Conflict is taking 30 minutes to fill out an application and then letting your mouse hover over the send button for the rest of the day.
I was looking for something to help me focus. Something that would help me figure out a way to tell the stories I was obsessing about. But was this it? What I really needed was a break. I was overwhelmed, tired and skilled at procrastinating. Just looking at the send button was filling my mind with all the reasons why now was not a good time to take this on.
(Spoiler Alert)
I clicked the button.
Team New Orleans
Our team of filmmakers landed in The Big Easy with a mission to tell the most remarkable story we’ve ever told, in just 5 days.
Team New Orleans was excited to tell Clay’s story. We came into town organized and ready to make something magical. No one was planning on easy, but we were confident we had a great story.
We had the heart of our story. And an idea that would share his purpose in a fun and meaningful way. But to tell a remarkable story you need a place to tell the story in. Specifically a place that will help visually communicate where the story lives. And a place that is unexpected can make for an interesting space to host a conversation.
When we met Clay in his home we saw that every wall, in every room was covered in brightly colored paintings with shelves and counter spaces stacked with tchotchkes and items that would need a lifetime to take it all in. It oozed fun, was unexpected and felt like the place. I had this feeling of not believing our luck. And the very next moment, we found out his home was not available to film in. What a blow. It never occurred to me to secure Clay’s home as a possible location to film in.
Leaning into Conflict
The house has a furnished garage in the back and Clay and his roommate (the owner of the home) stay there when they rent the house out to tourists. And this particular weekend the house had been rented to a large group of friends coming in from out of town. We loved the space so much that we asked to speak with the renters to see if they’d let us into their space for a few hours to film. It was a no go.
Our team rallied and started hustling to find a new place. One group was walking the streets going door to door to see if someone would let us use their restaurant or club. Another group was driving from city park to city park to see if we could find somewhere quiet enough to record. And yet another group was searching a list of available vacation rentals to see if we could use one of their spaces for an afternoon. I was making phone call after phone call, reaching out to the contacts Clay was giving me, keeping in touch with the team, all while continuing to share our vision for Clay’s story with his roommate.
Did I mention that to make all this work, we had to have a place to film in the morning? The stress was next level. All this extra work was a miss-step on my part. The team was coming together and hustling, but I was feeling the weight of not taking the time to truly connect with Clay.
So it was a huge step forward when Clay’s roommate said he would ask his renters. I was so inspired by his willingness to act outside his comfort zone and take this on.
After a few tense hours, and 10 pounds of fresh craw fish we were given access to the space for a very limited amount of time. The relief was audible. But this was just the beginning. We still had a story to tell!
Laughing in the Face of Emergency
The best way to deal with conflict is to embrace it. Empower it and use it to tell your story.
Even with this win, I could feel all the balls I was juggling, start to fall. We don’t make films in vacuums. We make them with people, people that bring their own set of strengths and opportunities to the table. I brought my A game, but I also brought all the things that almost kept me from clicking the send button. The tight-wire between confidence and doubt was causing me to question what I was doing here. In what felt like an extreme moment of overwhelm, I lost my ability to find the space to breath. My own since of wonder and fun had faltered. It took getting clear on why I was here to get beyond this feeling. I was here to stand for something. To stand for this story. To stand for Clay’s purpose.
Without conflict, there is no growth or purpose. Without conflict, there is no story.
This story came together against all odds because we all stood for it. And the people we brought along on this journey stood for it. Time and time again, Clay’s friends would show up in extraordinary ways to support us in telling his story. I’m so excited to share it with you.
Bee Bones
Clay’s last show of the season was the night we finished filming.
For his last act, Clay got us all up on stage. Not just the film crew, but everyone in the audience. We stood on stage, packed shoulder to shoulder, jumping and dancing and looking out at an almost empty room. Most of us didn’t know each other. We had no idea if we had anything in common of we differed on fundamental levels. On that night we became members of the biggest band in the world. The Bee Bones!
It’s surprising how many people you can share a stage with. How easy it is to help people belong. I don’t know how many people Clay has brought into his band, I just know, when it comes down to it, we all are members.
“We all laugh in the same language” – Clay, Emergency Circus
Blueskies,
Tami Lynn