Wednesday, October 11, 2017

First Published Story on Popularium


I'm proud to announce the publishing of my first story on Popularium, Moshing in his Memory.

For those of you unfamiliar with the site (which I was before sending in my pitch), they focus on sharing stories and experiences built around the things we love. Whether it's a song, a movie, a type of alcohol, a strain of weed - if it had an impact on a memorable moment from your life, then it could be a Popularium story.

I hope you all enjoy. I'm hard at work on finishing my next collection of short stories (on #9, with at least 2 more to go). My short film (A)utomated (I)rritation has now gotten into 11 film festivals, and I've started a Drawing & Composition course at Otis College of Art and Design, so focusing on that before returning to painting.

I know I've been neglecting this blog and the creator's journey, but as so often happens with creative folks - we drop certain projects so we can focus on more immediate ones.

Wednesday, September 6, 2017

September Update

I have no kept my word about updating this blog as much as I had promised, but it's only because I've been working on so many other creative ventures!

1. I have had a blog post accepted on the BlckLst's blog of Essential Rock n Roll films.

2. The Indy Review is still going strong with interviews, reviews and recommendations for all types of music.

3. I am writing the 7th story for my next collection of shorts.

4. I am developing a script with my friend Tyler Werrin for us to co-author.

5. I am writing a script with my wife.

6. I just finished an original piece of artwork for my sister's upcoming food blog. I'll premiere the piece when her blog goes live.

7. While going through some of my old saved artwork from junior high, I found a piece I liked that had gone unfinished, and am finally finishing it!

8. I've been revising my pilot The Beaten Path and my short The End Walks.

9. I've had a story pitch for Popularium accepted, and need to finish the final draft over the next couple weeks. I'm getting paid for this one!

On top of all this I've still been job hunting and doing volunteer work. In one of my previous posts I discussed stretching oneself too thin, and I have definitely fallen victim to that. I'm enjoying being busy, but I'll be working on whittling down my number of projects, especially as I have also signed up for a Drawing & Composition course at Otis College of Art and Design, as a prerequisite for taking a storyboarding class next semester.

God help me if I finally get a full-time job.

Friday, July 28, 2017

The Indy Review Returns!

Those of you who know me that along with a passion for film, television and painting, I am a complete music junkie. In past years, I have contributed to a number of music blogs, most often The Indy Review.

After being deactivated for a couple years, The Indy Review is finally back up and running. Featuring album reviews, new music recommendations, and much more, if you love discovering new music, old music, hearing about shows in your area, or want to share some of your favorite new music, please visit the site.

We also have a Facebook page to follow.

Wednesday, July 26, 2017

Discipline and Distractions

Between 2009 - 2010, I was unemployed. And this was one of the most creatively productive times in my life. My schedule would be as follows:

1. Exercise
2. Spend 1-2 hours looking for jobs
3. Either write 5 pages or write for 2 hours
4. Practice guitar
5. Work on an art project
6. Free time

I wrote 5 feature screenplays (and completely revised a 6th). I did a number of mixed media pieces (some you have seen on the site like Willie Nelson, Brandon Flowers, and Tom Morello). And I even wrote a bunch of songs (meaning I had to teach myself to actually write songs). Lucky for all of you I didn't have access to good recording equipment or I may have tried pushing a poorly produced EP on your ears.

Since my unemployment ended in August 2010, a lot has changed. I got a smart phone, with a number of distracting games and apps. I was just on Facebook in 2010, and now I manage a Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter account (the latter two just for art). I have accounts with Netflix, Amazon, Hulu and HBO GO, with way too many shows and movies calling my name. Marriage and maintaining a home and relationship also require a good amount of attention (if you have any sense at all).

And I'm currently unemployed again.

I would truly like to make this time period as productive as possible. I have a number of creative projects I could be working on at any one time (including this blog), but it just feels...harder. The last seven years have shortened my attention span, and I am doing what I can to fight this urge for distraction with discipline.

Every day is a battle between these two D's. If I'm able to sit myself down in a chair with some light music in the background, I find I can make myself write for at least an hour. And then the pull comes. The urge to see what's on YouTube. To read through the Facebook wall. To see how many more "likes" my art has gotten on Instagram. To waste my time with the million of entertaining but meaningless actions that will do little to further my career or finances. Or just take a walk to remember there is an outside world.

During my first stint as an unemployed human, I still had hope that one of the screenplays I was writing could sell and make me a professional writer. Since then, I've worked in the film/television industry, and have learned what it takes to get even a minor-budget film made. With learning how the sausage was made went my appetite for the meat. I have not lost confidence in my scripts, just the ability to get anything produced that isn't branded IP or stemming from the mind of a bankable actor or director. There are so many avenues to get content shown, but so few to earn actual living wages from.

When it comes to art, despite enjoying the process of making and completing a piece, we are in an economy where few people can enjoy the luxury of buying art (even art as inexpensive as mine ;) ). So what's left to inspire a creative person to discipline themselves as strictly as is really needed to be successful, when the hopes of monetizing ones creativity becomes more and more remote?

I guess you got to love creating more than playing Words with Friends. It certainly reaps greater, longer-lasting rewards than landing the word "spewing" on a Triple Word tile. Though if I could get a $1 for every point I got in WWF, I would be happily retired by now.

How do you discipline yourself when trying to finish a project? Please don't say Adderall.

Wednesday, July 19, 2017

Copies of Copies of Copies

I have always felt the true value of art comes in it being one of a kind. A singular, unique creation, sprouted from the mind of the artist. When someone is buying that piece of art, they can do so with the piece of mind that no one else will have it. They have acquired something wholly their own, that reflects their tastes and interests just as it's creation reflected the world view of the artist.

But as an artist, we need to make money. And unless you're Pablo effin' Picasso, you probably can't make a living selling just original pieces. You need to sell prints, and posters, and as much merchandise with your "original art" slapped on as you can.

Until recently, I had never made a print of any of my pieces, but when an interested buyer came asking about a water color pic I did that was auctioned off years ago, I took a chance and offered to make a print for him (ie: printing out a copy of the piece on high-quality paper and Kinkos). He agreed, and I made a bit of extra money. I had an extra copy made as well that was a bit smudged, and found two people who wanted that one. So my mind percolates, wondering if I can actually make some real money selling prints and posters of some of my more popular pieces.

But can I? Should I take a risk and invest money in making good quality copies of my art to sell to those who can't afford the originals, with no guarantee they will actually sell? Or should I wait for the demand, and then make the supply? I'm prone to the latter, but if potential customers don't know I have prints/posters, will they know to ask?

And at what point are the original pieces cheapened by flooding the universe with knock-offs? It would be a bit funny if I could sell a ton of prints of a piece and not actually sell the original.

At this time, I am seeing if people would be willing to pay for posters of HOW FLUFFY GOT TO HEAVEN and prints of ROCK RESTAURANT. I could certainly use the money, and having one's art hanging in a home, in any form, can often pay off as free advertising.

As long as the original customers doesn't let their friends make a free copy for themselves. I'm sure there are people out there who don't mind copies of copies.

Saturday, July 1, 2017

July 2017 Updates

Hello Everyone,

As I finish the first drafts of two new short stories, my first collection THE JESTER AND OTHER MYTHS is now available to order on Amazon in paperback!

I'm greatly appreciative of all of you whom purchase it, and if you enjoy it, please leave a review!

I also recently finished my first art piece painted on the front of a discarded freezer door (a lucky find while I was out on a run). The painting was inspired heavily by the recent loss of a close friend to cancer, who loved surfing, as well as by the new single by Manchester Orchestra, "Gold".

I plan to start my next painting soon, and am actively plotting more short stories for another future collection.

Thank you for checking in and all continued support.

Best,

Bo

Wednesday, June 28, 2017

Making Life Meet Art

Artists of all sorts are recommended to draw from their own experiences to influence their work. But how far is it appropriate to go when putting your life on paper/canvas/the screen?

I recently went through a very tragic personal experience that has definitely had a profound effect on me. There were moments during it where I could see a beautiful, sad painting, and others that had more true drama than anything I've seen on television or film recently. The question I'm left with is should I let this experience influence my creative work,and if so, to what extent?

For the majority of my early years as a writer, I avoided letting any of my personal experiences appear in any form in my writing. Of course, my influences would appear, whether it was the music I was listening to, other films I had watched, or emotions I was feeling at the time. I'm sure there were characters which sounded like me, as I let my voice go through them. But I purposefully made it so when reading one of my scripts or stories, you would not see stories or people from my life that anyone would recognize.

This changed after college, with my short film WASTED ON THE YOUNG. Inspired very directly by a friendship I had with a girl who would fall from grace due to drug addiction, and eventually find her way out, it was the most personal film I had written, and when I was deciding on whether I should make it, I had to ask myself three main questions: would the girl ever see the film; if she did, what would she think of it; and should it inform my decision to make this film either way?

In the end, I made the film. I didn't think she would ever see the film, and if she did, it shouldn't matter. This was my story as much as it was hers, and nothing used in the story was information told to me in confidence (parts came directly from a blog she posted on MySpace).

The film came out okay (I am still a much better writer than I am a director), but it was something I could stand by, as even if not every detail was true to life, the emotions of the story came through and reflected reality as I saw it.


But what happens when the story you want to tell isn't just yours? My recent experience is one I share with a number of people, some who are far closer to it than I am. Part of me wants to paint an image based on a photograph I took, but I feel it would come across as exploiting a tragedy if I tried to sell that piece. And there is a truly moving film in the story, but who's story is it to tell? Do I have a right to tell this story, and if I were to try, should it be from my perspective (the one I know best)? If I go in that direction, how do I make the story not about me? How can I do justice to this very personal tale in a way that's respectful to everyone involved? How do I avoid making it sentimental, shmaltzy crap?

These are all questions creative people should ask before creating art based on their personal experiences. I don't claim to have an answer, as each experience will differ and it's up to the artist to decide how they would like to handle.

Or you can just do what I usually do - tell stories about stupid gangsters, alien wrestling leagues, music mystery hunters, and fake crack babies. Only bits of my personal life in those.

Wednesday, June 21, 2017

Rookie Mistakes

Getting out of college, I truly wish there had been a wise guru available to tell me what not to do as I tried to get my writing career started. If I could be that wise guru to future creatives (in this case, writers specifically), I would give them this urgent warning:

Don't blow your load on a first date.

When presented with the opportunity to meet with someone way above your station, sending them your material should not be the first thing on your mind. Ask them questions, learn what they are looking for, what the current trends are, how they identify talent, and if you want to ask one favor before leaving, see if it's okay if you stay in touch once in a while to ask questions and seek advice. Show you're thoughtful and looking to learn, and not just an excited kid desperate to get someone to tell them how great your work is.

Example 1: Shortly after I graduated, I was given the opportunity to meet with a high-level agent at Paradigm (I honestly don't remember how this came about, but I think it was a friend or acquaintance of my mom who knew him and set-up the meeting). At this point, I had 1-2 features and a few short screenplays written. Being the naive little creative that I was, I felt my scripts were good (or good enough) that they would show off my talents as a writer and my breadth of creative genius welling up in my noggin. I was eager to talk about my scripts, get the agent interested in reading them, and then of course have him instantly want to sign me.

Foolishness. Absolute foolishness. Yes, the meeting went okay - I was of course nervous and the agent could tell I was (he had to tell me to relax and get comfortable). I didn't prepare at all (rookie mistake #1), so I didn't know who is clients were, or anything about him aside from that he was an agent. Without any solid preparation, I didn't have any intelligent questions to ask. It's hard to engage with people and make them care about you if you don't show any interest in them.

At the end of the meeting, the agent offered to have me send him my scripts to read. What I should have said, "Thank you so much for that offer, and I would definitely like to take you up on that further down the line. Right now, I would love to just be able to reach out once in a while to get your thoughts and advice, until I have a screenplay I think is truly worth sending to you."

What I said (I'm guessing, as this was a decade+ ago) "Yes, that would be great! How many should I send?" I think I ended up sending the two feature to his assistant (Rookie mistake #2 - you're lucky if a person will read one of your scripts). I followed up a few times. And after a few placating responses, I never heard back from them. A silent pass. A wasted opportunity to have a great contact.

Example 2: I had spent two summers interning at the newly formed production company Strike Entertainment during college, getting my first introduction to script reading/coverage, and handling the basic duties needed by assistants. It was a great introductory experience, and I'm still in touch with their former creative executive, who now runs his own company at Sony. On occasion I was able to say hello to the head of Strike, but didn't get much 1:1 time with him.

Once again after college, in my haste to get my written work out to as many people as I could, I had my connection to Strike (a family friend at Universal who knew the company head), arrange for me to submit some of my writing to the company's head. This time I went all out: two features, my award-winning short (Rookie mistake #3 - don't waste executives' time with short scripts, unless they are the greatest things ever written), and a couple bottles of wine to sweeten the deal (cause maybe he'd like the scripts more if he were drunk while reading them).

Once again, my response on the script was silence.

Rookie Mistake #4 - do not send scripts that are not ready to be read. If you're just out of college and you think your scripts are awesome and you have had a friend or two read them and agree, guess what? The scripts aren't awesome. They are likely not even good. You'll likely need to cut them down by 15 pages, improve all your characters, make the emotional arcs stronger, and overall spend the next year revising them. Until you've done this, do not send the scripts to anyone who isn't a close friend. 99% of the time, you will get one shot at getting someone big to read your screenplay, and if they don't like it, they won't read another one.

Don't blow your load on a first date. Establish a relationship. Get to know the person. Get them to see you as more than just another wanna-be writer trying for the big score. Develop your craft, gain some loyalty, and when the time is right, and you're confident you've put the work in, then submit away.

Monday, June 19, 2017

A Creative's Journey

Trying to make a career our of creative pursuits is hard. It's boxing Mike Tyson hard. It's asking a super model out on a date hard. It's climbing Mount Everest in gym shorts and sandals hard.

No matter how hard you train for it, no matter who confident you are in your abilities, you will still find you are ill-equipped and under-prepared to face the daunting task of trying to earn a living with a creative pursuit, whatever it may be.

For myself, I entered the entertainment industry with my heart set on becoming a storyteller for the screen. I wanted to write movies, and eventually direct some. I had a couple of feature scripts written in college, as well as some short films under my belt, and a whole list of script ideas I was hungry to tackle. All of which added up to squat once I was out of school. My features weren't good (or at least, good enough). Nor did anyone care to watch my shorts.

After a couple years of employment, I used my next period of unemployment to refocus myself. I joined the Writers Boot Camp program, and worked on improving my craft and making connections. I wrote five new features (and revamped a sixth), all of which I felt very proud of. I also used my free time to return to my artistic roots (leading eventually to the Boriginality site) and even had enough time to practice my guitar playing and write a handful of songs. My creative energies were renewed and I was able to keep up that traction even once I found gainful employment again.

As I am back in a period of unemployment, I am going to use this time to:

1) Refocus myself again creatively, promoting my art and writing skills as I search for my next position
2) Use this blog to look back at some of my early struggles and failures as I tried to pursue a creative career, in hopefully a way that can educate others who come across this site.
3) Look at methods and tools that creative people can use to grow themselves and their brand as they fight the upward battle to make it in their chosen industry.

Thanks for reading!

Bo

Thursday, June 15, 2017

New Art, New Film Festivals, New Creative Drive

Hello Interested Art and Film Fans,

I am making it my goal for the month of June to become more active in the social media landscape (in a way that hopefully won't drive my friends bonkers). I've created Facebook pages for my art (Boriginality) as well as for my latest short, (A)UTOMATED (I)RRITATION.

In regards to the former, I've just completed my first piece of new art since my art show in January, "The Great Plains, 2231". Acrylic paint on paper, 12 x 18. The image highlights some of my strengths as an artist (animals, water), with a quiet social commentary regarding our changing climate and possible future. Hoping to find a nice home for this piece!

I've continued to get good news on (A)UTOMATED; we have now been accepted into six film festivals, and recently won the Best Future Tech award at the Sci-On! Festival in Reno, NV. As the response to the film has been so positive, I've taken the leap and entered the film into some higher profile fests (including ones that are Academy-qualifying).

On the writing front, I have been editing my short THE END WALKS, as I have a couple people interested in directing it. I'm also working on another short story, as I hope to one day have enough to release another collection like The Jester and Other Myths.

Thank you to all my friends, family, and hopefully new followers for your support!

Best,

Bo

Thursday, April 6, 2017

General Update

It has a been a long time since I've posted any real update on my work. Here is a rundown of 2017 so far:

1. Artists Night at the Mattress - I co-hosted my first art show this January, working with two other talented artists to display m work. I sold a few paintings, and auctioned off one of the newest pieces, RESIDENT DUMP, to raise money for the ACLU. Since then, I have found homes for two other works, and sold my pieces SOME ELSEWHERE and WILLIE NELSON to an art collector.

2. THE JESTER AND OTHER MYTHS - I published a collection of short stories as a kindle book on Amazon. Titled THE JESTER AND OTHER MYTHS, it's available for sale here.

3. (A)UTOMATED (I)RRITATION - The short film I wrote and produced at the end of 2015, (A)UTOMATED (I)RRITATION, has been completed and is being submitted to film festivals. It just today was accepted in the First Fridays Film Festival in Kansas City, MO.

I will attempt to be a more active blogger as this year continues!

Best,

Bo