This one’s for you. But it’s also for everyone who’s ever stared at their camera gear collecting dust while that voice in their head screams “DO SOMETHING.”
You love filmmaking. I believe you. But love isn’t enough, is it?
Love doesn’t edit your timeline. Love doesn’t book your clients. Love doesn’t push you through the 3 AM doubt spiral when you’re wondering if any of this actually matters.
Here’s what I know about you (and every creative reading this):
You’re not lacking motivation. You’re lacking deprivation.
The Harsh Truth About Motivation
Let me borrow from Alex Hormozi for a second:
When do you feel motivated to eat? When you’re starved. When do you feel motivated to sleep? When you’re exhausted. When do you feel motivated to create? When you’re deprived of the feeling you get from making something out of nothing.
The problem isn’t that you don’t want to create.
The problem is you’re too comfortable not creating.
Why You’re Really Stuck
You think you’re demotivated, but what you really are is:
- Paralyzed by perfectionism (because you think your first attempt needs to be your masterpiece)
- Addicted to the comfort of potential (it’s safer to dream than to risk failing)
- Trapped in the comparison game (measuring your chapter 1 against someone else’s chapter 20)
Sound familiar?
I’ve been there. We all have.
The filmmaker who made your favorite movie? They felt this way too. The only difference between them and you is they decided the pain of staying the same was worse than the pain of change.
The Pain You’re Avoiding
Here’s the thing nobody talks about:
Creating is painful. Not creating is also painful. Growing is painful. Staying stagnant is painful. Declining is painful.
Pain is guaranteed. The only question is: Which pain do you choose?
- The pain of discipline weighs ounces
- The pain of regret weighs tons
Your Recovery Plan (The Anti-Demotivation Framework)
Step 1: Starve Yourself of Comfort
Stop consuming. Start creating.
- Unfollow filmmakers on social media for 30 days
- Delete YouTube (yes, even the “educational” channels)
- Put your phone in another room when you’re supposed to be working
You need to get hungry again. And hunger doesn’t come from constantly feeding yourself other people’s work.
Step 2: Lower the Stakes
Your next project doesn’t need to change the world. It just needs to exist.
Make this promise to yourself: “I will create one 60-second video this week using only my phone and available light.”
That’s it. No clients. No expectations. No pressure.
Just pure creation for the sake of creation.
Step 3: Document the Process, Not the Outcome
Stop caring if it’s good. Start caring if it’s done.
Share your behind-the-scenes process. Show the messy middle. Let people see you figuring it out in real time.
Why? Because other people’s journeys will inspire yours. And your journey will inspire theirs.
Step 4: Find Your Deprivation Trigger
What does creating give you that nothing else can?
- The rush of solving visual problems?
- The satisfaction of telling stories?
- The connection with your audience?
- The feeling of building something from nothing?
Figure out what you’re actually craving. Then starve yourself of everything else until that craving becomes unbearable.
The Reality Check You Need
You already know what to do. You’re just not doing it.
You don’t need:
- Better gear
- More tutorials
- The perfect idea
- More time
- More money
- More motivation
You need to start. Today. With what you have. Where you are.
The gap between knowing and doing isn’t knowledge. It’s courage.
Your 48-Hour Challenge
Here’s your homework:
Hour 1-2: Set up one simple shot with whatever gear you have. Film something. Anything. A conversation. A coffee cup. Your dog. I don’t care what it is.
Hour 3-24: Edit it. Even if it sucks. Especially if it sucks.
Hour 25-48: Post it somewhere. Instagram. YouTube. Text it to your mom. Doesn’t matter where.
Congratulations. You just broke the cycle.
The secret isn’t feeling motivated every day. The secret is showing up even when you don’t feel like it.
Because here’s what happens when you start creating again: You remember why you fell in love with this art in the first place.
And that’s when the real magic begins.
The Next Chapter
You know what’s interesting about stories? They’re never just one person’s vision. The best stories are collaborative. They evolve. They branch into unexpected directions.
They become something bigger than what any single creator could imagine alone.
Speaking of which… I’m building something for creators like you. People who love the art but need a spark to get moving again. It’s called Project Chimera, and it’s designed around the idea that creativity thrives when it’s collaborative and visual.
Imagine a canvas where your story ideas can branch and evolve with other creators. Where a single prompt becomes a multiverse of possibilities. Where getting unstuck is as simple as seeing how someone else would continue your story.
If you’re tired of creating in isolation and ready to rediscover why you love this craft, maybe it’s time to join the founding members who are helping shape this tool.
But first, go make that 60-second video.
The world needs your stories. Even the messy ones. Especially the messy ones.
Here’s to getting unstuck,
George V.K.
TL;DR: You’re not unmotivated, you’re too comfortable. Stop consuming, start creating. Make a 60-second video this week with your phone. Share it. Repeat. The pain of staying the same should hurt more than the pain of change.
P.S. — You know how they say “fake it till you make it”? In filmmaking, it’s “make it till you feel it.” The motivation comes AFTER you start creating, not before. (Also, your camera doesn’t care about your feelings. It just wants to capture light. Be like your camera.)
