 

This type of quick, dark, doom-thinking applies to me in many areas. How long will I have to wait for my rides? Am I going to be on the phone all day with the gas company for their billing error? I have a client deadline that I'll never make on time. We often sensationalize things to be worse than they are. Sometimes, that thing you've put off for six months actually only took ten minutes to do. Maybe that hangout that you had been dreading going to was actually quite fun. Maybe that billing error will end in your favor. But human nature says that we tend to bellyache over the simplest things, and allow our anxieties to make those molehills into mountains that cause us self-loathing.

We (myself included) need to work more to train our brains upon the potential positive outcomes. Sometimes, simply attacking things head on will save us time and heartache if we simply start doing them. So the next time that something relatively minor happens, pause. Breathe deeply. Take a second to assess and start gathering the information you need. Ask yourself how much time it'll take. Maybe it's only one night of your life. Maybe it's only ten minutes. Maybe you can knock out one piece at a time, making the task into easily attainable, smaller goals. Training our brains in this way will save us anxiety, and getting these tasks done will give us a sense of pride and accomplishment. Now I'm going to check on my garbage can.

Love yourselves, and each other,
Jason Burke

Pick Your Good Days

 Right now, it goes without saying that we're battling a lot of demons in the world around us. A lot of us have anxiety and depression that tug at us in the back of our minds/bodies on a daily basis. That's exacerbated during this pandemic era, as we are kept in the house, away from the friends and events that break up the monotony. We're politically divided, and our schedules can't flow the way they normally would with the virus still at large. So how do we manage our mental health against our panic and our stacking to-do lists? Quite simply, we have to pick our good days.

During this weird time in 2021, we're not going to be fully functional every day, and that's okay. Some days, getting out of bed will be enough. Other days, staying in bed to rest is the wise choice. And then on occasion, our hyper-productive instincts will kick in, catching up on our work and filling us with the energy to move mountains. The key to wading through that range of emotion is two-fold. You have to listen to what your body is telling you, and you have to be content with whatever your results are. 

They say you can't pour from an empty cup, meaning you can't give an energy and an effort that aren't there. Your health is the most important phase of your existence, and your productivity doesn't define who you are. We've talked in the past on this blog about setting small goals/lists for yourself and rewarding yourself for accomplishing tasks, so I won't go over those again. But I will say this: don't judge yourself for having a day/week where you don't "get anything done". Sometimes your top task isn't to progress your art or clean your house, sometimes it's simply to get your mind/body back to a rested and peaceful state. 

So pick your good days. When you're feeling clear, throw that pot of coffee on, turn that music up, and chip away at your list. When the world is getting you down, grab a pizza and binge some Netflix, but remain guilt free knowing that tomorrow is another chance to be productive. When you're mentally drained and physically hurt, grab a long bath and bury yourself in a fort of blankets. You're doing the world a favor by recharging yourself, because your friends and family need you to care for yourself so that you can care for them later. Trusting yourself without judging yourself is so important in today's world. 

I hope that today is one of your good days. And if it's not, maybe it will be tomorrow. 

Love,

Jason Burke     

How To Make Your 2021 Matter

Every year around this time, we start hearing the painfully repetitive "new year, new me" diatribe. I've already covered in my previous New Year's blog ("New Year, Same Me") how the simple changing of the calendar has no bearing on our fortune. The year does not dictate how your life runs, and the flipping of dates will not change your luck. It's your attitude and your activeness that will make this year the best year of your life, and nothing more. You alone dictate how your days will go. So let's look at some ways that you can actively make 2021 feel like a fresh start.

1. Declutter Your Life

I've discussed this one in previous blogs, but decluttering is one of the most purposeful and active ways to clean out your literal baggage. Clean your area, organize your drawers, and get rid of things you never use. Head into 2021 with a fresh start. Not only will this help you to make the most of the things you really want to use, but it will make you feel way lighter and more accomplished. A crowded area can be stressful and can cause actual emotional baggage. So take one room per day, even if it's just for an hour, and begin to tidy up your physical life. You'll feel better instantly and you'll be able to focus on other tasks quickly.

2. Surround Yourself With Quality People

The company that you keep will really affect your mood. When you look back each year over your "year in review", you often think of the people you met and the memories you made. So the new year is a great time to start taking in positive vibes from positive people. Take some time to schedule hangouts with friends whom you miss. Take 15 minutes per week and call or video chat a friend who lives far away. Google search creative hangout ideas. Distance yourself from people who give you negative energy or make you feel hard to love. You'll be surprised at how much more you appreciate yourself when you have positive and accomplished people in your life. 

3. Take Steps Toward The Body You Love

With an overwhelming number of the people I council, one of their biggest regrets is their body. Most people aren't in the kind of shape they want to be in, and the common excuse is "I have no time to work out". To that I say, make time. Your health and your body are the single most important thing, because if you aren't feeling healthy, then you can't give your best to your job, your family, or any other tasks in your daily life. Whether it's walking around the kitchen, doing a 20 minute yoga session, YouTubing a 10 minute stretch routine, or getting to the gym when you can, you have to make your health a priority. Otherwise you won't be here long enough to cultivate all other the things you're working toward.   

4. Replace Your Scrolling

A big part of our unhappiness is because of how we spend our "down time". We tell ourselves we're too busy to cook or clean or work out or see friends, but how much time do you spend idly scrolling on mindless apps like Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram? How much time did you spend comparing yourself to someone else's status in 2020? Replace that useless intake and self-loathing with things that can sanctify your spirit. Buy something on Amazon to aid your rest. YouTube a new artsy skill like learning an instrument or drawing. Google knowledge by typing questions you've always wanted the answers to. Replacing that comparison to others with things that will make your mind or body more full, will truly be a better use of your time.

By putting these things into place, we've improved our homes, our social lives, our bodies, and our minds. Even by taking ten minutes per day on each, you'll notice a remarkable difference in the way you tackle your day-to-day life. That way, you can truly see changes forming as you make 2021 into your best year ever.   

The Power of Thought

I guess we all wake up with a different mindset than we used to, due to the pandemic. But what are the first thoughts to enter your mind as you open your eyes and your day begins to come into focus? The answer to that question may be impacting a lot more than you think.

First off, I'm sure most of us aren't getting enough sleep. As a child I used to hate sleeping, and if there's one thing I've learned as an adult, it's that we're ALL tired, ALL the time. With a lot of our lives, the wiggle room for extra sleep doesn't really exist. So we wake up tired, cursing ourselves for staying up to eat a 2AM snack and binging season 4 of that Netflix show the night before. Then we start to collect ourselves as our eyes adjust to the unforgiving light that's peering through our windows. That's the point when your thoughts really start to matter. Are you waking up stressed and dreading the day ahead, or are you looking at it as an opportunity to accomplish a ton of tasks?

There's an old saying: "Life is 10% of what happens to us, and 90% of how we react to it." There's no sugar-coating the fact that we're going to have some tough days. We're going to be busy, and it's going to seem like there's no way to knock out all of the many things we have to do on a given day. Life is going to throw more responsibilities on your already crowded plate. But how do you consume a plate when it's full? One bite at a time. 

Instead of waking up thinking "Oh God, this day is going to suck," try thinking "I'm lucky to be alive and to have the ability to do these things," and "I have a lot to do today, let's start with this thing first." Granted, I'm not trying to minimalize people's personal struggles or anxieties. But simple things like recounting your blessings and organizing a schedule can make an insurmountable day feel like an accomplished one.  First, think about the positive things in your life. Whether it's family, friends, pets, health, art, or whatever, we all have things to be thankful for. That alone is worth taking a deep breath and marinating in. Secondly, making a formal list of your tasks and taking them one at a time makes a huge difference. You'll be able to focus better on a singular job, and you'll start to feel lighter as you cross things off throughout the day.

It all comes back to that opening thought. Again, I know that mental health and trauma are far more complex than telling yourself it'll be okay. But starting your day off with the thought that it's going to suck, almost always ensures that it will. Attitude makes an impact, and your mind can be a self-fulfilling prophecy. If you take the time to appreciate you, and find a system that works for your productivity, you'll have a greater sense of pride and achievement. Starting your day off with a "Big day ahead, let's kick its butt" goes a long way toward a healthier mind and body. I wish you all productive days ahead.

Love yourselves, and each other,

-Jason Burke