We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Anthony Cally a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.
Anthony, 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.
I make sure I carve some time out for myself where I completely cut off from the internet. It’s hard to do it during the week, so more often than not its a Saturday or Sunday thing. And if for some reason it can’t happen in a given weekend, I don’t get frustrated anymore, I just tell ( and force) myself that it will happen next week.
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?
My main career is in VFX, the most recent job being a Production Manager at Netflix. My team worked on Zack Snyder’s Rebel Moon films. Before that, I had been on Slumberland, Fast 9 and some tv like Colony and Ray Donovan.
Being in vfx has helped me learn and maintain production workflows that I’m able to bring into my own work.
When not in vfx, I write and direct my own work. My first feature, “Love and Love Not” is on amazon. I’ve also done shorts and music videos. One thing that I think most people who live in Los Angeles can relate to is the timing/waiting to make your own creative endeavors. So once a vfx gig finishes I’m able to get a burst of creativity and let it explode!
Through my production company Wandering Winds, we just released a mid-20th century psychoanalytic take on Hamlet in the short film “What Dreams May Come”. My next music video, “Take You There” for artist Katt Rardi, comes out September 4th.
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?
Number one has to be humility! There is so much to learn about and to learn from. I tend to stay away from people who think they have all the answers. A new tip or trick just might be the thing you need that inspires you to start/finish/complete your own work of art.
Personally, after that I would say repetition, or practice. Many people (myself included) get wary of starting the task or doing the thing your heart truly desires due to the fear of failing. But the more you try something, the better you become at it. Even if you don’t have a budget, making a movie with the limited resources you have will help you grow.
The last trait to round out this trifecta would have to be your ‘gut feeling’. Listen to yourself and what you think is right. If a certain project (song, short film, painting etc) needs to happen, start getting the wheels turning. Your subconscious will guide you to right and wrong.
To tie all these together, I’d have to quote the late, great Joseph Campbell… “follow your bliss”.
As we end our chat, is there a book you can leave people with that’s been meaningful to you and your development?
When I was 18 or 19, I read “The Unbearable Lightness of Being”. I looked at the world a different way after finishing it. One of the most useful and important things I found in it is just how different words, symbols, ideas mean to every individual.
One thing I certainly believe the book helped me develop in my own personal philosophy, is how much control an individual has in what is important and not important in life. Not to make a complete 180 from quoting Campbell and his universality of symbols in the previous question, but i do think the meaning of life is making your own meaning for it.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://wanderingwindsproductions.com/home
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/wanderingwindsproductions/
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@wanderingwindsproductions
Image Credits
Cally_Semcken_Waiting_location – Tim Russel
Fabiana_Udenio_LoveandLoveNot – Taylor Tomlinson
Radiator_king_music_video – Jason Vizzini
Hamlet_WhatDreamsMayCome – Jason Vizzini
howler_honey_music_video – Jason Vizzini
Hamlet_location_whatdreamsmaycome – Minica Casbara
Cally_Tomlinson_Nwueme_LoveandLoveNot_set – Minica Casbara
Cally_headshot – Minica Casbara
Katt_Rardi_music_video – Anthony Cally
Katt_Rardi_music_video – Jason Vizzini
so if you or someone you know deserves recognition please let us know here.
