In episode 21 of The Mindful Creator, I sit down to talk with my good friend Nelson de Witt – a talented filmmaker, photographer, writer and Misfit.
Nelson is currently working on a documentary film about his life as one of El Salvador’s Disappeared children. This film is a deeply personal story about a search for identity across a landscape of open wounds a generation after one of the bloodiest armed conflicts of the Cold War era.
In this episode, Nelson and I discuss the nature of working on deeply personal passion projects, and how you maintain awareness, composure and stay the course when the going gets tough.

Link Love
Identifying Nelson (the film)
Leaps of Faith – Nelson de Witt
Why you should support (and share) your friend’s work. – Nelson de Witt
A Kickstarter’s Guide to Kickstarter
In this Episode

* Nelson talks about his childhood in Boston, the eventual discovery of his birth family, the incredible story of his family’s separation during the 12-year civil war in El Salvador, and the evolution of his story into the film he’s working on today.
* Nelson talks about the evolution of the production on his film project and what that has taught him about patience.
* The difficult in staying patient with the process when you’re deeply connected to a project, and the process that Nelson has gone through to rectify creative satisfaction and progress.
* When you’re going it alone: The danger of getting lost in an echo chamber and losing perspective when you get too close.
* Nelson on collaboration/contribution: “It might be my story, but John (the director/writer) pushes me to find the words I don’t always know how to say.”
* Why it’s easy to get caught up in the outcome vs. the journey when you’re living the story. How do you deal with being so close to a project that you get lost in the vision of it?
* Brett talks about i am convicted and the process of detaching from desired outcomes.
* Why the tough decisions you’ll face launching a passion project can force you to focus more on the process.
* The challenge of a “build community first” approach when the project is very young and maybe not ready to attract people just yet.
* Why it’s difficult to translate tactical and strategic successes from one project to the next (especially in narrative driven projects where there isn’t always a single niche market to serve).
* Brett talks about his conversation with Mark Horvath (invisiblepeople.tv) about what it takes to connect people to stories they may not immediately or personally be able to relate to.
* Brett: “Sometimes, building community for something that you’re deeply passionate about is really about maintaining course … and that is not the sexy answer.”
* While people may not be able to exactly relate to your story, they may be able to relate to a common theme or thread in the narrative.
* Nelson on feedback and how that can help you understand where people might resonate most: “Listen to other people because they will tell you what is most important about the thing that you’re doing.”
* Brett: “You’ve got to be patient enough to let the process unfold.”
* Why you may need to reframe your perspective on a personal passion project being your “ticket out.”