was a philosophy I grew up hearing. (Work can be interpreted as: fulfilling duty, following through with commitments or pursuing passion.) Anyway, the idea never really made sense to me.
Does it mean you aren't supposed to grow attached? If you're unattached to consequences, can you still envision the end goals you want to achieve? If you are unattached, is it still possible to be passionate?
Is anything worth doing if it doesn't make you passionate?
Then, last week, I had a revelation that makes me think I've been going about it the wrong way:
I've been in India working on these films since Jan. One of my first priorities was the animated piece. (FYI animation, I've discovered, is really hard- 2d animation requires 24 drawings PER SECOND of animated film. Mine is a little over 30 sec--> 30 sec x 24 drawings = a lot to ask someone to do as a volunteer project). Arch posed a challenge for me: don't pay anyone to do it. If you are trying to get PSA films out there to convince others to give back to their communities - you should first be able to convince the people you are working with. besides, the end product will be much more effective (even on a subconscious level) coming from someone who really understands what you are trying to do..)
I looked for an animator EVERYWHERE. Tapped every avenue I could think of. Animation/ design schools? Check. Animation companies? Check. Activist and volunteer platforms? Check. Posters, word of mouth, asking everyone I know? Check. Nothing. For over a month. Met a bunch of amazing people (including a woman that animated Ice Age!); everyone was excited but no one had time or resources to do it voluntarily: 'Inspiring youth is necessary. But not in such a time intensive, labor intensive business.' (The rest of the filming has been a similarly frustrating scenario- many Indian business people, I've discovered, love to say 'yes' even if they have NO INTENTION of following through. )
[I had also grown super attached to the project because it's important to me to see it happen- it's why I came back to India right? I was taking everything personally- project successes would leave me a bit too happy; setbacks would leave me completely devastated. I hit a point last week where I had had enough. I was ready to throw in the towel and come home. Nothing was going my way, despite giving every effort my all.]
Then, Monday, everything tipped. An animator from Mumbai, this bright-eyed guy who animates for Zee Entertainment committed to doing the project without payment!! (keep in mind, this was HUGE. I had met about 30+ animators who loved the idea but wouldn't do it.) The next day, I found out that he not only agreed, but he also convinced his compositor to do it without charge!!! Then other stuff started coming into place.... a place to tape, a 3chip video camera to use (more expensive than the cost of my entire year in India), a cameraman willing to teach me the basics of filming and direction, a video editor, access to editing equipment.... slowly the tide began to turn. Now I am creating new storyboards for other animations for a guy in Abad (who just moved here from Chicago) and another animation team in Hyderabad. :)
I had to lay the foundation but stuff only started to happen when it was ready to happen.
Maybe the idea of detachment doesn't need that I have to forgo my passion. Maybe it just means I have to have more faith that things happen when the time is right. It still requires the same amount of work and persistence and commitment. Maybe just not the anxiety. Maybe detachment just means that I have to keep pushing for the things that make me come alive, trusting that everything will fall into place in its own time.
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ALSO- thanks for the concern, but the bombings were in Varnasi- not near me. The earthquakes were here... however, we all know how sound a sleeper I am. Didn't even know they happened until the next morning.
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