We were lucky to catch up with Jordan Ching recently and have shared our conversation below.
Jordan, so excited to have you with us today. So much we can chat about, but one of the questions we are most interested in is how you have managed to keep your creativity alive.
Creativity is a fickle thing. It’s not something you can force or will into existence. Over the years, I’ve found a couple things that help me keep it alive. The first (and maybe the most important) is space. Breakthroughs usually happen in those random moments in between activities. Space also helps me process and digest information which ultimately helps with creativity. The other thing that helps is play. I love to try new hobbies and activities. I find that working my brain and body in other ways helps me keep my mind and ideas fresh. The last thing that always helps me is travel. Exploring a new place, taking in different sites, eating new food, and chatting with strangers does wonders for my creativity. I think it’s important to have routine but to also be able to shake things up so ideas don’t become stagnant.
Appreciate the insights and wisdom. Before we dig deeper and ask you about the skills that matter and more, maybe you can tell our readers about yourself?
My name is Jordan and I’m the CEO & a Director of Flipbird Films. We are a creative video agency dedicated to the craft of storytelling. I’m super excited about our first feature documentary, El Turista Imaginario. It’s about Luis Martinez, a Cuban poet who has never left his home town but travels the world with his mind and through his poetry. My crew and I are headed back to Trinidad for three weeks to complete principle photography!
One of my dreams is to write and direct narrative feature films, so recently I’ve began taking acting classes at the Stuart Rogers Studio as well as screenwriting classes from the Script Lab. My intention isn’t to become an actor but rather be able to communicate with actors in their language… I have had an incredible time jumping into both the actors’ and screenwriting processes. It’s given me a new found respect for both crafts because they aren’t easy by any means! I’m currently outlining for my first feature screenplay! Excited to turn that into a script.
Lastly, my good friend Remo and I have been developing a graphic novel for the past few years. It’s based on my magical bulldog and all the adventures he goes on in the multiverse. We are nearing completion of our first draft! It’s been a labor of love and we are so excited to share it with the world soon!!
Looking back, what do you think were the three qualities, skills, or areas of knowledge that were most impactful in your journey? What advice do you have for folks who are early in their journey in terms of how they can best develop or improve on these?
Looking back, I think there are a couple of qualities and skills that have been most impactful on my journey. First, the ability to see the glass as half full. In theory, I knew the road less traveled would be a difficult one but I didn’t understand the reality of what it would really take. By nature, I’m pretty optimistic and I think that this has helped me tremendously. It’s not to say that everything is wonderful and amazing, but there’s an underlying hope that keeps me going. Sometimes things kick you in the ass and knock the wind out of you which leads me to the next quality: resilience.
So far, this journey hasn’t been an easy one. Whether it’s hustling for deals or figuring out how to lead or starting over and building something new again, I’ve been knocked down more than once…. but somehow I always manage to get up again. Like Dory said, just have to keep swimming!
The last thing isn’t really a quality or skill, but rather something to cultivate and keep in mind: your tribe. My family and my friends are my everything. The people you surround yourself with will make all of the difference. When things aren’t going your way or you ask yourself why am I doing this, the belief and support from loved ones can keep you going when optimism and resilience aren’t enough. Keep them close!
One of our goals is to help like-minded folks with similar goals connect and so before we go we want to ask if you are looking to partner or collab with others – and if so, what would make the ideal collaborator or partner?
Collaboration is everything! We are looking for investment partners who will help us complete El Turista Imaginario. We would ultimately like to partner with people who believe in Luis and his story and understand the importance of sharing it with the world.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.flipbirdfilms.com
- Instagram: flipbirdfilms
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jordan-ching-607a5b1/
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@flipbirdfilms
Image Credits
Flipbird Films
