Funny story, Payten Brewer, my co-producer, and I made April 1st the absolute latest date we could possibly wait for our Erzulie funding to come through. If we did not reach our funding goal of $150K by this date, we would have to postpone our shoot dates indefinitely.

May 17, 2021 marks the day I finished packing up my car to the brim with production knick knacks and set off to a much needed R&R in NOLA with some of the cast and crew. This is after spending almost a month at 'film camp,' deep in the swamps of Louisiana, shooting a creature feature adventure action film in 11 days. It was a bittersweet day, one filled with both exhaustion, relief, and most importantly pride. I had the honor of going to battle with a motley group of talented individuals against a lot of odds -- unpredictable river levels, killer mosquitos, a VERY insane timeline and an even tinier budget, and still coming out victorious. I am now much wiser, with a lot more white hair, and incredibly humbled.

As a full-time first assistant director in the industry, I know my job, in a nutshell, is to first and foremost keep the cast and crew safe while staying on track with a carefully planned schedule. We plan for all sorts of variables, from location issues to time of day to talent availability, but nothing can actually prepare you for filming during a pandemic, than actually filming during a pandemic.

It's been almost a year since my last confession. Ha… what I mean is it has been a year since my last blog post. I woke up this morning and just knew today would be a difficult day for me to be productive. From the work out I struggled to finish this morning to not being able to disconnect from my phone and social media, I knew extra emergency measures had to be taken.

Some of you may know of a feature film called Funemployment. If you don't, you should. It hasn't won any major awards (because I didn't bother to submit it to anything) or is really even an example of “good cinema,” but it is evidence that anyone can put themselves through their own film school, without going to actual film school, by making their own feature film.

I think the hardest thing about being a creative is knowing and accepting that these kinds of days are going to happen and to not beat yourself up about it. It is knowing that not every day is going to be filled with big wins and that some days you will feel like a useless blob. I cried today because I woke up feeling exhausted – mentally and emotionally.

Chasing the next big idea and then actually sitting down and writing it is a pain in the arse, especially if you don’t consider yourself a natural writer. How I define “natural writers,” are those who write and love to write all the time, whether or not that piece of writing ever sees the light of day. They write for other people to direct or produce and write scripts to sell. That is not me. Anytime I write, it is for the sole intention of directing it. I am not formally trained and in fact my writing may or may not be riddled with technical errors (since I’ve been completely self-taught) and my scripts are written as if I am the only one who has to read them.

Yesterday morning, I launched the first event for Girl Boss Mafia and was both inspired and humbled by the number of female business owners who were able to make it and share their incredible ventures. All these ladies came from multiple different backgrounds, juggling many responsibilities, passions, and side hustles.

It is exciting because anytime you get to do what you love, you pour a lot of energy and time into preparing for these production days and it is incredible to see something come to life. As a producer, you see months or even years of hard work come together in the form of people, locations, money, and resources. As a director, you see your vision, the look and feel of a story come to life. The possibilities and direction of creativity are endless. For non-filmmakers, the feeling can be best equated to how you feel at the beginning of a New Year. It is hard to predict just exactly how the New Year will go, but the possibilities are endless.