3rd "low stakes" video I've shot entirely on my phone
The mere idea of making something "important" can be terrifying. I am prone to perfectionism, so the more I care about something, the more I also obsess over it. This can be both positive and negative, as it spurs me on to create better work.
But it's also important to make just for making, and to have fun in the process.
This past summer I went on a big trip overseas to visit friends in the Middle East. I wanted to commemorate the trip, but didn't want to take myself out of the moment or to become too caught up in "making a perfect travel video." So I gave myself a whole bunch of rules:
1) Only use my phone. (A tiny, 3 year old Moto X with only 8GB of storage)
2) Shoot 15 minutes TOTAL of footage
3) No clip should be longer than 15 seconds.
4) Only one take of each shot
5) Edit must take less than 5 hours to complete and CANNOT include color correction/grading
6) It will be published on my personal (not professional) Youtube, regardless
I shot the thing, and didn't worry much, because out of a 3 week journey, I had only spent about 20 minutes creating shots. And it was very freeing to limit the edit time, not worry about who was going to see it, etc.
And that's when I realized that "low stakes" art can be wonderfully empowering. I had created something I'd cherish for years without having to put my life on hold. Which was an odd paradox, because it was precisely the thought that "this doesn't matter," that let me enjoy the creation so much.
I've resolved to make sure to make time for "low stakes" work in my routines, to make sure that I stay loose and stay creative, and remember that the act of creation is meant to be a source of joy.