Creating 2015—Day 322: I’M EXPANDING!
Posted by Kelli Joan Bennett
Yes, my ass is expanding. Unfortunately. But that’s not what I’m talking about today! What I’m referencing is the expansion of how I produce and what I am open to producing. This past summer, I had the opportunity to work with Uh-mazing Romantic Partner creating and developing reality show concepts for a development deal he got, which was an unexpected blessing plus super fun and creative! The experience, which is ongoing, really opened my mind to new arenas of creativity for me. It made me take off my, “I only make movies” blinders.
Now that my blinders have been tossed in the trash, I am excited to venture into a new creative arena for me: scripted series. Months ago, I spoke to Screenwriter Monica about developing a web series but we haven’t gotten much farther than two conversations. She’s writing a novel and I still need to finish our first collaboration: Collusions! In the meantime, another amazingly talented screenwriter I know recently pitched me a concept for a web series, which I loved. At breakfast yesterday I discovered she is not fucking around. She handed me a draft of the first webisode! And it’s fantastic! We are in the nascent stage but the goal is to shoot in January. There will be more to come on it soon, but the point is, it’s no longer black and white that I only make movies! And that, is crazy liberating.
What and how I create is no longer black and white.
The other crazy liberating thing I’m working on in a new way is an old project that I love dearly: The Botox Party. Screenwriter Cindy and I have recently revisited it and made a fresh commitment to do whatever we have to do to get the film made. And that means getting creative in ways we’ve never gotten creative before! Including raising money and interest in the film. Yeah. Big, potentially scary stuff.
So, we made a golden rule: HAVE FUN! No matter what we need to do, to create, to share, we must make it fun and joyful and full of open hearted laughter. Making our beloved Botox Party come to life must feed our souls at the same time. We’re going to launch the project with a crazy fun crowdfunding campaign late spring of next year to gather supporters, to seek out our core audience, and, the ultimate goal, to gain interest from equity financiers. My projects are usually so small, I can finance them myself. But not this one. Botox is bigger. And I need big help. It needs more money than I have, it needs a seasoned comedy director, it needs a talented casting director, it needs established female comedic actresses, it needs experienced producing partners. It needs a village. More to come soon on the start of building our Botox Party village!
Usually the thoughts of stepping into the unknown, leaving the safety of my comfort zone, or asking for the tiniest bit of help scare the shit out of me but for some reason, these new ventures excite the shit out of me! I love feeling excitement instead of fear. I hope…no, I believe it is because I’m truly expanding. Expanding as a human being, expanding my creativity, expanding my comfort zone, expanding my way of working, expanding my ideas of what is possible.
Until tomorrow, create from what you have…expanding creativity.
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