"Let us not betray the dreams of those who have dreamed before us" Mekas emphatically beseeches to the crowd at the COOP ceremony in 2006 (as per the free download at jonasmekas.com February 13th). He challenges the listener to not be equal, to not be equal to the Hollywood system. He states that liberty is the freedom to choose differently.
In this PC world where difference of opinion is regarded as judgmental and narrow minded I find it refreshing that Mekas challenges me to think differently, think for myself, not buy into the masses and hype at a detriment to my personal voice. How quickly do young filmmakers abandon their voice and meld with that of the collective when they desire acceptance into the machine that is Hollywood.
I considered that route for myself very seriously for a time, I was going to take a semester off and join Hollywood to gain experience--become a slave with "no guarantee" of future employment "guaranteed" by the companies willing to exploit my eagerness. I realized, thankfully sooner rather than later, that I am an individual and would rather abandon my dreams of greatness that COULD come after years of abuse and lack of sleep/personal life/etc. or I could reshape my dreams into something that would allow me to have a vision and a voice yet also a life and fulfillment. I am reshaping my dreams of creating visual works on motion picture film to creating works on 35mm/digital still film. My professors have unanimously said that I seem to gravitate to beautiful images, that helped me to see that I don't need 24 fps when I can create one frame and tell a story with one beautiful image. If an image needs companions, more power to it but it may also stand up just fine on its own.
I choose to be different in the film department!! :) Well, now that photography is one of the tracks I am not so different, but I choose to come at the photography from a film angle rather than the visual arts angle and am glad for that. I couldn't see myself doing it and enjoying it so immensely any other way.
I know that all of the influences from film that I am exposed to will only continue to shape my still images and the meaning contained within them. Without the film background I wouldn't approach my images the same and maybe they would be weaker for it.
To think different isn't bad, doesn't make me judgmental or narrow minded, just different. Thank you Mekas for stating it so plainly and helping to remind me that I need to be true to myself and not get caught up in the hype of fame and stardom at the expense of true and lasting personal happiness and fulfillment.
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