Since returning this week from the In[FOCUS] event, a number of videos have been uploaded summarizing the activities in Austin. These have all been well crafted, artistically shot and edited, very cinematic short films. But there’s one particular video I want to highlight. It was shot and edited by New England wedding and event videographer Meghan Simone (pronounced si-MO-knee). This video is special because Meg almost didn’t post it. You see, there are no flashy Steadicam or glidecam shots. No jaw-dropping, awe-inspiring time lapse. No eclectic musical soundtrack from some uber-hip unknown artist. No motion graphics. As Meg herself put it in one of the Facebook comments on the video, “It’s sort of ‘low def’ in a ‘high def’ world.”
What I feel this video has is THE most important elements of any such video: a good story, and heart.
When I asked Meg if she’d mind me blogging about it, she wrote in her reply that after posting the video, she was very nervous. She was afraid someone would send her a private message telling her to take it down. Instead, she’s gotten over two dozen Facebook comments from people applauding the video. When world renown cinematic superstars like StillMotion, Joe Simon, and Ray “The Romantor” Roman are influencing so many videos we see, Meg was worried her “low def” piece would be lost in the shuffle (by the way. Technically, even hers is high def as it was shot on the Panasonic Lumix). But to her delight, it has been warmly embraced. She credits the inspiration from the event as giving her the courage to put herself out there.
ARE YOU HOLDING YOURSELF BACK?
Last August in my “Comparison Kills Creativity” campaign, I challenged my blog readers to not look at any competitors’ work for a whole month. It’s so easy for us to get down on our work when we feel it doesn’t hold muster to our colleagues’. What I personally learned from that challenge is that the work I, you, or anyone does, is already special. I don’t need to try to shoot or edit like anyone other than what naturally comes to me. That doesn’t mean I can’t be inspired by other artists. It just means that whatever style I intuitively create, that which makes me unique, there’s an audience somewhere out there who will appreciate it. But, if I hold myself back for fear my work isn’t good enough, I’ll miss out on so many opportunities.
If you’ve held back from sharing your photos or your videos with the world for fear your work doesn’t hold up, I encourage you to take a lesson from Meg. Here’s a quote from my correspondence with her about this video:
I finally said to myself, I can sit here and day dream about my ideas, or I could go out and actually attempt (maybe fail) and learn a TON along the way.
Thanks for inspiring us Meg to dream out loud.