We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Shaun Rylee a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.
Shaun, we’re thrilled to have you sharing your thoughts and lessons with our community. So, for folks who are at a stage in their life or career where they are trying to be more resilient, can you share where you get your resilience from?
When stopping from time to time to evaluate my life path and where it’s headed, I think it’s important to remember how I got as far as I have. I constantly set big goals for myself but my life has no doubt been challenging along the way. In the film industry, there is no easy path to get anywhere. But I have had incredible moments that stay at the forefront of how I remember the entire journey too. I stay resilient because of those positive moments and think of ways to stay ahead of the curve, so to speak. Forward thinking keeps me resilient because it gives me things to look toward and I want to see the final outcome. Reflecting, setting goals and having something to work towards are all building blocks in maintaining resilience, for me.
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?
As a filmmaker, I like to elevate my personal voice by staying rooted in the artistic presence behind my stories. What got me excited about film as a child was the magic in the beauty of storytelling and how it was presented onscreen. I have never given into being completely formulaic because it doesn’t feel authentic to me. I want audiences to feel a poetic sway through my words and visuals so they can experience my version of storytelling and have it move them. I’m focused on feature films that I wrote with my distinctive experience and style, as well as the artistic freedom of some more short films and returning to directing music videos here in Europe as well.
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?
Studying film, writing, and psychology have all intertwined to impact how I create. Not only did I formally study them in university but I kept that curiosity in my every day life as well. It is important to me to keep learning and evolving so my growth shows in my writing and films. I’d add being influenced by art in museums and small galleries as well because I’m influenced by the infinite ways people create what’s important to them. That impacts me in a huge way when combined with the aforementioned three qualities I place a great emphasis on in my work and life.
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?
I am always looking for individuals to collaborate with that have the drive to see things through to completion, who contribute their unique stamp on projects as well. Finding like-minded people who want to create something meaningful and beautiful is something I am always seeking. If that’s you, please reach out to me on Instagram (@shaunrylee) or through my IMDBPro email contacts. A lot of people say they want to work but finding people who actually stay from steps A through Z are more rare than you think, but I know they’re out there and I want to work with them.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://imdb.me/shaunrylee
- Instagram: @shaunrylee
Image Credits
Joseph Bacelis (still from ‘Where Is My Mind?’) Crucial Cinema LLC
