We had a shoot last Thursday. 

Shot 6 different videos in one day. It was a great chance to get some serious reps as a director and producer, as we had a small crew that needed to move quickly in order to execute our plan.

I was proud - not only did we do what we set out to, but we did it without being stressed or emotionally charged. Nobody worked late, nobody was yelling at each other, and everybody felt good at the end. That’s how it should be - it doesn’t have to be crazy at work. That 37signals mantra (and book title) doesn't just apply to making software - it applies to every team.

Part of the reason we were able to instill calm on set is because we came prepared. I made a shot list that prevented any second guessing for what was coming up. Everyone on the team - from art department to camera to gaff/grip to hair/makeup to talent - all new what to expect and what to get ready for next.

Just because you’re in an industry that boasts about 12-16 hour days as a badge of honor, it doesn’t mean you have to match up pound for pound. I’ve always despised this mentality. Many producers think it’s the only way to do things, and that’s just part of the gig. I think it’s an excuse to not be efficient and not know what you want.

So here we are - Monday. Time for me to edit everything. I’m excited and a little nervous. Excited to see how good everything came out, but nervous that it won’t come out like I hoped.

It’s inevitable that we didn’t get something we needed, or whatever we did get doesn’t work in the edit the way we imagined. So now it’s time to forget.

Forget what we hoped for.

That doesn’t mean we start from scratch and force puzzle pieces where they can’t fit. It just means we have to shape the pieces for a different puzzle.

What do I mean? Well editing is just a visual jigsaw puzzle. The shots you have to work with are your pieces. They aren’t as rigid as literal puzzle pieces - they can be re-purposed, shortened, lengthened, and manipulated in many ways.

But we can’t always make the exact puzzle we envisioned. Sometimes it falls together perfectly, but there will be moments that don’t work like we thought and we need to re-think them to make them work in a new way.

That’s creativity - never being so rigid that you hit a brick wall with solutions. There’s always a way to blast through that. Many times, if you just patiently try some new things, the final version ends up being even better than the one you hoped for.

Writing all this out is my gentle reminder to myself to not freak out when a problem arises - because it’s going to.

Like bugs in software, they are going to come up whether I like it or not. How do I deal with them? Do I sulk for 3 hours while reading mindless breakdowns about super bowl ads? Or do I sit with the initial frustration for a few moments, notice it’s there, then start trying things that work toward a solution?

Creative problem solving is one of the hardest mountains to climb. But like any hike, when you reach the top and look back on the wrong turns you took, the close encounter you had with bad weather, the thoughts of it never ending and feeling so far away - you feel so good knowing you still endured and got where you wanted.

It’s not going to go the way we hoped, so erase that and embrace the new weather conditions that editing brings forth.

And remember - there’s always a way around everything.

Forget what you hoped for.