We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Beej Burton. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Beej below.
Beej, so great to have you with us and we want to jump right into a really important question. In recent years, it’s become so clear that we’re living through a time where so many folks are lacking self-confidence and self-esteem. So, we’d love to hear about your journey and how you developed your self-confidence and self-esteem.
I believe that the development of my confidence and self-esteem has a lot to do with the support system that is my family and friends. As a creative I rely heavily on community because it is there where I can find safety, and it is in those safe spaces that I can embrace my vulnerabilities to be able to develop the parts of me that I believe need to be worked on. My creative community is no different. It is there that I can find a safe space to explore who I am and what I am capable of as a a creative, where I can make my mistakes and not feel fear of being shut out and I can surround myself with individuals who will help turn me into the man I am today. It is also my firm belief that in community I am also better able to learn from my mistakes and strengthen my self-esteem to take on challenges that I would not be able to face had I not had the support system within the community I have initially.
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?
I am a creative storyteller. I like to develop stories that are relatable to an intended audience and provide the means for them to escape the sometimes overbearing expectations of society, if just for a brief moment, and allow them the opportunity to exercise their imaginations. I create content that sheds a spotlight on up and coming talent who possess the same talent as individuals who are seen in mainstream media today. My content acts as a microphone to amplify the voices of those who would otherwise be overlooked, giving them the opportunity to showcase their talents. Through my content I also act as a bridge and connector of talented artists who would’ve otherwise not known each other, providing opportunities and areas for collaboration so that it isn’t just me who makes it and paves the way, but so that everyone can do it together.
Through the content I create, I strive to encourage viewers to embrace their inner passions that they felt and believe to be unachievable and pursue them relentlessly despite not believing that they have everything that you need to start. My stories that I share are presented in a way to emphasize the importance of understanding that it’s ok to not have everything, but the important aspect is that you have to start. As a wise man once said, “All you have, is all you need.”
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?
Three qualities of a filmmaker/content creator to me would be: communication, relationship building, and heart.
Communication- When I teach, I share that there are three methods to effective communication. Speaking, listening, and comprehension. Speaking is simply that. Are you able to verbalize what it is that you are trying to convey? Hearing is just as simple. Can you hear what is being said? Are you practicing active listening? Comprehension is probably the most crucial which bonds the first two. Do you understand what is being said? Do you understand what you’re saying? Do you know that they understand what was being said? It is only un understanding that you have effective communication.
Relationship-building- Relationships are a big portion of the business. Sometimes it’s about education but in most cases, you can learn a lot of what you don’t know on the job. The question that is asked the most is “Are they friendly?”, “Can they be taught?”, “Are they a know-it-all”, “Are they polite and easy to work with?”. If you can maintain a good relationship you’ll always be in good standing when it comes to opportunities of progression.
Heart- Lastly there’s heart. Heart is something that you simply have or don’t have. It’s the innate desire to accomplish what you set out to do despite the fact that the challenge looks insurmountable and overwhelming to accomplish. Heart is the feeling inside of you that tells you “Yeah, this looks like it’s not something I’m able to achieve, but I’m so dedicated to seeing this through that I’m gonna do it anyway because it just makes sense.”
My advice to those who wish to get more into the film and media world is to perform a self evaluation as to how you embrace these three qualities. Learn how you best communicate and how you can best communicate to others. Learn how effective you can be with relationship building, make sure your attempts are genuine in nature because people these days can normally tell when it’s genuine and when it isn’t.
Before we go, maybe you can tell us a bit about your parents and what you feel was the most impactful thing they did for you?
The most impactful thing I think my parents did for me was give me the space and grace to fail. My parents are some of the most important and influential people in my life. One thing was for certain that they had always shared with me. They told me that the day would come where I didn’t think I’d need them anymore and I would want to leave and not be around them. Of course I was a teen when we were having these talks so I was in disbelief that something like that would even be remotely close to possible. That was until I graduated with my Master’s Degree. I was faced with an option to either go back home, or go and travel being on my own. At the time I only had about $25 to my name and no job, but something told me that change needed to happen and that conversation I had as a teen came creeping back into my mind. I knew that it was time, and my parents honored my decision and supported me from a distance.
In me moving I had no choice but to find a way to stand on my own two feet, be the man that they raised me to be, and figure out what kind of leader I needed to be. Nothing about any of those decisions was easy, but life goes to show you that it isn’t about the intensity of the challenge because if it were easy it wouldn’t be a challenge. Over time, I had made a lot of mistakes and bumped my head in a few places, but it was in those moments where I made a mistake that the lessons started to come in, they started to come in and I developed strength of character, moral development, relationships, and I also learned that I had heart for this. None of that would’ve happened if my parents had stayed as close as they wanted to be. I could’ve stopped and gone back to my parents at any point, but I also realized that I wouldn’t be anywhere near where I am now if I had done that.
Contact Info:
- Instagram: http://www.instagram.com/beej_ly
- Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/beejlyclipstv
- Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/beej_ly
- Youtube: http://www.youtube.com/beejlyclipstv
- SoundCloud: https://soundcloud.com/the-p3-podcast
