Falling Forward | Wigs and Making Movies
Last week, since starting to lose my hair, has been an emotional rollercoaster.
I’m now exploring wigs and actively avoiding mirrors so I don’t accidentally send myself into an emotional spiral. I’ve lost most of the hair toward the front of my head, about halfway back, and honestly, seeing it has been traumatizing. I wear a hat pretty much everywhere now, and if I don’t have one on, I basically run away from reflective surfaces.
It sucks. There’s really no inspirational way to spin that part.
But despite all of that, this weekend I managed to shoot two scenes from the proof of concept for Tumi & Me with an incredible cast and crew, and for that, I’m extremely grateful.
BTS photos by: Aaron Tyler Photography
The day of filming was joyful. More than anything, it reminded me of who I am outside of being a cancer patient.
BTS photos by: Aaron Tyler Photography (Me and DP Daniela)
BTS photos by: Aaron Tyler Photography (DP: Daniela and Actress, Jenna Zhu)
I love storytelling. I love directing. I love being on set with kind, talented people who are all working toward the same thing. The hours flew by, as they always do, everyone seemed to be in great spirits, and we captured some incredible performances.
For a day, instead of thinking about radiation, hair loss, appointments, or what comes next, I got to think about performances, shots, story, and making something meaningful.
And I really needed that.
Now we have to finish it.
I am having the WORST time getting our crowdfunding campaign up and running, but we’re still pushing forward and trying to raise at least $10K to complete the Tumi & Me proof of concept. We still need to rent a studio and tackle at least a month of stop-motion animation work, which will be ambitious, complicated, and—hopefully—very cool.
Our goal is to shoot the remaining scenes in September, after I finish radiation and hopefully before I begin chemotherapy.
So if you’re able to help financially, share the project, connect us with resources, donate something we need, or simply help spread the word, we are incredibly grateful for all of it.
BTS photos by: Aaron Tyler Photography (DP: Daniela Production Designer: Leone, G&E/AC: Ethan, and Actress, Jenna Zhu in the car)
Three more weeks of radiation.
I’m halfway there.
Also, I officially need to stop watching movies about cancer. 😂
For the next few weeks, my goals are pretty simple:
🎬 Keep pushing toward finishing the Tumi & Me proof of concept — especially fundraising.
🧜♀️ Start building momentum for Erzulie’s international self-distribution.
📝 Keep applying for grants and fellowships.
📚 Keep growing Get Reelisms — one store at a time, while building our marketing materials and podcast.
💪 Get through the rest of radiation while continuing to move my body, stay active, and feel as strong as I can.
Some days lately have felt incredibly heavy. But then I get a day on set that reminds me that even while one part of my life is incredibly hard, another part can still be joyful.
I can be scared about losing my hair and excited about a performance we captured.
I can be exhausted by cancer and still ambitious about my career.
I can be healing and building at the same time.
So here’s to the next three weeks. Keep moving forward. 💙