The comments from my first One Second Film took me by surprise. It wasn't that they were numerous or even specific, but rather it simply made me realize that people are watching. For better or worse these little slices of my everyday life were being viewed by others. Suddenly my story felt like it had an audience.
The only thing I was planning to do that day was edit some photos from a recent shoot. In other words, all I was doing was work as usual. Nothing out of the ordinary. Nothing special. Nothing memorable. Just another day. But who said it had to be that way?! Why did I wake up this morning thinking today was going to be anything less than remarkable? When did that thought creep into my psyche and inform the majority of my life?
Naturally I wondered, what can I do to make today different? What can I do to make my story more interesting --if not for my audience, at least for my own well being?
Thirty minutes later I put the finishing touches on my snowman. He was nowhere on my agenda at the start of the day, but he quickly became the highlight of it. How easy it would have been to dismiss it as the most superfluous waste of time. Yet how much more unique that day was because of it.
I want to be a filmmaker when I grow up, which is another way of saying I want to tell great stories. Ironically it's this desire to live a great story that made me realize I'm already telling one. Being aware of this fact simply helps me write better scenes for my daily life.
Ever since building that snowman I’ve been repeatedly struck by the question, “What am I doing today that’s worth remembering?” This ideas has worked its way into my subconscious and added a layer of intentionality to my days. I choose to capture something every day regardless of whether or not it seems special. The beautiful irony is that because I’m capturing it I want to make it exceptional. It does not work the other way around.
Imagine if a photographer was going to capture your life this Tuesday. You're not getting married or having a baby this Tuesday. It's not your birthday or Christmas. It's just another Tuesday with the same snooze button, the same commute, the same TPS reports, happy hour, Netflix, and chill. "What's so special about Tuesday?" you ask. Well, that's up to you.