The Love You Make

                                        
I've decided to keep quiet for a while.......I hear so much talk and I don't want to be part of the constant clatter that fills all our heads incessantly.....I'm trying to listen alot more and only add to the conversation when it seems I can be a part of a positive move forth in our thoughts and actions................


I'm also trying to stop complaining......it seems that all I hear on TV and the news and from friends and acquaintances and from MYSELF is a steady moan of negativity and complaining about all the things that are wrong or not working or inadequate.  As this drone continues to grow its energy becomes stronger and a hopelessness and mild depression seems to slowly engulf the entire discussion and stop the momentum of change and growth.  So I'm trying to keep my mouth shut unless I'm offering a helping hand, a positive encouragement or an idea that brings optimism , change, and love into the discussion.............I know, some people are thinking oh LOVE......it's kind of an easy way to not really deal with all the problems facing us...........but I don't buy it.  What is Love after all but a deep caring for the welfare of another.  If I can stop my judgements and focus my words and thoughts on what is best for the welfare of my fellow humans, this living planet that nurtures us all and the creatures that we share this planet with, I think that I can be part of the solution............I hope so.........it's like Anti War activists deciding to pursue a vision of Peace instead of fighting a War against War............let's not be AGAINST anything........but let's see what we can agree on and what we can promote........after all, we all have so much more in common than we have to fight about.......so I'm just going to take a deep breath and see if I can live the vision of who I want to be in a more honest and direct way.

ENOUGH BULLSHIT!

                                        michaelangelo

I was listening to these two guys who wrote a book on why screenwriters should leave NY and move to LA. Their whole point was that New York writers make "ART" films and if you want to make money, you move to LA.  You have no say over what you write, are always replaced by another writer, but your movies make money and eventually you can write enough hit Hollywood films, so then you can move back to NY and work on "Art" films......what a bunch of bullshit!  This whole idea of selling out for the money has seemed to permeate every aspect of our culture.  Once we begin to separate our integrity and our art into different aspects and actively cultivate a lesser version of our highest potential, we are doomed!

Whenever we make the choice to pursue money by consciously lessening or ignoring the truth that speaks to us all, or to to put our creative forces into something that doesn't represent our highest aspirations, we begin the not so slow descent into the  destruction of our human spirit and soul.  When did it become the over riding view that to make money we need to cater to the lowest common denominator?  It seems to me that this poisonous thought form has infected not only the arts, but the very essence of all financial transactions and the very core of the American financial system.  It has led not only to the destruction of our mountains, oceans, farms, rivers, streams, sky and earth, but to the very destruction of our bodies and ultimately our humanity.

What happened to those enlightened minds and visions that created the Renaissance?  The great works of art?  The great books?  The great films?  There was a time when artists were the ones we looked to for something different than the tired and accepted limited thoughts that seep through all our institutions.  Where are the new minds, the new visions, the works that break old paradigms?      Where are the artists striving for something new, different, challenging?  Maybe it's just me, but I truly believe, that if we are true to our highest selves, and we aspire to create inspired art, we will be financially rewarded, maybe not by insane wealth, but by the financial means by which to continue to create, challenge and inspire.

We are being overwhelmed by a world of mediocrity and stagnation in every aspect of life, from every disposable piece of shit made in some third world country by the disadvantaged majority for the profit of the advantaged  few, to all the works of what we call art and music which are infecting our minds and our compromising our hearts.   I feel like I am surrounded by a society that believes in the idea that economic status is only bar by which we recognize a person and the over riding belief that we pound into our children's minds.

Well I choose not to move out to LA to write some third rate piece crap just so I can  have my name on the big screen.  I'll stay in New York, and work with a group of really talented artists who are looking beyond their comfort zone, and who with, together, we will create stories and projects challenging this bullshit Hollywood imposed nonsense of what will and won't sell and why we should create some piece of shit and have alot of untalented wannabes and assholes in suits tell us how talented we are because the shareholders are happy.    

There is alot that needs change in this world.  The only way I know how to help is to create what is true to my inner voice and to work with people who are doing the same.  Yeah, I guess I am a little pissed off, but man sometimes you just gotta scream.  It can't be just me who feels like this.   I think what gets me so upset, is that I really believe that we are all alot better than this.  We all have so much potential, but because of fear or some tired belief, we choose to accept our limitations instead of embracing our strengths, and embracing each other.  It's not each other that we need to be threatened by, instead it is our very own limitations which scare me the most.

I WILL NOT COMPRPOMISE!

I was listening to someone talk about how we teach children how to take tests but we don't teach them how to live........and after all what is the most important thing we can teach another human being, the act of participating in this journey we call life......we are all so filled with knowledge inside of our overstuffed brains, but the knowledge of greatest import is that stored within our hearts and our emotional memories..........how to talk of integrity, a personal morality, compassion, understanding, gratitude, and living out the purpose hidden within our deepest core.........these questions are always at the heart of my creative mind.........and in this time of educational cuts, the cuts in the arts are an attempted death blow to the future and creativity of a future generation......................I'm currently struggling with a script which explores the root of creativity and the artistic soul.  As I slowly work through many ideas, I am confronted with two words, cooperation and compromise.  On their surface, they seem to be alike, but they couldn't be more opposite.........I think of all the people who have told me to compromise my vision for the sake of "getting something done"....this way you can get into the business and afterwards, you can create what you want on your own terms........the more I think of this, the more I understand why my life and career has proceeded the way it has........deep in my being, I am incapable of compromise.  The very word imparts a deep uneasiness in the deepest part of my being.........once compromise has begun in any aspect of my nature, the seed for destruction of my spirit has been planted.........I've come to realize that the act of compromise is directly related to my lack of faith.  When I am truly connected to my highest self and the inspiration which comes from a connection to a universal whole, a whole which knows no separation , I am one with all that is, and my true purpose glows before me and I am incapable of compromise.  Compromise degrades your spirit, your soul, your very being and no matter what justification you give yourself, you are planting the seed of your artistic and spiritual destruction, like a cancer, it will slowly spread and  gradually overtake you.......and once it is complete, you will forget what you once believed and expertly justify your new course of action................but cooperation is something different,  cooperation acknowledges a greater whole, it acknowledges another's purpose, and together, two or three may become a greater whole.........it becomes a collaboration.......and I think that it is what we have been put on this earth to do....to COLLABORATE!   The best relationships, the greatest love stories, the most passionate connections are borne from an inner need for connection and collaboration..........we are all individuals searching, attempting to repair the break, the separation from a higher whole........I think this is what attracts us to new people, new lovers, new friends, and new projects, and if we have the faith and integrity to live out our purpose, we will walk in a new world and create beauty which has yet to be seen.  I will not compromise who I am, who I love, and what and how I create.  This creation which we call the human experience is counting on us all to step up to our potential and not compromise our highest promise and potential.  So I stay open to the unexpected, welcome the new journey and choose not to question my own integrity and my own as well as others unique point of view....................
...............................................I welcome the unknown and take strength from walking a path not yet taken, no matter where it may lead.

SILENCE

I have been thinking of silence lately and how it is an integral part of the creative process.   I've realized that the more I am able to create time and space in my life, even in small intervals to integrate silence into my being, the more I am able to connect with what I sense as my creative source.  Silence is an interesting thing because it requires more effort than one might think.  In my life I have spent long periods of time on various quests where I go to be alone and quiet, to connect with the source.  During these times I have come to realize that the act of sitting alone and being quiet doesn't constitute silence.  It is the ability to quiet our ever chattering minds that is the real goal.  I have discovered that for me it all begins with allowing myself the time, space and solitude, without the guilt of feeling that I'm lying around wasting my time being lazy or doing nothing that is most important.

We are all so conscious of developing our minds, our careers, our relationships, that we often overlook that in order to have success in any of these pursuits we need to develop what is inside ourselves..  First we must look inside, sometimes at things we have buried and don't want to look at,  We must slowly and gently approach those aspects of ourselves that so often we deny.  All growth begins with self realization and all creative leaps are rooted in that very space.   Silence is the tool to uncover our hidden resources.   We need to create the balance our creative beings thirst for by giving ourselves the space inside ourselves to connect to a different voice. We are always surrounded by people and voices not just around us, but as we attempt to be quiet,, their voices both past and present continue their incessant dialogue inside our minds. 

As full spiritual beings, we have been given powerful tools by which to grow and develop the unique abilities we each have.  Through the years, we have forgotten the simple but most powerful gifts at our disposal.  The ability to create SILENCE is the most powerful of all, and a large reason for our inability to access it, is our divorce from nature.  The power in standing barefoot on earth, or breathing in a cool wind, or sitting resting against a tree, or napping in the grass has been forgotten.  Find a patch of earth, in a park, backyard or garden and sit, open up and feel something that we have forgotten.  Remembering what we once knew is the key for our rebirth into something which we have yet to experience...........Silence is the key.......and the most amazing thing is that as we reconnect with SILENCE, we reconnect with each other and the world around us in a deeper and more authentic way.  And we reconnect to the source of our creative inspiration.

When I forget the lessons of a quiet mind and spirit ,I seem to aimlessly struggle though my life and my creative endeavors with frustration and bitterness.  I am always amazed at how effortlessly that seems to fade away when I rediscover my greatest friend and muse..........SILENCE!

A New Round Table

Every couple of weeks I sit down in Astoria with a group of friends.  It's a crazy group of individuals and independent thinkers; my good friend and film maker Bishop Christodoulos,  Peter a history professor, Joe, a director, Pete a teacher and all around tradesman, and some other guests who show up on occasion.  The conversation is always thought provoking,  sometimes a bit heated, but always interesting and always coming from a place of critical thinking, thinking outside the box, not tied to any one view point, and more often than not, ideas change as well as points of view.  I always leave, with thoughts I haven't pondered before, or with insights or interesting historical facts I previously was unaware of.  Through the years, I've taken these meetings for granted, but recently I am realizing how unique and fulfilling they are.

I think somewhere deep inside, we are all searching for community, for a community which accepts you without judgment and which openly hears and discusses the thoughts you enter into the discussion.  Art and artists at their best, should be capable of this, but more often than not, ego and narcissism take over.  I often read about the round table discussion at the Algonquin, when the great thinkers of the day would get together and explore different ideas and long for that type of community.........but now I realize, I am a part of an Astoria round table..........as a writer and a film maker, it broadens my perspectives and deepens my connection to people of all stations.  I think it is important that as artists, we begin to break the barriers of who we surround ourselves with and begin to realize the depth of insight and wisdom in all human beings and be open to what they can bring to the table.  In the old days, alot of writers, actors, directors,  considered themselves craftsmen, just doing another job, not better than anyone else.  Their backgrounds were varied and often involved years of physical labor in a variety of different enterprises.   There were no colleges for acting or directing, but their education was from life itself.  Their life experiences informed every part of their artistic output and made them more empathetic to the plight of all individuals...........so as I put together projects, I now look for, in addition to talent, people with varied backgrounds, experiences, struggles and life circumstances, people who can open me up to a new and unexpected way of seeing, to different and exciting points of view.........so as I continue to create, I continue to establish a larger and larger round table.......I'm looking forward to meeting more people who will challenge me to expand my philosophy and point of view. Thanks to all of you and to all who are yet to come...................Sal

DANCE

http://vimeo.com/19881823

I've been interested in dance since I was a kid.  After seeing James Cagney recreating those amazing George M Cohen routines in Yankee Doodle Dandy, I was hooked.  Although I was too young to understand what the attraction was, looking back, it was the combination of movement and emotion.  The way dance seemed to unveil deeper more hidden emotions,  emotions that the dialogue wasn't able to express,  was so powerful to me in strange and  mysterious way.  At first I was attracted by the tap dancers, the Nicholas brothers, Cagney and Gene Kelly. but then I started watching Fred Astaire, and the way he so smoothly floated across the floor seemed to combine film and dance in a way that seemed even more cinematic.  But what finally blew me away was Gene Kelly in An American in Paris!  It was pure poetry.  Painting, cinematography, music, dance....a perfect combination of all the arts.......pure, deep heartfelt emotion through movement and art....no dialogue needed.  It was an epiphany.   Since then I have always been fascinated with dance on film.  I am currently working on several screenplays involving dance in a much more intrinsic way........but in the meantime, I've put together this short piece exploring that enigmatic combination of dance, color, music and emotion.  I've recently re edited this piece to this amazingly deep and gorgeous score by an amazing composer friend of mine Erika Ito.  It's my first attempt at something that caught my eye as a little kid in Brooklyn...........and I'll always have that image of James Cagney tap dancing down the White House steps.   Go Jimmy!..........hope you enjoy this piece.........

                                                      Sal

THE POWER OF STILLNESS

I just went to see the new print of Taxi Driver at the Film Forum.......I've seen it many times on DVD, but not for many years up on the big screen..........it always surprises me how much difference seeing a film in a theater makes. I remember seeing Citizen Kane on the big screen for the first time.  I was floored by the power of the imagery that took on a different dimension when viewed through the wonder of the big screen. I truly understood the immense impact and magnitude of Welles accomplishment as a film maker and how it changed the way we think of telling stories.....

In seeing Taxi Driver again, I was struck by the stillness of the film and the performances.  If I would think of this film, stillness is not what I remembered.  It is often portrayed as more frenetic and a bit over the top.  But what I found to be so jarring and powerful, was the quiet intensity instilled within every image and every performance.  Combined with the poetic masterpiece of Bernard Herman's last and greatest score, the film carries you into another realm, dizzying in it's poetic brilliance.  Even DeNiro's famous  "you talkin' to me" scene, is underplayed.  After hearing it so many times and seeing so many comedians parody it, it takes on a different and almost comic  sense.  I was overwhelmed by De Niro's underplaying of the character.  Every scene, and every interaction was built on a quiet stillness and intensity.  Even the violence which was so shocking at the time, was shocking to me because of its relative underplayed intensity.  Compared to the non stop gun play and violence of so many current films, this movie stands out  by it's shocking but quick and underwhelming massacre.  That's what makes it seems so real. A small and lost taxi driver shooting several small and lost people, and life goes on. Not such a big story.  And as the film ends, several small articles in different newspapers, no glaring headline NY Post covers or glorified press fueled heroics, just a few small articles.   This makes the story much more intimate and at the same time, it elevates it to metaphoric status.............but what continues to haunt my memory, is that unique stillness................it makes me realize the power in performances and images that are free to linger and sit, and slowly work their way into your subconscious.  The new fascination with quick cutting, loud music, and overblown emotions, hammer us with a moronic emotional palette which quickly becomes false and overbearing.  When stillness is allowed to live and breath, a truth rarely seen, begins to creep into our psyche and a deeper understanding of human nature is allowed.

In life as well as art, I think the lesson of stillness, quietness, and listening instead of posturing would go a long way in helping us all understand ourselves and each other a little better.