Boston, Journalism, New Chapters

Tattered Christmas lights drape over the flaking window sill. The jungle bugs of the New England nightscape outside keep us remembering that the world is alive and in constant motion.

“Everything is changing”

So I have been pretty off-the-radar the last month, but in that time my life has been transforming in a scary and exciting way.

First off, I graduated from UC Davis on June 15th with a BA in Cinema & Digital Media. A little about that: it’s been four years of constant evolution – traversing basins and peaks of an emotional landscape, feeling both inspired and tortured by the need to live as much life as possible.

 I’m going to miss being around so many of the people who I love and believe in. Forging friendships and coalescing communities whose cornerstones are the sanguine glances across rooms that say “Isn’t this just ludicrous in a brilliant way?!” Communities whose foundations are the words “stay fed, family” and “never change”.

The past looks like a funnel or a ladder of sorts; a series of sturdy, time-trusted rungs with good insurance policies, safety nets for short falls, and placards nearby that describe proper climbing techniques. And now here we are on the roof with only the sky above us – bereft of structure (just like how I always wanted) but now it doesn’t taste so sweet… I think it’s just going to take a second to realize how limitless our growth can be without the placards and rules and all that baloney.

I have been planning on moving out east after graduating for a while now. Plunging headfirst into the next chapter and leaning into discomfort until the anxiety is replaced by triumph and joy. I am formulating new goals, hustling for them, and now able to hold hands with a really cool person (Julia) all the time.  

About the new goals, a lot of people who know me or follow me on social media are probably aware that I have been working towards my goal of being a “professional filmmaker” for about three years now. So far, most of the videos I have made have been commercial in nature – selling products, brands, individuals, lifestyles, myself – I enjoy making these videos! It’s positive to sell products that you believe in. Noticing and highlighting traits you admire about the world is a fulfilling practice (and the easiest path to financial independence and autonomy) so I’m definitely not going to stop… but I do want to change my course. I will focus on story and documentary – to be more journalistic in my approach to film and life in general. Documenting our lives and the lives of others feels wholesome as heck and results in, simply put, more life lived. That means going back to basics and rebuilding my portfolio, reaching out for leads, following them, writing the stories, and then converting them into videos. I am coming to this game late but I want to practice my knowledge wizardry - I want to learn how to materialize value from any situation, to pull information from the ether, repackage it, and sell it across multiple mediums.

Although acknowledging that this is what I want to do now is inspiring as hell to talk about – I have been swimming in a tide of self-doubt. Why didn’t I get involved with a newspaper or even try to get media publications before when I knew it was the first step?

But there’s no room for regret right now. It doesn’t change anything. I’m fucking stoked for this.

So to anyone: when the writing on your skull wall reads “you are a failure so stop pretending” please know that you definitely aren’t! Surround yourself with people who can see that clearly and aren’t afraid to tell you.

Anyways, I’ll be in the Boston area for this next chapter. Let’s meet up and get inspired!