Michael T. Starks

Author: admin

  • The In-Between

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    I’m a project person. I like doing projects. The “In-Between” is that strange time when I’m not working on a project. One project has ended. Another is yet to begin. This would be a good time to go on a vacation. Traveling is probably the best thing I could do in between projects! However, I…

  • No Payoff

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    I watched an okay movie last night. The trailer was great. The premise was fine. The setup was excellent. Unfortunately, I lost interest somewhere in the middle. Although I kept watching it, the ending left me feeling “blah”. There was no payoff. I’m not going to name the movie. There are far too many movies…

  • Celebrate Your Wins

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    Even small wins are worth celebrating. Did you lose five pounds? Celebrate! Did you take a nice walk? Celebrate! Did you have an instructive parenting moment? Celebrate! And especially if you’re on the verge of completing a big project, celebrate! Today, I got past a difficult issue with a screenplay that I’m writing. What better…

  • Love on the Rocks

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    When I was a kid, I watched a movie called The Jazz Singer. It featured the unlikely combination of Laurence Olivier and Neil Diamond. I remember the struggle of a Jewish son trying to break free of the religious traditions of his strict father. But I also remember the creative struggle depicted. Some fool tried…

  • “You start writing the next one.”

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    There’s this amazing scene in the movie tick, tick… BOOM! that I had to watch again. It happens after Jonathon Larson has his big presentation of a new musical that nobody on Broadway wants to produce. He says, “So what am I supposed to do now?” Rosa Stevens says, “You start writing the next one.…

  • Networking Effects

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    When trying to solve complex problems, a diverse network of skilled people tends to outperform even the most extraordinary individuals. Having said this, coordination matters. Networks of people can get derailed, just like individuals, although for slightly different reasons. Whereas individuals have personal biases that lead to blind spots, networks of people can be brainwashed…

  • The Unknown

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    Here’s what I love about creativity. Each time we attempt to write a screenplay, paint a picture, dance in a new way, perform a monologue, play a musical instrument, engage in a conversation, or present a poem, we are jumping into the Unknown. If we know how to balance a checkbook, that’s great. It’s pretty…

  • Being Remembered

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    Not many people are known for making history. Some stories have survived. While most people do not know who Eratosthenes was, you can find out. The same is true for many people who have played some role in making history. Others are more well-known: Hitler, Einstein, Gandhi, Darwin, Shakespeare, Michelangelo, Leonardo da Vinci, Jesus, Caesar,…

  • Too Much Time…

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    When I was in grade school, one of my first record albums was Paradise Theatre, by Styx. It includes the song Too Much Time on My Hands. Often, I catch myself thinking that I don’t have enough time to do all of the things I want to do. The reality is I have 24 hours…

  • Filmmaking

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    Film is a visual storytelling medium. Most movies that get awards at film festivals are “cinematic”. The cinematography is gorgeous, and the visuals go a long way toward telling the story. This is certainly true of Portrait of a Lady on Fire, a movie I just saw. It’s hard to imagine seeing this story on…