There & Back Again - Good bye 2010, Hello 2011!

A blogspot by MJ Slide that has absolutely nothing to do with the Lord of the Rings or the Hobbit. Ok maybe not nothing. Both those books were about strenuous and exciting journeys their protagonists embarked on and successfully completed. The year 2010 would be considered such a journey for me as both a creative, be it filmmaking, writing or photography to simply the bare bones of growing up. It's been painful, gut wrenching, exhilarating, confusing, magical, nonsensical, and pretty much the most epic year of my life.

I feel funny typing that because after all I'm only 18. 18 years on this dear earth isn't very long at all, but conversing with a screenwriting friend of mine a couple days ago affirms the idea in my mind that as much as years are counted by those around you, they don't really count. It's an issue of growth and how willing one is to being open to change, getting beyond our boxes because we all  known we have  them. I may be known as MJ Slide: The Filmmaker, but what about MJ Slide: The Screenwriter, MJ Slide: The Photographer,  MJ Slide:The nutty teenage girl who drinks too much coffee, loves passionately, and gets herself into heaps of trouble?

Its not right for me to not cultivate every facet of my personality. I can't stand to read one dimensional characters in books or screenplays even if that character's one dimension may be relatively interesting. Why would I ever wanna be that type of person? I sit here at 2:30 AM in the morning typing away and I realize I'm truly giddy for 2011 to roll around. The prospect of a new year with new challenges burns in my blood. I cannot WAIT to take it on! I have ideas of what it might hold but then again, ideas are so very different from manifold truth. Obviously this blog post should be a balance between reflection and expectation for the future but honestly, I've spent some much time reflecting this year, over both mistakes and triumphs I'm merely going to focus on what comes next.

So what does come next for MJ Slide?

On Monday I begin my final semester of High School (scary thought!) which includes sending out more college applications, getting a job, (and my darn license finally) and that's just my life, what about my work? I've got big plans (of course I have big plans, I'm a dreamer) THE SAVING premiere is still locked for February 5th and then its off to the Festivals for us. While my mind and heart are still very much emotionally entwined with this film I'm looking ahead. Stories brewing in the all the recesses of my mind, romantic comedies, sci-fi period thrillers, and straight up horror films. I'm hoping to bang two shorts this year and start working toward my very first feature length film. While the buzz word phrase for 2010 was "We're Making a Movie Yo" 2011 will be "No Boxes for you!" (yes I watch Seinfeld)

That phrase has so many different implications but the gist is this, I will not put myself in a box, as a person, friend, daughter, lover, enemy, artist, woman, and I refuse to do the same to others. I have so much to learn, I can't let the walls of presumptions or lack of understanding mess things up for me and other people I care about. I won't do it perfectly, I've quite thoroughly stomped on my perfectionist nature (without lowering my high standards.

2011 will be about refining, keeping an open mind, and continuing to test my limits. No wonder I'm stoked about the coming 12 months :D Part of me has all these plans but another part of me bangs on the side of my head and says "Yo MJ, your plans rarely turn out the way you want em to, so WHAT'S THE USE!?" Its true in one sense, I believe there's a stark difference between goals and plans. Either way, I'll embrace spontaneity, questions that don't have answers, and people who are way smarter then I am.

So look out 2011, I'm all in and it's gonna blow even this past year out of the water. No doubt about that.

PS. The photos included in this blog post were taken by the amazing up coming photographer Hannah Nett. I'll be posting links to her work as soon as she gets her official site up. This girl is one to watch :D