We recently connected with Carter Bowden and have shared our conversation below.
Carter, thank you so much for taking the time to share your lessons learned with us and we’re sure your wisdom will help many. So, one question that comes up often and that we’re hoping you can shed some light on is keeping creativity alive over long stretches – how do you keep your creativity alive?
I feel like this is a loaded question but I think the simplest and most honest answer I can give is I surround myself with people that are more talented than me! As a result, I’m constantly inspired to create and express myself. I love film, I love comics, I love stories, and I love drawing; but I also love surrounding myself with friends, family, and colleagues who are way more knowledgeable and experienced than me, because that keeps everything fresh. There’s something new to learn each day, there’s always a new perspective, a new angle, it allows me to be a sponge and from there I’m now inspired to create and also grow.
Thanks, so before we move on maybe you can share a bit more about yourself?
So my ultimate dream is to one day direct a Batman movie, so whatever path gets me to that dream, let’s do it! That’s something I’ve been chasing since I was five when my dad first showed me Tim Burton’s Batman with Micheal Keaton. The look, the sets, the costumes, the music – all of it made me fall in love with movies! I practically wore out our VHS tape with how often I would watch the film, dissect it, then rewind it and watch it again. Currently I do a lot of freelance camera operating, editing, storyboarding, and set dressing for various projects with colleagues in addition to doing contract work with the Micheaux Film Festival. I’d highly recommend anyone to check out and submit to that festival because it’s a wonderful experience. Outside of work, I write and develop my own personal projects that I’ll direct and produce with friends. I’m still figuring out the right way to balance everything but I try to keep the creativity alive and in full swing. There’s a short film I made in college and I’m so proud of how it turned out given the very unorthodox way we made it. It’s called Snowflake and it’s a drama/thriller about a woman who goes out of her way to create a new persona through social media and the toll it takes on her. I collaborated on the short with Lily Hansen who approached me to direct her script. We spent months just talking about her character and then when it came time to shoot there were only 2 people on set. Lily and myself. We shot the film in the height of Covid and wanted to be as safe as possible so 90% of filming only included the two of us in Lily’s apartment. We created such a fun creative environment that relied heavily on improvisation, we had a script, but each day we branched off of it and experimented and constantly through ideas at each other. When filming wrapped I brought on more crew that consisted of an extremely talented post production team that brought the film to life! The film went on to premiere in many festivals, we had a Q&A screening in London, and it was a finalist at the Kino Shorts Awards last January. None of that would have been possible with the people who helped me along the way. I love the collaborative process of filmmaking because there is always so much to gain and learn from working with other people!
I’m very grateful for the friend group I currently have consisting of people from college and onwards as well as my childhood friends because they are all a treasure. The support I’ve received from the closest people in my life is something I don’t take for granted and try to always remind myself of it. In High school, when I was teaching myself how to use a camera and how to edit, I had a group of friends who every single summer would give me their time to act in and help me produce these little action shorts we would shoot in our backyards and in the forest in the swamp ass Arkansas heat! Looking back now those shorts are kinda rough to watch but that wasn’t the point – the point was to teach myself how to make a cheap little movie and to have friends that were willing to give me their time as I was exploring this craft was so incredible. And I owe so much to all of them. The same goes for my current friend group out in LA, I’m surrounded by people who are talented in various fields and it’s so much fun to constantly bounce ideas off of each other and then have an idea and go – okay let’s go make this!
If you had to pick three qualities that are most important to develop, which three would you say matter most?
I think life is crazy and most of the time it makes no sense, except for when it does, then it’s awesome. But most of the time it’s challenging and difficult, and it can be so easy to get lost and feel uninspired. But know that whenever you are in those grey voids of uncertainty, they will pass. They are not forever. I’m also saying this with the full knowledge that this kinda shit is way easier to say than to actually practice. I’m still a huge work in progress myself. One of my favorite comic book panels is an image of Superman and his dad watching the sunrise and discussing how they never get tired of looking at the sun come up. It’s an epic illustration that reminds me that tomorrow is always a new opportunity. And what’s so awesome about that is that my girlfriend knew that’s one of my favorite panels and she printed it on a huge poster for me as a surprise and now it hangs in my room and I see it everyday. There’s a great quote by Denzel Washington where he says “making a movie is a luxury.” And he’s right. I think the biggest takeaways are whatever your passions are, whatever they entail, always be grateful you discovered them. It’s a luxury to create, and it’s also a giant puzzle to do so, so whenever you do create…be proud of yourself. Even if you screw it up because mistakes will always be made, but you can still learn from them. Again saying this with full transparency that I am no expert, there’s so much for me to still learn, and I’m still an amateur. For whoever ends up reading this the intent is not to sound like I’m better or more knowledgable than others, but to answer this question it made the most sense to share the same advice my mentors have shared with me.
And lastly, laugh! It’s purely the best medicine. I think anyone that knows me knows I will do anything for a laugh. To the point where it can probably become exhausting, but the intention is never to annoy, the intention is purely to make you laugh. I think a smile is one of the most beautiful things in the world, and whenever you can make someone laugh everything just gets brighter. You have no idea what someone else is going through on the inside, and you don’t have to, but if you’re able to make them laugh – that’s a win! Because no matter what they’re feeling internally, now they’re smiling! So to recap, approach tomorrow as a new opportunity, embrace and be grateful for the ability to create, and laugh…damn it.
Before we go, any advice you can share with people who are feeling overwhelmed?
Watch Bob Ross. Fully serious! It’s the ultimate comfort watch. It relaxes you, it inspires you to create, and it’s wholesome. You don’t have to agree with everything Bob Ross says or even his personal views, but in terms of aesthetic and atmosphere…it’s a great watch when you need a break.
Contact Info:
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/carterbowdenfilms/
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@carterbowdenfilms
Image Credits
Jackson Campbell, Jeffery Chan, Holly Vonder, Kathlyn Almeida
