We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Michael Williams a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.
Michael , we’re thrilled to have you on our platform and we think there is so much folks can learn from you and your story. Something that matters deeply to us is living a life and leading a career filled with purpose and so let’s start by chatting about how you found your purpose.
Finding my purpose as a creative was inherent. I have always been drawn to my passions and sometimes in indirect ways. For example, I grew up thinking I wanted to be an archeologist. I was obsessed with the Titanic (the movie and the historical tragedy), Egyptian history, Indiana Jones, etc. However, I realized that I was drawn to the stories that transported me to a place and time. I loved having the ability to see a story play out, discover the mysteries, divulge into my imagination, and experience things I couldn’t in everyday life. Inherently, I am a storyteller, a dreamer, and my imagination is my personal superpower. Becoming a filmmaker and visual storyteller was my purpose in life even if I didn’t know it growing up. Even today, I am still learning what that means for me. As an adult, I am on my own journey of rediscovering and returning to the person I was born to be. The person I was before life and the world nudged me in other directions. I am still a filmmaker constantly striving to tell stories, bring ideas to life, and share my imagination and personal experience with others. I am also a gardener and aspiring hobbit. I have created a world in my own yard full of stories and experiences for me to enjoy and share with the ecosystem within it. As different as filmmaking and gardening seems, I see them both as a creative journey where I use my imagination, collaborate with others (humans, plants, and other critters) to make it a reality, and share it with others. Filmmaking and gardening is a very personal journey for me and my purpose is to grow, create, and repeat. Sometimes I’m making a film and sometimes I’m making my own version of the shire in my front yard. Either way, I’m enjoying the journey and using my inherent passions to find my purpose in life.
Thanks, so before we move on maybe you can share a bit more about yourself?
When I’m not aspiring to be a hobbit and live out my shire fantasy, I am a writer, director, and cinematographer. I write and direct my own films and work as a cinematographer for other filmmaker’s projects. I also travel the country as a commercial director/shooter. Currently, I am developing and pitching two feature film projects. My previous two features, OZLAND (2015) and THE ATONING (2017), we successful independent films for their budget levels, however, these two new projects are much larger in scale and require more resources and a more substantial budget. The first film is a psychological thriller titled ROSEMARY and the other is a queer, sci-fi, comedy called OUT IN THE OPEN. While my producers and I work to find a path to production for these projects, I continue to work in the film industry on other projects. When I’m not on set, I spend a lot of time in the garden which has led me to fulfill a longtime dream of mine. I have just launched a speciality herb, tea, and spice company called The Great Catsby Herb Cartel to supply small batch and seasonal herbal and medicinal products made from the plants I grow in my garden. It’s an exciting creative endeavor for me that will allow me to share the full scope of my passions as a creative with people.
If you had to pick three qualities that are most important to develop, which three would you say matter most?
When I think about why I have been successful as a creative, I think it boils down to following your passion and being “delusional” enough to pursue it, especially when the world is working against your success. I use the word “delusional” because it takes a bit of delusion and naivety to break the mold and choose an uncertain and often difficult path to realize your dreams. You have to be motivated to do it yourself in spite of all the hardships, push back, and self doubt. Your dreams and passions have to be worth all the difficulty. As a creative and dreamer, you will find success if you’re resilient enough. Sometimes, success is just beyond your threshold of mental, emotional, and physical stamina. It can seem overwhelming and daunting to have a big dream and be passionate enough to achieve it. So, my advice to make it work is to have your big, ultimate goal but to also have your smaller, more tangible goals that you can achieve along the way. You will have more stamina and motivation when you see yourself achieving the small steps that you know will lead you to that dream. Be patient and know that success will often not come on your own timeline or when you want/expect it. Stay motivated by your dreams, your passions, and your creative intuitions. Seek to fulfill you creative needs in everything you do, big or small, daily or yearly. In the end, your journey can’t be compared to anyone else’s because your journey is unique. The experiences along your unique journey will shape who you are and the ultimate impact and importance of what you achieve when your reach your goals.
Before we go, any advice you can share with people who are feeling overwhelmed?
When I feel overwhelmed, I have to ground myself. As simple as it sounds, I have to breathe. I have a habit of not breathing and tensing up when anxious. That creates a spiral that isn’t productive and isn’t helpful. As a creative, you need to have your passion but you also need to have your escape from that passion. If what you’re working on or the stresses of your creative pursuits overwhelm you, give yourself permission to take a break and try again in an hour, tomorrow, or next week. Sometimes, removing yourself from the work and giving yourself space to recharge will answer your problems or give you the energy to tackle them more effectively. For me, time in the garden or away from people and the outside world helps me. It helps me with my own anxiety in life and in my creative journey. It helps me find balance in my life and be inspired in more ways. If you’re feeling overwhelmed, identify what is making you overwhelmed and allow yourself to tackle it. Sometimes that means stepping back and coming back to it when you’re more capable and less prone to being overwhelmed. However you need to ground yourself and find balance, do it! If you don’t know? Listen to your intuition when feeling overwhelmed. Your mind and body are telling you what it needs. Just listen and learn from yourself.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.shendopen.com
- Instagram: www.instagram.com/shendopen
- Facebook: www.facebook.com/shendopenproductions
- Linkedin: www.linkedin.com/in/michael-williams-8a16a0175/
- Youtube: www.youtube.com/shendopen
- Other: www.patreon.com/shendopen
www.catsbyherbcartel.com
Image Credits
Headshot – Cody Moore – Babble House
