Dimes

I think I have Photophobia. Whenever my eyes are exposed to bright light for hours and hours, such as sunlight, I get a migraine. Today's offender was fluorescent light (and some sunlight). The fact that I forgot to bring my sunglasses to school didn't help at all. So I came home with a migraine so bad that I had almost passed out on the Metra.

However, my day was splendid, beautiful, fabulous, and awesome. Not ten minutes after snapping an obligatory picture of the bean (I knew I had to blip the infamous Chicago bean sooner or later), I ran into Jake on my way to an interview. I hadn't seen him in a long time. He cut his hair! Yes, his curls are all gone. It makes me sad. He still looks good, and I had forgotten how much I missed him.

Last week, I skipped both Tuesday classes, so I had a lot of catching up to do today. My professors for both classes were really, really helpful with making sure I was on the same page as everybody else. How did I get such great professors this semester? In fact, I am kind of glad that I didn't graduate last semester like I was supposed to. I could really learn something this semester and get the inspiration I need, especially from my Screen Treatment & Presentation professor.

After listening to his lectures, I felt so motivated and so confident about being a writer. Ever since I became a screenwriting student at Columbia, some people would crack jokes about how I'd be begging on the street in five years and others would genuinely express concern about my future. While I do understand that it takes real talent (which I might or might not possess) to become a successful writer, I could use some support and encouragement. Well, that is exactly what my STP teacher gave me, and then some more. While he hasn't seen my work yet, I feel that he has faith in me and all the other students in his class, and it's refreshing to have someone from the cut-throat industry who genuinely believes that we measly students will succeed.

I've had many professors in the past who bitterly claimed that there was only a slim chance we would reach our goals. "Be prepared to become a P.A. for the rest of your life," they would say. "Only 10% of film students in the country will even get a job in the film industry." I would sit there, silently thanking them for the discouragement. I then would question why I was paying $9,000 per semester to hear these begrudging words.

Again, I do understand that many students at Columbia have unrealistic goals, such as becoming the next Steven Spielberg or Wes Andersen (a director whose style I dislike, but that's another story), and even more of us aren't even talented, so there has to be a merit of truth to the claim that only 10% of film students will even get a job in the industry. However, a teacher is supposed to encourage his/her students, not to tell them they won't succeed. I'm sure some extremely gifted students in the past have become discouraged and gave up because no one at Columbia pushed them in the right direction.

My STP professor has so much faith in us writers. He says that we have more power than pretty much anyone else in the film industry because we are the creators. I was on the verge of letting go of that notion when he reminded me that that is exactly why I wanted to become a writer four years ago.

I have been told many times that I'm a good writer and that I should fully utilize my talent, and while I really appreciate the kind words, I wasn't sure if I had the potential to become a successful writer, as I had no direction, no guidance, no nothing. All I had was my work. No one helped me get rid of that uncertainty faster than my STP professor, who said to me during our meeting after class, "Consider your work a gift. If the first producer doesn't like your gift, give it to the next one. Keep on giving until you find someone who appreciates you."