Getting Serious

I had my last day at Disney a few weeks back. It was a little bit sad. I loved my time there. Working on Tangled was one of the best experiences I’ve had. Now I’m at Sony, working on a movie called Arthur Christmas. It should turn out to be a pretty good movie, and from what I’ve seen will look awesome. But it comes at a cost. Namely, I basically only get to see my family on the weekends. I’m incredibly blessed to have a job, especially doing something that I love. But after almost 5 years in this industry, the novelty is wearing off, and reality is sinking in. Seeing my name on the big screen a few times has been awesome, and I’ve made some incredible friendships that I’m very grateful for. But I want to see my kids grow up. More than I want to work on a Batman movie or work at Pixar, I want to be home at a reasonable hour and eat dinner with my family. So it’s time to make some changes.

I wrote a book and have been polishing it for about a year. I’ve sent out a few query letters which were rejected, but I haven’t really put my all into it. So starting this week, I’m going on a query letter blitz. At least five query letters a week for the foreseeable future. I’ll either eventually run out of places to query or somebody will give me an offer. If nobody bites, I’ll go the self-publishing route. I’m also working on a new novel that I’m hoping to finish the first draft of in the next 6 months. Now, I’m not delusional enough to think I’m going to have the success of a JK Rowling or Stephenie Meyer. So I’m also looking into going back to school and getting an MFA or MBA. I’m planning on taking the GRE next month and going from there. I don’t know what’s in store for me. Maybe it’s teaching, maybe it’s something completely unrelated to the arts. As long as it pays the bills and allows me time with my kids while they still want to be around me, I’m open to it. All I know is that it’s time I got serious about what’s really important to me in this life. And it’s not about seeing my name in lights.

Valentine

My wife isn’t a big Valentine’s Day fan. She thinks it’s silly to have one day set apart where you’re supposed to show affection by buying overpriced flowers and other such demonstrations of “love”. She would much rather I bought her flowers on some random Thursday, or do something else that spoils her or makes her feel special. I agree. No matter how cool or thoughtful your Valentine’s Day present is, it was still dictated to you by a date on the calendar. I’m not saying this approach works for everyone, but for us it does. At the same time, I like the idea of giving her something on Valentine’s Day. So five years ago I started making her mixes of songs that express how I feel for her, and it’s become a tradition that I really look forward to (and hopefully she does too). I finished this year’s mix Saturday, and this is one of my favorite songs from it.

Drifting alone on a wide open sea, letting life pass me by
Avoiding everything I’m afraid to be, but your heart shines a light
Lost in my own misery, till you came and helped me see
That I don’t have to be alone
Thank you for giving this lost heart a home