Filmmaker Freedom
Filmmaker Freedom
The art of indie film entrepreneurship

Welcome to the
Podcast Squad!

Here's your mission, should you choose to accept it.


Answer This Question, Then Record Your Answer at the Bottom of the Page.

How have you gotten in your own way as a filmmaker?

Maybe it's been fear of failure. Procrastination. Perfectionism. Ego. Lack of confidence. Or even depression.

Whatever it is, I'd love for you to share your story in as much detail as you're comfortable giving.

Even better if you share some of the ways you're overcoming those psychological barriers.

Important tip: Be as honest and vulnerable as you can, because that's how we make this show impactful. The more truthful and real it is, the more proud we'll all be of our contributions. And the more useful it will be to everyone who listens.

Before You Answer: 

Make sure to say your name and your location. (I messed up last season by not asking this, so please do it this time so it's easier to give you credit for your answers and pronounce your name correctly!)

If you're more comfortable recording this anonymously, that's cool too :)

Rob's Honest, Vulnerable Answer: 

My name is Rob Hardy, and I live in Tucson, Arizona.

The thing that's been holding me back lately is a mix of procrastination and depression.

Seems like I go through weeks of my life in a fog, where I have no energy, and can hardly take care of myself properly, let alone get my work done.

It almost always starts with some basic, run of the mill procrastination.

Maybe I'll get a bad night's sleep, or hit some kind of roadblock, or get into a fight with my girlfriend. And sure enough, I'll let those things stop me from getting my work done.

Then over the course of a day or three, it can devolve into full-scale depression, where I feel detached from everything, have no energy, and am generally just apathetic toward everything.

And the more depressed I feel, the more likely I am to keep avoiding my work, not exercise, eat crappy food, and spend too much time in front of the TV.

Not surprisingly, this always makes things worse.

I can usually pull myself out of it within a week, but I'm trying to make this a less common occurrence, and gain more control over the process when I feel it coming on.

For me, the thing that's helped most is building an ironclad routine into my life. I make sure to focus on the fundamentals of health (good eating, movement, and sleep), and do some amount of work every single day. No matter what.

Beyond that, I constantly tell myself that the routine becomes more important the shittier I feel. That way, those low-energy days are actually a trigger to double down on the routine, to take it more seriously.

This has worked fairly well so far, but only time will tell.

All I know is that I have to keep trying, even if this strategy ends up not working well in the long run. Because I have so much ambition, so much I want to get done, and these depressive stints rob me of living up to my potential.


Now It's Your Turn!

Just gather your thoughts, hit the record button, and share what you've got going on.

Oh, and if you have an external microphone (or just a pair of headphones with a mic), this is the perfect time to use it!


Thanks for taking the time (and summoning the courage) to answer. It means the world to me.

-Rob

P.S. If you have any issues with recording your answer through SpeakPipe, shoot me an email at robert@filmmakersprocess.com, and we'll figure out a better way to make it work for you.