We recently connected with Dean Peterson and have shared our conversation below.
Dean, looking forward to learning from your journey. You’ve got an amazing story and before we dive into that, let’s start with an important building block. Where do you get your work ethic from?
Early on in my career I learned the lesson that if you aren’t willing to do something yourself, it won’t get done. You can’t wait around for a magic hand to emerge from the clouds giving you the permission and resources to achieve the things you want. That might happen for a lucky few, but they’re the exception to the rule. Also this isn’t to say that you shouldn’t ask for help or that you need to do everything by yourself, but often in the early days of a project or endeavor you might be toiling away by yourself for a while and you need to embrace that and get the ball rolling on your own. Most people only want to get on a train that’s already moving, so start pushing that thing.
Great, so let’s take a few minutes and cover your story. What should folks know about you and what you do?
I’m a filmmaker living in Los Angeles (if you can believe it). I’ve written and directed three feature films which were all labors of love and dealt with issues taken from my own life. I’ve also created a ton of video work for Vox, the BBC, CNBC, and Skillshare. I love to tell stories and collaborate with talented people, regardless of the medium.
My wife and I are also in the early days of opening a non-alcoholic bottle shop in South Pasadena called Burden of Proof. I was diagnosed with a serious heart condition a couple of years ago which made me quit drinking. But just because I quit drinking alcohol didn’t mean I wanted to be stuck with Diet Coke at parties. So we both decided to create a place for people where the decision to not drink isn’t a sacrifice but is just as fun, delicious, and exciting.
Neither of us have started a business before so it’s a new adventure. Everyone tells us how exausting and difficult opening a small business is, but so far I’m finding that nothing is nearly as difficult as making a low budget feature film.
If you had to pick three qualities that are most important to develop, which three would you say matter most?
I think that the most important quality I’ve had to adopt in my career, be it in film or business, is the ability to practice detachment. What this means is that when things go haywire, a film location falls through, a source of funding pulls out, you don’t allow yourself to lose your cool. When you’re running behind schedule on a film shoot you don’t allow your emotions to be tied to the problem. You take a step back and assess the situation objectively knowing that there is a solution to this problem. When I first started making movies, anytime a problem would come up (and they always do) I would panic thinking that it was going to wipe out the entire project. But after a while you begin to realize that’s not the case and that it’s not worth the expenditure of energy to worry about them.
Another important skill for any field is learning a diversity of skills. If you’re a film director, learn about lighting and sound and acting so you can communicate with your crew members more effectively. If you’re a business owner, learn some basic electrical skills so you’re not rendered helpless when things go wrong. I’ve been teaching myself color correction and sound mixing so that I’m not totally reliant on others to create work. I would broaden the aperture of that advice even further: if you’re a filmmaker learn about poetry and how to tie knots. If you run a small business learn a second language and about the enneagram. It might sound silly but having a diverse skillset and base of knowledge will come in handy in ways you can’t even predict and will make you a more rounded person.
The final skill that I will recommend is doing things that have nothing to do with your job or career. I’m serious. It’s so easy to get wrapped up in our projects and jobs that at the end of the day we’re too exhausted and spent to do anything. Don’t just get into a cycle of waking up, doing your work, going to bed. You’ll get burnt out. Go to a museum. Attend a concert. Pick up a hobby. Get some exercise. Life is about more than your art, job, business whatever. Make sure you attend to other things as well.
Any advice for folks feeling overwhelmed?
When I’m overwhelmed, I just try to focus on one small thing that I can accomplish in that moment. I moved into a smaller apartment recently and when I was unpacking, I felt like I was underwater. I felt like I had a million boxes and didn’t even know where to begin. So, I decided to just take the first box in front of me and unpack that one.
The same can be said of a creative or business practice as well. You don’t have to open your store or create your entire film by tomorrow, you just need to go buy a notebook or write the first page of your script. Every endeavor, even sending a rocket ship into outer space, can be broken down in a ton of tiny little tasks and can be started by doing one small thing.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.burdenofproofna.com
- Instagram: instagram.com/deanpeterson_ & instagram.com/burdenofproofna
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@deanpeter2on
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