creatornorthshoregirl

 How much does a fish drink?
A story of a boy’s innocence and loss of innocence when faced with the idiom of ‘drink like a fish’.

Producer/Director: Patti Henderson

Hired by the Port Shorts Program.
Port Shorts allows 6 hours of shooting time (including load in and wrap out)

Shelley on Poetry and the Art of Seeing
“Poetry… reproduces the common universe of which we are portions and percipients, and it purges from our inward sight the film of familiarity which obscures from us the wonder of our being.”
BY MARIA POPOVA

“We hear and apprehend only what we already half know,” Thoreau wrote in contemplating the crucial difference between knowing and seeing. To apprehend reality unblinded by our preconceptions, to truly see rather than pre-know, takes a special receptivity, a special channel of perception that bypasses our ordinary, habit-blunted ways. Poetry provides one such opening, perhaps the supreme one — a subtle portal of receptivity that allows us to take in the universe anew. Poetry unlatches the backdoor of the psyche to rewire the optic nerve of our perception, giving us new eyes with which to regard the world, inner and outer, personal, political, and cosmic. Ursula K. Le Guin knew this when she observed that “science describes accurately from outside, poetry describes accurately from inside”; John F. Kennedy knew this when he proclaimed that “when power corrupt, poetry cleanses”; Adrienne Rich knew this when she wrote that “poetry can break open locked chambers of possibility, restore numbed zones to feeling, recharge desire”; I too intuited it in turning to poetry to celebrate the science and splendor of the natural world, and to protest their political assault, with The Universe in Verse.

But no one has articulated that singular power of poetry more beautifully than Percy Bysshe Shelley (August 4, 1792–July 8, 1822) in a piece titled A Defence of Poetry, originally composed just before his untimely death and later included in his Essays, Letters from Abroad, Translations and Fragments (public library | public domain) — the posthumous collection his equally visionary widow, Mary Shelley, edited and published in 1840.

Percy Bysshe Shelley by Alfred Clint
Shelley writes:

All things exist as they are perceived: at least in relation to the percipient. “The mind is its own place, and of itself can make a heaven of hell, a hell of heaven.” But poetry defeats the curse which binds us to be subjected to the accident of surrounding impressions. And whether it spreads its own figured curtain, or withdraws life’s dark veil from before the scene of things, it equally creates for us a being within our being. It makes us the inhabitants of a world to which the familiar world is a chaos. It reproduces the common universe of which we are portions and percipients, and it purges from our inward sight the film of familiarity which obscures from us the wonder of our being. It compels us to feel that which we perceive, and to imagine that which we know. It creates anew the universe, after it has been annihilated in our minds by the recurrence of impressions blunted by reiteration.
— Read on www.brainpickings.org/2019/09/30/shelley-defence-of-poetry/

A while back I came across the Ted Talk by Susan Cain called the Power of Introverts.

After watching the clip, I was inspired to read Susan’s book Quiet: The Power of Introverts in a World That Can’t Stop Talking.

As an Extroverted Introvert – career opportunities can be missed because we aren’t at all the social functions….

a tough game when so often it is ‘who you know not what you know’ that moves one forward in creative work life.

I can see now that being an extroverted introvert is another aspect of who I am (and a gift) and I hope the following introvert quotes can inspire you to own your introversion.

However, if you are more of an extrovert – maybe the following introvert quotes will help you to rethink quiet.

“I wish, as well as everybody else, to be perfectly happy; but like everybody else, it must be in my own way.” ~ Jane Austen

“There’s zero correlation between being the best talker and having the best ideas.” ~ Susan Cain

“Our culture made a virtue of living only as extroverts. We discouraged the inner journey, the quest for a center. So we lost our center and have to find it again.” ~ Anaïs Nin

“Don’t think of introversion as something that needs to be cured… Spend your free time the way you like, not the way you think you’re supposed to.” ~ Susan Cain

“Lighthouses don’t go running all over an island looking for boats to save; they just stand there shining.” ~ Anne Lamott

“Knowing yourself is the beginning of all wisdom.” ~ Aristotle

“In a gentle way, you can shake the world.” ~ Mahatma Gandhi

“At the center of your being you have the answer; you know who you are and you know what you want.” ~ Lao Tzu

“Your vision will become clear only when you can look into your own heart. Who looks outside, dreams; who looks inside, awakens” ~ Carl Jung

“I went as an observer, not a participant, for I do not think that I ever spoke. I wanted to understand the issues under discussion, evaluate the arguments, see the calibre of the men involved.” ~ Nelson Mandela

“Let yourself be silently drawn by the strange pull of what you really love.” ~ Rumi

“I think a lot, but I don’t say much.” ~ Anne Frank

Reflection –

For those who have asked why I have done so many jobs in Arts and Entertaiment…

(Journalist, On-Air Interviewer, Researcher, Field Producer, Writer, Producer, Director, Editor, Script Supervisor, VFX Coordinator, VFX Producer… )

… here is why!

Article Repost:

Written by Emilie Wapnick- Puttylike.com

The 7 Multipotentialite Super Powers

Multipotentialites are skilled in varying degrees depending on the passion.

The Value of Skill

The dominant story around career and calling tells us that skill is what’s valuable in the marketplace, and that we should therefore hone a skill (specialize), and then perform this skill over and over again in exchange for a paycheck.

Sure, this is an over-simplistic way of looking at employment, but there’s truth to it. It’s the model that came out of the industrial revolution, back when it made sense for each person to be a cog in the system and do one thing well because that’s how our industry flourished.

Are there Qualities more Valuable than Skill?

Skill is where the conversation usually ends. But I would argue that there are certain qualities more valuable than being “really good” at something.

Multipotentialites have a number of often underestimated superpowers that go beyond skill. These qualities are the reason that so many innovators throughout history happen to have been oriented toward multiple disciplines. They predispose us to innovation.

1. Contextual Thinking

Multipotentialites are able to see the broader implications of a problem, and can therefore make smarter, more informed decisions.

When I was in law school, I took a course on Intellectual Property. As someone who used to burn CDs of her latest songs and mail them to the Library of Congress when she was seventeen, I had a tangible understanding of what Copyright meant. Similarly, my experiences making films often had me bumping up against copyright law in different, often frustrating ways.

My background in the arts meant that I didn’t just see Copyright through the lens of law, but I was able to appreciate the affect that it had on different groups. Being able understand issues from many perspectives enhances empathy and understanding, and leads to more well thought out decisions.

2. Translating between Modes of Thought

A background of multidisciplinary exploration means that multipotentialites are able to “speak the language” of people in different fields. The ability to shift between modes of thought allows us to translate between groups, help them understand each other, and work with big teams.

I once couchsurfed with a guy who programs supercomputers for some of the biggest tech companies in the world. He literally told me that a specialist couldn’t do his job. As the project leader, he needs to be able to understand how the programmers, designers, businesses, and users all think, so that he can help them communicate with each other and bring the greater vision to life.

In her book, Refuse to Choose, Barbara Sher uses the example of the orchestra conductor. A conductor must know how to speak the language of the violinists, so that he can tell them which part of the bow to use during certain passages where he wants particular dynamics and intensity. At the same time, the conductor must know how to speak the language of the timpani players, which means thinking in terms of texture and rhythm. He needs to be able to zoom in to communicate with each individual part, and zoom back out to make sure that no voice overpowers the others, and that the instruments blend together nicely.

3. Wearing Many Hats

Multipotentialites know how to do many things well, which means that we rarely have to seek outside help (we may want to, but rarely do we have to). So while I may not have enough legal knowledge to be a lawyer, I do have enough skill for it to be a real asset in my business.

Our unique and varied skill-set can also make us indispensable to an organization. One summer I worked at an advertising agency in New York. I was initially hired as a web design intern, but once they realized what vast skills I had, they began giving me a range of tasks. I found myself working with the in-house lawyer to research city regulations related to billboards, editing video campaigns, and cutting together panoramic photos. I did all of this in addition to my web design work. I think they were pretty sad when I left. I would have been hard to replace.

4. Fast Skill Acquisition

Multipotentialites are so accustomed to diving into new disciplines and acquiring knowledge, that we become skilled at the process of learning. The more experience you have being a beginner, the faster “getting good” becomes.

The experience of tackling many subjects also means that we are less intimidated when facing new problems. We’ve got the confidence from years of picking things up to know that we can figure it out. Also, the truth is that multipotentialites rarely start from scratch. Most skills are transferable, and we often build off of past knowledge.

Multipotentialites are also fiercely passionate about their pursuits, almost to the point of obsession. This kind of passion fuels self-learning. It means that we devour information and can reach a high level of proficiency fast.

5. Impact/Inspiration

Being passionate doesn’t just lead to fast skill acquisition. The enthusiasm that multipotentialites have for their interests makes them excellent leaders that other people want to band around. Knowledge is important, but I would argue that enthusiasm is more valuable since it reaches people on an emotional level.

6. Concoction

Multipotentialites are schemers. We love coming up with new ideas and bringing projects to life. When I was a kid, I was constantly inventing awesome projects. There were plays, gymnastic shows, a kids news program, fortune telling and origami in the park, punk bands, websites, short films, and clubs. This pattern has continued throughout my life. Often when I look around and feel displeased with the existing options, I create my own. Multipotentialites are constantly looking to invent better, more fun ways of doing things.

7. Idea Synthesis

Probably the coolest multipotentialite super power is the ability to combine disparate fields and create something entirely new at the intersection.

I would define innovation as: taking knowledge in one area and applying it to solve a problem in an entirely unrelated field. The intersections are where new ideas are born. New ideas don’t come from text books. With so many fields to draw from, multipotentialites have a lot of potential intersections to explore.