Meet Adam Barnick

We were lucky to catch up with Adam Barnick recently and have shared our conversation below.

Adam , so great to have you sharing your thoughts and wisdom with our readers and so let’s jump right into one of our favorite topics – empathy. We think a lack of empathy is at the heart of so many issues the world is struggling with and so our hope is to contribute to an environment that fosters the development of empathy. Along those lines, we’d love to hear your thoughts around where your empathy comes from?

Beginning a new relationship with someone with Complex PTSD, who needed my empathy
in order for anything to grow and succeed between us. I had a previous relationship years prior
with a survivor of trauma, that I wasn’t ready for; I had no real knowledge of PTSD back then,
and not enough understanding.

Nine years ago, I had a good friend (who’s since passed away, sadly) who guided me
when I asked about how to communicate and be supportive of someone in grief,
and that led to a number of resources.

The greatest tool I found was the book “When someone you love suffers from Posttraumatic Stress”
by Claudia Zayfert and Jason DeViva. It acknowledged and validated the stress I felt
trying to support a partner with trauma AND also brought a huge understanding
of what they were experiencing daily. Which ended up bringing healing and compassion
to both of us. NVC (the Nonviolent Communication system)
was another helpful tool. And taking accountability for my own mental health
on top of this was a helpful and overdue step.

I’m no master at empathy, but I try to lead with it; it’s an active skill I always have to work on.

There’s a wonderful interview with the producer of “Everything Everywhere all at Once”, Jonathan Wang,
where he mentions trying to navigate complexities in Hollywood and he says “At the end of the day,
it’s just humans trying to figure out life, I’ve always held onto that.” Which sums it up beautifully.

We’re all trying our best with the tools that we have. And the past few years, especially
post-pandemic, post-industry strikes, everyone’s struggling. So I try my best to remember that daily,
especially when working with creative people dealing with their own pressures.

Let’s take a small detour – maybe you can share a bit about yourself before we dive back into some of the other questions we had for you?

I’m a film director and editor.

Growing up in the atmospheric woods of New Jersey was a greater creative inspiration to me as a kid than most
films or television. and I gravitated toward filmmaking as a means of painting with images, and sound.
David Lynch and Sidney Lumet are film heroes of mine, and I feel like
they summarized my obsessions, as different as they are.

What is most exciting about films to me? I think originally it was the building of worlds
and moods and textures, image by image, but nowadays I feel equally if not more excited
by the collaborative element of working with actors. And the chance to provoke discussion
and creative thought with the work.

I directed a short experimental horror film called “Mainstream” back in the 2000s that got
worldwide distribution (before online video really took off) and that nudged the door open a bit, for me.
And led to directing and editing, for myself and others, on music videos and short documentaries.

After leaving corporate day jobs behind and striving to work in film full-time,
I had many years of struggle and running in place, and the pandemic didn’t help;
but I’ve been fortunate to work with many excellent people and production companies,
including collaborations with some heroes of mine.

The past few years I also took a strong detour into post, editing or assistant editing on features,
music videos, documentaries etc and finally animation! Currently I’m currently editing
a feature-length animated film (ULTRADUCK, for Arcana Studio) as well as a music video for
reggae/hip hop artist Snow(“Informer”). I’ve been fortunate and truly grateful to be
consistently working in such an unstable time in the world.

Recently I’m steering back toward directing more projects. I have several narrative shorts
brewing, from zero-resource/skeleton crew ideas to high-level productions that we’ll pursue
fiscal sponsorship for. And I’m rapidly developing two features that combine
many passions and obsessions of mine.

There will always be challenges but I feel like I maneuvered around, or through,
enough obstacles and losses in life that I can begin to regularly move forward again.

If you had to pick three qualities that are most important to develop, which three would you say matter most?

Definitely empathy as I mentioned, and compassion; both are vital.

Advice? Not waiting for inspiration when it comes to cultivating creative ideas.
I spent (and lost) years ‘waiting for inspiration’ and didn’t realize you can create your own
through doing the work. Pursuing a small nugget of an idea even if you’re not “on fire” about
it just yet, can often yield amazing results if you keep at it daily.

Which leads to the other skill: Consistency. In your work, health, creative habits etc. is vital.
Sticking with it. Otherwise a day off from your dream can become a week off, a month etc.
and then suddenly time speeds up..Even a small flow each day towards what you want
can yield great things, but hitting the brakes doesn’t help other than softening the anxiety of growth temporarily.

Awesome, really appreciate you opening up with us today and before we close maybe you can share a book recommendation with us. Has there been a book that’s been impactful in your growth and development?

The book “The War of Art” by Steven Pressfield is a key book in my journey. It’s a perfect kick in the pants.
If you’re wondering why you’ve put so many things off and why, this book will help. And it’s a problem
every artist experiences. And it’s very difficult to overcome consistently, but it’s possible.
Pressfield even validates your struggle as well as your artistic importance.

Two great quotes from it:

“The counterfeit innovator is wildly self-confident. The real one is scared to death.”

“Creative work is a gift to the world and every being in it. Don’t cheat us of your contribution.
Give us what you’ve got.”

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.adambarnick.com
• Instagram: https://instagram.com/adambarnick1
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/adambarnick
• Twitter: https://www.twitter.com/adambarnick
• Other: Vimeo: https://vimeo.com/adambarnick

Image Credits

Images of Adam by sharai mustatia aka princess shredder