Good morning crew... Take 1... 6:57am Take 2... 8:20pm **Int. Home - morning** P lies awake, still in bed. She pulls her phone out and begins to type. The room is dark, silent, apart from the tiny whistling snore of the golden retriever laying on the floor. --- It took me a few days to fully settle in on what my next blog post would be about, but alas here we are again. Coming up with an idea for my post took me a few days because I kept feeling like every idea I was coming up with was a "bad" idea. But was it really a bad idea? Probably not. But the reality was that I couldn't come up with enough talking points to make them interesting or to make the particular topics or idea feel meaningful. Sometimes I'll come up with an idea for a film, or for a post like this that I'd fall in love with only for a peer reader to suggest changes, or not see it the way I do, which could be daunting and discouraging. And that always makes me wonder, is it a bad idea? Or does it just need time? There are many components to what can make a film good or bad, from concept, to overused tropes, underdeveloped ideas, etc. When I tell myself that something is a "bad" idea, or someone else poses a point or a question that my idea isn't as great as I thought, I sometimes have to remind myself that an idea doesn't have to be bulletproof in order for it to be good. But that every idea starts from the ground floor and has to work its way up. Whether you achieve multiple levels at a time or take things step by step for all the pieces to fill into place. Luckily, good ideas aren't rare, but they can take time. When I'm disappointed and looking for perspective regarding whether a film idea is actually bad or just hasn't reached its right audience, I like to recall that even classic movies like Dirty Dancing, or franchise-forming films like Star Wars were rejected from 40 different studios. Slumdog Millionaire was rejected by studios and managed to win 8 Oscars. The list goes on, from Home Alone, to E.T., two major childhood classics that were all thought of to be "bad" ideas. Imagine if those producers had stopped at the first no. Thankfully there are more studios or we never would've seen those films. I mean, what would Christmas be without Home Alone? There are little reminders and stories everywhere that remind me that so many of us, big and small, Hollywood or indie have lived the same experience of trying to create art and stories worth telling. So, let this serve as a reminder. To myself, to all my fellow creative moms and BTS crew to find the idea that's worth fleshing out and fully taking form. Develop that concept that won't leave your head, and defend the idea that has meaning even if it needs work. A bad idea can always be saved, or salvaged, once you find its meaning, and the people it is meant to reach. Happy creating. Signing off, until next time.