CT: Finding Your Tribe

Hello there readers! Why yes, this post is a day late. And for that I have no excuse except to say that Little C and I were in Vegas with our parents and I was having too much fun running around to realize that my post was due. Whoops! 

As my punishment, Little has assigned me the word "apropos". Lucky for me, apropos means both "opportune" and "in regards to" so I have a lot of options. But enough about my punishment, on to what I really wanted to write about today. 

One of the biggest pieces of advice I've ever been given as an artist is to "find your tribe". It means that some of the best art happens inside a community, so finding the people to make up your community is one of the most important things you can do. Apropos to film, I think this is super evident in groups like The Rat Pack or the James Franco/Seth Rogen team. They found a group that they work well with, that push each other to new creative choices. And so they keep creating together. 

What I've realized recently is that we have one hell of a tribe. Some of them are friends so old that we were in elementary and middle school together. Some of them are the girls I lived with in Prague. A lot of them are people who I've met in LA. Some artists, people I'll be making art with for the next years or decades. Some friends that are family who I've laughed with or cried with or gone on adventures with. 

It's apropos to be writing about this now, actually. Cait and I have had a rough month, and the outpouring of support from our tribe has been overwhelming. They have been there for us with adventures and art and listening ears; apropos, we're heading back towards okay step by step with them right beside us. 

With a very few exceptions, film and tv are a collaborative game. No one gets into this business to do things alone. Apropos, the concept of a tribe. As artists, as people, we're meant to work inside of a community. We need people who think like us to strengthen our vision, and we need people who we disagree with to challenge us to change. All of this comes down to a group we trust, a group that can lean on each other. 

I've lived a pretty mobile life so far, apropos (phew, finally) my tribe is a weird, spread out group. They lead very different lives and many of them have never met. But when there's something going on in my life, whether it's a good thing or bad, these are the people who push up their sleeves and dig in. They're a truly wonderful group and I can't really describe how thankful I am for them.

So artists, I'm joining the chorus of voices proclaiming the importance of a tribe. Find yours. 

Cheers!

CT