No matter what stage in the game you are in you, of course, want to keep progressing and keep working on larger and larger projects. I’m pretty positive that you have gotten a decent amount of advice from just about everyone, either solicited or not. So I’ll take this opportunity to share some more unsolicited advice that someone shared with me a while back.
I imagine that most of us are already following this wisdom I am about to bestow, and if that is the case, then this will just reiterate that you’re doing it right! But for those of you teetering on the brink of making production your career, pay attention and let the following message from Steve Harvey wash over you. Yup! you read that correctly.
This guy!
Steve Harvey has given me, and many others, perhaps the greatest inspiration or reaffirmation that what we chose to do with our careers is worth it. So, I guess it is time for me to fill you in on the nugget of wisdom Mr. Harvey had to disclose. And without further ado…
It’s an incredible piece of video that he recorded after a taping of Family Feud. What inspired him to delve into this, I don’t know. But I love that he did. The message is raw and inspiring and a whole mess of other emotions I can’t nail down. And if you’re not ready to shoot for the stars after watching it, I’m not sure you have a pulse!
It obviously doesn’t strictly apply to video production and I’ll assume the message was to be taken in the broadest of terms. But, since that is my line of work, that is how I will apply this message.
It can be scary… it can be friggin TERRIFYING to not know if you’re going to get enough work to pay bills, eat, drive, acquire the right gear etc., etc. And this feeling is amplified even more so with families to support and car payments and mortgages all relying on the next gig to fill the coffers enough to slide into the next month.
But Steve’s words make it all worth it. And in this moment it is all crystal clear and makes so much sense. So hang on to that as you navigate the ebb and flow of a freelance videographer or whatever title you have in this game of life.
And if I can divvy up a bit of my own wisdom – I’ll tell you to just Say Yes. Say Yes as in take the opportunity. Take a chance. Feel awkward. Move out of your comfort zone. Stretch your horizons. Sell yourself.
I’ve done it over and over again, I’ve gone to bed dreading the fact that I said yes to the job that starts tomorrow. But I can tell you everytime the experience is incredible. The confidence you get from accomplishing something you weren’t sure you could pull off is priceless. In fact it is how I ended up seeing this video in the first place. I took a job I was unsure about, I went to bed with that feeling of impending doom. It was actually… wait for it… auditions for The Family Feud!
They were on location in Phoenix and needed a crew to do Behind The Scenes and post audition interviews. I was able to cobble together a crew in the 11th hour and kill it. After the show, the producer we were working with sent the video as if he knew I was stretching myself outside of my comfort zone. And it was fantastic!
So, the abridged version of this message would be –
JUMP and SAY YES!!
And when the fear and madness has taken over, or even if you just need a little inspiration, think of this Steve Harvey’s message….and know that everything is going to work out.
