“The moment you doubt whether you can fly, you cease forever to be able to do it.” ~ J.M. Barrie
Ten days ago, I shared with you the struggle I was experiencing in trying to get my documentary film accepted into film festivals. It was more than a struggle. It was shame and disappointment. I also shared my end goal from the beginning in making the movie — shine a light on something the world needs to see. Here’s the original blog post if you want to get caught up before reading on Rejection Is Hard — Every Time.
I also shared that I KNEW that the best way to get the movie out into the world was on YouTube but I resisted. I resisted until I indulged in a little helium balloon therapy. Yep. That’s a thing I totally made up 🙂 It goes like this. Buy a helium balloon, tell it all your hopes and dreams, and then let it go. Simple but surprisingly hard if you take it seriously. Here I am with my movie balloon in my backyard.
After releasing the balloon, I let go of my feelings of disappointment over the film festivals and uploaded the movie to YouTube. I paid $70 ($10 per day for 7 days) for a Facebook ad and let the movie go. (I never mentioned that submitting to film festivals is not free. The cost varies but is commonly between $50 – $100. The Facebook ad was the price of one average submission fee.) I wished it well on it’s journey and hoped it too would fly.
And fly it did!
As of this morning, the movie has been viewed over 2,500 times in 7 days. It has been shared on Facebook 250 times. And comment after comment continues to be posted. Even as I am writing this, notifications pop up on my phone to let me know someone has liked, shared or tagged someone on the post.
And then something I never imagined happened. An aspiring young band director contacted me about how incredible it would be to talk with someone from the movie. She wanted to talk with Kristen, the new band director in the film. I contacted Kristen who was touched by the request and happily agreed.
This is all I ever wanted for this movie. I wanted to show the world that people are kind, hard working, and still care about each other. I wanted to show the world something that often goes unseen at the Friday night football games. There is a group of students and music educators that are providing the beat and rhythm for football players, cheerleaders, dancers, concession stand volunteers, and the fans in the stands. There is a group of students and music educators that are spending hot summers, early mornings, bus rides, competitions, after school practices, music tests and concerts together. There is a group of students and music educators that are becoming a support system and family for each other. Life is happening. And it is quiet beautiful to see.
I knew the movie was good. But I have to admit, it feels a little bit like flying to know I did what I set out to do. Flying is hard. Every time. I’m so glad that I didn’t cease believing that it was possible.
One more thing before you go…
Curious about the movie? You can learn all about it here. And here’s my favorite movie trailer AND the full movie link on YouTube. The film is good. I know it 🙂
Interested in more of my stories? Go here to read my most popular blog post. Curious about the post that started it all? You can find it here. Want to read them all? Start at the top right here and work your way down.
Interested in my work as a Life Coach or need someone to listen and help you navigate your way in this crazy world we are living in? Learn more here and then reach out to me. I love to listen and help.