When I’m stuck, frustrated and feeling like I want to stick my head into a toilet and flush, often the only thing that makes me feel better is perspective from someone who is more stable than me (that day). Good advice has been invaluable and I have been lucky to capture some of those words of wisdom on film (meaning my Cannon Powershot). This is the first installment of a video series which will highlight tidbits of wisdom from people who have helped me to get off my knees and back into the ring.

A few months ago I was a part one of Kopkind Colony’s Filmmaker’s Retreat in Vermont. Six days in the mountains with people I admire. The question weighing on my mind on one of those days was: How do you know when a project is worth pursuing?

The It Gets Better Project is a response to the rash of gay teenagers who have taken their lives because of incessant bullying and harassment. On this website people can post stories about how they survived high school being the geek, the loser and/or the weird one…and then turned into a glorious swan in their adult lives.

In contemplating my video there is one important point that I’m struggling to phrase fairly: that life gets WORSE for the bullies. The popular ones simply peak early. They get complacent and don’t evolve past their glory days. We geeks and weirdos know that it is possible to make an evolution because our lives changed as soon as we graduated. We moved to better cities and found friends who supported our identity. We grew and we continue to change…because we know we can. The bullies are still scratching their heads wondering why life is moving so fast.

Now if I want to motivate a teen to feel better about their current situation I can describe what the bully will look like ten and twenty years from now. However, every word that I want to use is flawed.

The bullies will be:
fat (which isn’t always bad)….
divorced (which happens to the best of us)..
broke (well, isn’t everyone?)….

Hmm…..

The main point is that the bullies will be MISERABLE.

Ah-hah!

By describing is this way teens can paint their own picture of how their current oppressor will slide into uselessness in their adult lives.

Life is GREAT that way: you don’t have to taint your karma to get revenge, they will do it to themselves!

Go geeks and weirdos!