After the release of Wasteland, my short film, I found myself a little bit stuck on what to do next. Over the last three years my goal was simple – to finish the film. With a little bit of determination, and a whole lot of help and patience from others, I managed to do just that. Even in the final stages of the production, however, I was already thinking about what to do next. It was basically coming down to two options:
a. Create a new animation portfolio
b. Create another short film
I think the title already gives it away so yes, I decided to produce another short film. Looking at the two options now, it seems a bit foolish to choose a goal which will, arguably, make my career progress slower (companies generally don’t care about short films, they want to see a strong portfolio). And yes, for the longest time, I was determined to work on my portfolio to reach a point where I could call myself a professional animator. Moreover, I was already thinking about the shots I was gonna make and slowly putting together a master plan of achieving my goal.
Me pitching the next project to my wife
About a month ago, me and my wife managed to squeeze in some time for a date. We got a takeaway, pulled over and enjoyed a precious time together. We just talked and my wife asked me about what I want do next animation-wise.
Now, all props to my wife for even asking that question as I put her through a lot while finishing my previous movie. But, as the perfect wives do, she kept supporting me throughout.
Back to the car. I presented my wife with the two options. First, I told her about the portfolio. Then I described my movie idea. She totally loved it. And I could see her reaction was genuine. It was enough of a reason for me to change the direction and pursue the other goal.
I’ve got to say, I prayed about it too. As usual, I kind of expected God to miraculously reveal the next step for me, i.e. the option I should choose. But I think he just gave me the means to figure it out by myself. As he mostly does. In this case, he gave me an amazing wife in whose judgment I can trust.
More details about the movie coming up soon.
Best
Simi Papi
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