Support the Work
Every filmmaker who rolled on their first take. Every photographer who snapped their first shot. Every writer who put pen to paper. They all had to start somewhere in between being terrified of failing and looking foolish, and trusting in their instincts and feeling the confidence of knowing their art will evoke that exact feeling you’re feeling. Somewhere in there, it’s always about human connection on some level.
Every art form came from humble beginnings, and I am no different. If you know me, you know asking for anything that resembles “help” not only gives me massive anxiety, but is an extremely foreign concept. I love the idea of being an independent artist in the truest sense of the word, but let’s be realistic here. Nothing is truly ever independent because someone…
Worked a late night at the gas station where you filled up at 1am.
Greeted you with a smile at 2am as you checked into the hotel to grab three hours of sleep.
Had a Lobby Call at 5am so they could load in at 6am.
Gave you water not once, but twice, while you sat outside in line for 12 hours in the hot sun.
Traded a handmade band button for a handmade band sticker that inspired you to make your own.
Scanned your ticket and matched your enthusiasm while they pointed you to the quickest entrance to the pit.
Pulled you up from the floor when the pit got extra rowdy and you lost your balance.
Mopped up the spilled beer from that same venue floor so another band can load in the next day and he can mop that same floor.
Ran the latest update to the editing software through QC so you can sort your favorite shots for your next reel even faster.
Developed that roll of film as if it were pictures of their loved ones.
Smothered that perfectly toasted bagel with delicious cream cheese to give you fuel to dance in the pit.
Made that hotel bed as if their child was going to sleep in it.
Safely guided your body over the barricade as you sang with the lead singer.
Wheeled you from the ADA section to the rideshare curb, making sure you left safely.
Was the last one out of the venue at 2am so they could hop on the tour bus to get to the next show.
See where I’m going with this? I may go to show solo because it’s how I enjoy them best, but I am still just one more person in that touring ecosystem.
No one is truly independent. We can’t go this world alone, no matter how much we may want to.
Whether you’re the one making the art, helping to distribute that art, making sure people have fair and safe access to that art, or you’re using that art to escape into another world, we’re all a part of it, and we should support each other as much as we can.
You don’t have to be in the pit with me or on the road to feel like you are a part of this either. Filmmakers always need collaborators. Artists need believers. And pioneers need the ones who can see the vision as clearly as they can when the rest of the world can’t see anything.
Putting yourself out there, trying to find human connection while making art; it’s scary as fuck. But it’s always been a constant calling card for me. Something I have to do if I ever want to be truly happy, at least in the way that I define it.
So this is me asking for a bit of help as I “go it alone” as a Vagabond Bootlegger.
Every frame has to start somewhere. Make the next shutter click possible.
Every single contribution, no matter the amount, supports independent art.