Daring to Dream

[newsmanfan]

Hi all. This week marks the 3-year anniversary of me meeting my sweetheart (and five days later, our engagement anniversary, same year). Lest that sound very self-congratulatory, the point is: I spent most of my life trying and failing, personally and professionally, fighting depression, and convinced any dream of happiness was doomed to crash. The last time I was around here, I was desperately broke, struggling with health issues, feeling like I'd never amount to anything as a writer or even as a human. (Or a Muppet of a human, whichever.) I'd given up on dreams of romance, success, everything.

Then a good friend encouraged me to nurture a faint hope, and so I gave love one more shot. After flailing around on a dating site for a few months, no doubt looking like a complete buffoon (Newsie isn't my avatar for nothing), I encountered an amazingly cool, creative, smart-as-**** guy...who actually replied to my goofy first salvo. And then continued to talk with me. And within days we both just knew, and every ridiculous rom-com cliche suddenly clicked into place for us. To genderflip my own fics, he is definitely the Gina to my Newsie.

So, because I dared to pursue a tiny hope, I found the love of my life. We boost each others' moods, support each others' art and work and life, and I cannot even fully describe how vastly better everything is now.

This thread is for anyone still clinging to a dream despite everything the universe throws at you --

Like cows. Or anvils.

Uh....sure. Or just everyday nonsense, terrible jobs, personal demons, failed ventures. Whatever gets in the way of you reaching your dreams. Not necessarily love; what do you crave for your art, for your career, for your life? I'm not religious, and I was skeptical for a long time about positive thinking, but I've changed my outlook, and I'd like to make a space in here where others can speak about their dreams. Jim and company were always about sharing dreams and supporting one another. As one of the older folks here --

Not so sure about wiser...

Like you can talk! Older and maybe a little bit wiser, I'm telling all of you: you can achieve your dreams. Maybe not all of them, and definitely not all the time: but it is possible, and the best way to reach your goals is not to give up!

What a wonderful, patriotic speech. I for one am in favor of this little venture.

Where'd alla dat soaring string music come from?

So hey, please join in.

Keep believing, keep pretending, we've done just what we set out to do...

Please post your dreams or your failures here. What do you most want? What keeps you from getting there?

 

[D'Snowth]

Wellll . . . hmm . . . should I share my story, or not? Ehh, why not? We all seem to be going through a phase of some sort around here lately haven't we?

So, this past summer, I finally had the conversation with my dream girl (yes, the same one I've been talking about and refusing to name all these years) about how I feel about her this past summer (and this after she went through a couple of short-term relationships with other guys). The big shock of all was she actually had it figured out all along . . . and even stranger was it never even bothered her! Why? Because she never gave it any thought. Why? Because she doesn't feel the same way about me. It's understandable though: we're several states away, we never met in person, and she's a few years older than me (Momma always said I'd fall for an older woman, lol) - these are all points that rattled around in my mind long before I ever said anything, so she didn't bring up anything I hadn't already thought about.

On a sad note though, I feel a bit sorry for her, considering she's evidently been hurt a lot by a bunch of jerks over the years, and even she can't comprehend why guys in her own neck of the woods can't see in her what somebody who's never met her in person does. I mean, I don't know exactly how her other relationships started, but I'm guessing they haven't been friends with her for a while prior to them going out, I don't know, maybe that has something to do with it. But I mean her self confidence has pretty much bottomed out, and she's become the same kind of cynical and jaded pessimist people here used to accuse me of being.

So, either way, I'd be lying if I said I wasn't hurt - I actually was a little, but I think I'm more floored by the fact that she not only had it figured out all along, but isn't even bothered by it . . . and in fact, despite it all being out in the open now, she says this changes nothing between us (matter of fact, she was scared I'd cut contact with her for hurting my feelings). Admittedly, the burden of keeping the secret has finally been lifted, and even though the reality check of knowing it wouldn't work out did hurt a little, at the same time, I pretty much expected it, so I can't say I'm surprised or disappointed either.

So that's my love story. And hey Newsie, your whirlwind romance reminds me a lot of Caroll and Debbie Spinney, lol!

 

[newsmanfan]

So, this past summer, I finally had the conversation with my dream girl (yes, the same one I've been talking about and refusing to name all these years) about how I feel about her this past summer (and this after she went through a couple of short-term relationships with other guys). The big shock of all was she actually had it figured out all along . . . and even stranger was it never even bothered her! Why? Because she never gave it any thought. Why? Because she doesn't feel the same way about me. It's understandable though: we're several states away, we never met in person, and she's a few years older than me (Momma always said I'd fall for an older woman, lol) - these are all points that rattled around in my mind long before I ever said anything, so she didn't bring up anything I hadn't already thought about.

On a sad note though, I feel a bit sorry for her, considering she's evidently been hurt a lot by a bunch of jerks over the years, and even she can't comprehend why guys in her own neck of the woods can't see in her what somebody who's never met her in person does. I mean, I don't know exactly how her other relationships started, but I'm guessing they haven't been friends with her for a while prior to them going out, I don't know, maybe that has something to do with it. But I mean her self confidence has pretty much bottomed out, and she's become the same kind of cynical and jaded pessimist people here used to accuse me of being.

So, either way, I'd be lying if I said I wasn't hurt - I actually was a little, but I think I'm more floored by the fact that she not only had it figured out all along, but isn't even bothered by it . . . and in fact, despite it all being out in the open now, she says this changes nothing between us (matter of fact, she was scared I'd cut contact with her for hurting my feelings). Admittedly, the burden of keeping the secret has finally been lifted, and even though the reality check of knowing it wouldn't work out did hurt a little, at the same time, I pretty much expected it, so I can't say I'm surprised or disappointed either.

So that's my love story. And hey Newsie, your whirlwind romance reminds me a lot of Caroll and Debbie Spinney, lol!

Aww. Snowth, that was brave. Been in that same position before. It was actually a friend of mine who didn't feel about me the way I did about him who prodded me into looking on a dating site. It sounds to me like your friend values you a great deal.

So, she's not the One. But that doesn't mean your soul mate doesn't exist or that you won't find her. I hope you keep your mind open to someone you've not yet encountered stepping into that place.

I'll look up the Spinney romance!

What other dreams does anyone have that they fear won't come to be?

 

[D'Snowth]

I didn't read the OP thoroughly, and skimming lead me to believe this was strictly about our love stories and such. My bad.

As far as dreams and failures go, well, as I mentioned in another thread (this may or may not have been before you returned, Newsie), I've admitted defeat with YouTube, because I'm tired of fighting what's clearly a losing battle that only continues to get worse: it's one thing that YouTube goes out of its way to stunt the growth of smaller channels, but to actually punish you for working around the ways they limit your growth is unacceptable. I'm tired of putting time, work, and effort into the art I create and produce to share with others, only to have the host sweep it under the rug while posturing people who are plastered all over YouTube's homepage for simply sitting around and vlogging about their day-to-day life (and those people claim they put time, work, and effort into their content . . . FEH)!

And granted, YouTube has been fine, but it's confining, limiting, and restricting. I really would rather be creating and producing shows for television and offer up some counterprogramming against all of the filth and garbage that's been polluting the television landscape for the past couple of decades. The problem is, despite this being an artsy town with a relatively good-sized community of independent producers and filmmakers (not to mention Hollywood occasionally comes out to film here), there just isn't any resources here . . . I remember years ago when I was negociating trying to make Steve D'Monster TV series a reality, the studio facilities that were available wouldn't even begin to accommodate any kind of puppetry setup (heck, their largest studio was the size of a living room). People (including my dad) tell me that I need to leave town if I expect to make anything out of myself, and I know the two main options are either NYC or LA . . . but I just can't leave my home, I like it here too much. I could probably tolerate NYC if I relocated there, though I'm sure the city would eat me alive, and I know I couldn't tolerate living in a summer-like climate all year long (plus, I kinda like the eastern timezone anyway).

On another note, even if I did relocate and tried to start from scratch again, I know in this day and age, I'd never get far: gone are the days when creators actually had control and ownership over their own work, and gone are the days of networks giving new (and different) shows a fair chance; nowadays, corporate influence is the main factor in anything that gets produced - the network executives seize control and ownership of your work, they tell you what your show is, who your characters are, what their situations are, and you don't get to say anything about it, and I'm not going to stand for that. That's pretty much the main reason why I was independent in the first place, so I could maintain control of my own characters and properties without corporate influence . . . unfortunately, respect for indies is going down the toilet as well - heck, even Sundance doesn't cater to indy and avant-garde anymore.

Basically, I've just thrown in the towel and admitted defeat. I've got so many ideas for shows (at least nine, including Steve's failed series) and characters that I know will never be given a chance anyway, because not only are networks not going to want to air 60s and 70s-inspired sitcoms with puppets instead of actors, but I'm sure mass audiences would assume I'm just ripping off the Muppets anyway (even Frank Oz says this has become a problem with puppets in film and television in modern times). If I had been born several decades earlier, things would have been so much easier.

I will say this though, as a personal anecdote: one time I was pitching a show (okay, it was only a mock pitch, but at least I learned more about the process), and I learned one of the main questions you're asked is who your target audience is. My answer has always been this: I have no target audience. Why would I want to target my art at any specific audience and not others? I don't want to create something that only kids can watch, or only adults can watch, I want to create what anybody who would want to watch can. I don't write a lot of adult humor, but I don't water things down either, I just go for a kind of subtle, dry, cerebral humor - something where wordplay and dialogue would appeal to adults, but obviously kids would love slapstick and soft violence with puppets.

So yeah. I'm preparing my swan song at the moment.

 

[JimAndFrank]

Well, since we're sharing....

I'm only 20, so I suppose I don't have as much life experience as many others on this site, but there's still a lot I'd like to accomplish. When I was a kid, I really wanted to be some type of author, but then I fell in love with The Muppets and that changed just about everything. After Jim became my new idol, my thoughts began to turn to film and how interested I seemed to be in the behind-the-scenes stuff. At university, I've changed my major from Literature to Film and Television, and while I sometimes find the assessment difficult, I'm still loving every moment of it.

My biggest dream is to be in the same position as Jim Lewis where Disney would call on me whenever they need Muppet content, but it's probably a good idea to be a little more realistic. I'd still like to be a freelance screenwriter, maybe get hired by small production companies and that kind of thing. Not exactly an easy profession to get into, but oh well, why not play life on hard mode while I still have the time, right?

But since I've already mentioned one big dream, I might as well mention the other-much like WemblinFool18, ever since watching I Am Big Bird, I've been wanting to make a documentary called 'Bein' Green' about Jim, Steve and Kermit. I've almost filled an entire notebook in the past three months just with the research I've done online. Imagine how much more I could do if I could have access to the Henson Archives and all those home-videos Steve has shot over the years! My biggest problem is lack of finance. I know I could start a Kickstarter fund, but it would take almost $20,000 to get me over to America in the first place. Also, I really don't have the experience necessary to run a production team. I suppose I could take a back seat and act as a creative consultant since the whole thing was my idea, but I'd want to at least be a co-director.

Anyway, these are the dreams I'd really love to pursue in my life time. Who knows, they may even happen someday!

 

[MikaelaMuppet]

I was all set and ready to go out and start dating this guy that I really had a crush on. But it turns out that we broke up before we could even start doing anything in the first place because in the end, he was gay. His brother actually was responsible for the break-up in the first place. I'm so bummed out about it still a few years later and I haven't found another guy to date since then. My senior prom is coming up soon and I am kind of in a panic right now because I don't have a date to go out with just yet.

 

[MikaelaMuppet]

Hi all. This week marks the 3-year anniversary of me meeting my sweetheart (and five days later, our engagement anniversary, same year). Lest that sound very self-congratulatory, the point is: I spent most of my life trying and failing, personally and professionally, fighting depression, and convinced any dream of happiness was doomed to crash. The last time I was around here, I was desperately broke, struggling with health issues, feeling like I'd never amount to anything as a writer or even as a human. (Or a Muppet of a human, whichever.) I'd given up on dreams of romance, success, everything.

Then a good friend encouraged me to nurture a faint hope, and so I gave love one more shot. After flailing around on a dating site for a few months, no doubt looking like a complete buffoon (Newsie isn't my avatar for nothing), I encountered an amazingly cool, creative, smart-as-**** guy...who actually replied to my goofy first salvo. And then continued to talk with me. And within days we both just knew, and every ridiculous rom-com cliche suddenly clicked into place for us. To genderflip my own fics, he is definitely the Gina to my Newsie.

So, because I dared to pursue a tiny hope, I found the love of my life. We boost each others' moods, support each others' art and work and life, and I cannot even fully describe how vastly better everything is now.

This thread is for anyone still clinging to a dream despite everything the universe throws at you --

Like cows. Or anvils.

Uh....sure. Or just everyday nonsense, terrible jobs, personal demons, failed ventures. Whatever gets in the way of you reaching your dreams. Not necessarily love; what do you crave for your art, for your career, for your life? I'm not religious, and I was skeptical for a long time about positive thinking, but I've changed my outlook, and I'd like to make a space in here where others can speak about their dreams. Jim and company were always about sharing dreams and supporting one another. As one of the older folks here --

Not so sure about wiser...

Like you can talk! Older and maybe a little bit wiser, I'm telling all of you: you can achieve your dreams. Maybe not all of them, and definitely not all the time: but it is possible, and the best way to reach your goals is not to give up!

What a wonderful, patriotic speech. I for one am in favor of this little venture.

Where'd alla dat soaring string music come from?

So hey, please join in.

Keep believing, keep pretending, we've done just what we set out to do...

Please post your dreams or your failures here. What do you most want? What keeps you from getting there?

Congratulations to you!

 

[fuzzygobo]

As you get older, dreams don't have to fade. Actually, the older you get, the more you want to see your dreams become reality. At 49, it's a fair assumption that over half my time on this earth has gone, so I can't afford to waste any time with regrets, sitting on fences, or giving up.

My one big dream is to finish my book. It's been in the making for over a decade now, it's been expanded, revised, gone through several drafts, but is finally in a stage I'm satisfied with. 120+ pages, each page with a full-page illustration, each illustration painstakingly hand-painted. Sure, I could get some hi-tech friends to Paintbox it in, get it done faster, but the results wouldn't be nearly the same. Each brushstroke is mine, and I wouldn't give that up for anything.
I have dreams of seeing the book being a big success, on the shelf of every WalMart, Target, Barnes and Noble, available through Amazon, etc. I expect a Nook and/or Kindle version someday too, but depending on the resolution of the pictures, I might pass on a downloadable version. I'd like you to be able to hold the book in your hands, and actually turn the pages, not just scroll down. If money was no object, I would also love to see it leather-bound, gold leaf letters, so you know you're getting something of real quality.
After a long run on the New York Times bestseller list, will come the inevitable movie, merchandising tie-ins. Lucky my cousin is a copyright lawyer, because I want to retain as much control over my baby as possible, otherwise all bets are off. I'd rather hold on to it than let Disney or some studio who may not really care about the book crank out some substandard piece of crap in the hope of just making a few bucks.

As you get older, you get more possessive of your dreams and seeing them arrive on your terms.

The saddest thing you can do is give up. Quit. Throw in the towel. Sometimes your dreams are all you have, so don't you dare let anyone take them from you.

Some people on here have mentioned dreams of going to New York or Hollywood, trying to break into show-biz. Fair enough. Following your dreams, especially when you're young enough to do so, can light a fire under your butt and drive you to achieve them. But the bigger your dreams are, the more you should be prepared to work for them. And it will be, no lie, a ton of tough, vicious, nauseating work. Rejections, competition, more rejections, every day something may come along to tell you to quit. If your dreams mean enough to you, you won't give them the satisfaction.

Drtooth, if you're still around and willing to give up the pity party for a second, read this. I've seen your stuff on DeviantArt, and it's quite good.
Sometimes quality or artistic integrity doesn't always translate into commercial dividends.
Not everybody gets to be a Muppeteer on Sesame Street. Not everybody ends up a Disney animator. Not everybody lands a lucrative voiceover gig.

When I was younger, playing in bands, each band had a dream of being the next Beatles/Van Halen/Yes/Pink Floyd/Led Zeppelin, etc. Never happened, but still enjoyed trying to get there. Wouldn't trade that for anything.

Don't give up on dreams, folks. Without them, what's the point of getting up every day? That's not living, it's barely existing.

 

[newsmanfan]

[QUOTE="D'Snowth, post: 1184908, member: 1916]

As far as dreams and failures go, well, as I mentioned in another thread (this may or may not have been before you returned, Newsie), I've admitted defeat with YouTube, because I'm tired of fighting what's clearly a losing battle that only continues to get worse: it's one thing that YouTube goes out of its way to stunt the growth of smaller channels, but to actually punish you for working around the ways they limit your growth is unacceptable. I'm tired of putting time, work, and effort into the art I create and produce to share with others, only to have the host sweep it under the rug while posturing people who are plastered all over YouTube's homepage for simply sitting around and vlogging about their day-to-day life (and those people claim they put time, work, and effort into their content . . . FEH)!

And granted, YouTube has been fine, but it's confining, limiting, and restricting. I really would rather be creating and producing shows for television and offer up some counterprogramming against all of the filth and garbage that's been polluting the television landscape for the past couple of decades. The problem is, despite this being an artsy town with a relatively good-sized community of independent producers and filmmakers (not to mention Hollywood occasionally comes out to film here), there just isn't any resources here . . . I remember years ago when I was negociating trying to make Steve D'Monster TV series a reality, the studio facilities that were available wouldn't even begin to accommodate any kind of puppetry setup (heck, their largest studio was the size of a living room). People (including my dad) tell me that I need to leave town if I expect to make anything out of myself, and I know the two main options are either NYC or LA . . . but I just can't leave my home, I like it here too much. I could probably tolerate NYC if I relocated there, though I'm sure the city would eat me alive, and I know I couldn't tolerate living in a summer-like climate all year long (plus, I kinda like the eastern timezone anyway).

On another note, even if I did relocate and tried to start from scratch again, I know in this day and age, I'd never get far: gone are the days when creators actually had control and ownership over their own work, and gone are the days of networks giving new (and different) shows a fair chance; nowadays, corporate influence is the main factor in anything that gets produced - the network executives seize control and ownership of your work, they tell you what your show is, who your characters are, what their situations are, and you don't get to say anything about it, and I'm not going to stand for that. That's pretty much the main reason why I was independent in the first place, so I could maintain control of my own characters and properties without corporate influence . . . unfortunately, respect for indies is going down the toilet as well - heck, even Sundance doesn't cater to indy and avant-garde anymore.

Basically, I've just thrown in the towel and admitted defeat. I've got so many ideas for shows (at least nine, including Steve's failed series) and characters that I know will never be given a chance anyway, because not only are networks not going to want to air 60s and 70s-inspired sitcoms with puppets instead of actors, but I'm sure mass audiences would assume I'm just ripping off the Muppets anyway (even Frank Oz says this has become a problem with puppets in film and television in modern times). If I had been born several decades earlier, things would have been so much easier.

I will say this though, as a personal anecdote: one time I was pitching a show (okay, it was only a mock pitch, but at least I learned more about the process), and I learned one of the main questions you're asked is who your target audience is. My answer has always been this: I have no target audience. Why would I want to target my art at any specific audience and not others? I don't want to create something that only kids can watch, or only adults can watch, I want to create what anybody who would want to watch can. I don't write a lot of adult humor, but I don't water things down either, I just go for a kind of subtle, dry, cerebral humor - something where wordplay and dialogue would appeal to adults, but obviously kids would love slapstick and soft violence with puppets.

So yeah. I'm preparing my swan song at the moment.[/QUOTE]

So...your target audience is "college kids, adults who enjoy wit AND slapstick, and kids who enjoy silliness". Maybe for a real pitch, cite shows like MST3K or cartoons that have similar qualities to your shows? Producers ask for target audiences so they know what kind of marketing to do, what sort of sponsors, etc. Banal but necessary evil.

Have you established websites for your shows outside of YouTube?

 

[newsmanfan]

Well, since we're sharing....

I'm only 20, so I suppose I don't have as much life experience as many others on this site, but there's still a lot I'd like to accomplish. When I was a kid, I really wanted to be some type of author, but then I fell in love with The Muppets and that changed just about everything. After Jim became my new idol, my thoughts began to turn to film and how interested I seemed to be in the behind-the-scenes stuff. At university, I've changed my major from Literature to Film and Television, and while I sometimes find the assessment difficult, I'm still loving every moment of it.

My biggest dream is to be in the same position as Jim Lewis where Disney would call on me whenever they need Muppet content, but it's probably a good idea to be a little more realistic. I'd still like to be a freelance screenwriter, maybe get hired by small production companies and that kind of thing. Not exactly an easy profession to get into, but oh well, why not play life on hard mode while I still have the time, right?

But since I've already mentioned one big dream, I might as well mention the other-much like WemblinFool18, ever since watching I Am Big Bird, I've been wanting to make a documentary called 'Bein' Green' about Jim, Steve and Kermit. I've almost filled an entire notebook in the past three months just with the research I've done online. Imagine how much more I could do if I could have access to the Henson Archives and all those home-videos Steve has shot over the years! My biggest problem is lack of finance. I know I could start a Kickstarter fund, but it would take almost $20,000 to get me over to America in the first place. Also, I really don't have the experience necessary to run a production team. I suppose I could take a back seat and act as a creative consultant since the whole thing was my idea, but I'd want to at least be a co-director.

Anyway, these are the dreams I'd really love to pursue in my life time. Who knows, they may even happen someday!

Wow, that's a couple of great dreams!

It's doable. I'm fairly sure you could fund a trip just for research purposes for less than $20k; try indiegogo or gofundme. With research in hand, you could make a pitch to an entity with better funding for the actual documentary. Does AUS offer art or film funding like the NEA does here?