Filmmaking has always been an integral part of my life. Movies from all around the globe have inspired me and helped me understand the world and myself better. As an art form, filmmaking has inspired me so much that I am pursuing it as a career. Since movies have been such a huge part of my life, I delved into the work of certain acclaimed directors and writers to see what I connect with most. While there are many filmmakers I adore, one individual always comes to mind when I think of my favorite artists. This person is Charlie Kaufman. He is the acclaimed writer of films such as Eternal Sunshine Of The Spotless Mind, Being John Malkovich, and Adaptation. In addition to writing, he has also directed several other amazing films, including Synecdoche: New York, I’m Thinking Of Ending Things, and Anomalisa. The biggest reason that he is one of my favorite artists is that all of his work, no matter the genre or style, is completely personal to him. In all of his work, it is clear that the films are a personal extension of how he was feeling at the time he created them. His work explores several relatable yet dark themes, including depression, anxiety, death, regret, and suicide. Stories like these may turn some viewers off from watching his films. However, in my experience, they are strangely comforting. Charlie Kaufman explores these various themes and ideas in completely honest ways without sugarcoating their brutality. This method of storytelling shows the viewer that may be dealing with hard times in their life that they are not alone in their struggles. I know this because it happened to me. His movies changed the course of my life from thinking selfishly and nihilistically to seeing more positive aspects of life and living in the moment. These films also made me realize that filmmaking, and all other art forms in general, can be more than just surface-level entertainment. When the creator genuinely cares about what they are making, art has the power to change someone’s life, which is what Charlie Kaufman’s films have done for me. I have had many experiences in the arts, whether it’s doing musical theater, making short films, or writing and creating music. The most memorable and educational artistic experience I have had was making my first short film. I made it through a short film program at Northern Illinois University. This experience is so important to me because it pushed me to step out of my comfort zone. Two other individuals and myself were asked to create a short film in about 12 hours. Doing this was so beneficial because it forced me to come up with a story, characters, and a message within an incredibly short period. Not only did this unleash my creativity, but it helped me appreciate, understand, and adore filmmaking so much more.

Filmmaking has been a massive part of my life. Movies from all around the globe have inspired and helped me understand the world and myself better. Since they have been such a big part of my life for some time, I have delved into the work of certain acclaimed directors and writers to see what I connect with. While there are many filmmakers I adore, there is one individual who always comes to mind when I think of my favorite artists. This person is Charlie Kaufman. He is the acclaimed writer of films such as Eternal Sunshine Of The Spotless Mind, Being John Malkovich, and Adaptation. He also has written and directed several other amazing films, including Synecdoche: New York, I’m Thinking Of Ending Things, and Anomalisa. The biggest reason that he is one of my favorite artists is that all of his work is completely personal to him. It is difficult to not think about how these films are a personal extension of how he was feeling at the time he created it. His films explore several relatable yet dark themes, including depression, anxiety, death, regret, and suicide. Saying this may turn some viewers off to the idea of watching his films, but let me say that his films are actually comforting. Charlie Kaufman explores these various themes and ideas in completely honest ways without sugar coating the brutality of them. However, doing this shows the viewer, who may be dealing with hard times in their life, that they are not alone in their struggles. I know this because it happened to me. His movies changed the course of my life from thinking selfishly and nihilistically to seeing more positive aspects of life and living in the moment. These films also made me realize that filmmaking, and all other art forms, can be more than just surface level entertainment. When the creator deeply cares about what they are making, art has the power of changing someone’s life, and that is what Charlie Kaufman’s films have done for me. I have had many experiences in the arts, whether it’s doing musical theater or making short films. The most memorable and educational artistic experience I have had is making my first short film. I made it through a short film program at Northern Illinois University. This experience is so important to me because it pushed me to step out of my comfort zone. Two other individuals and myself were asked to create a short film in about 12 hours. Doing this was so beneficial because it forced me to come up with a story, characters, and a message within an incredibly short period of time. It also helped me understand the filmmaking process much better. Overall, filmmaking has been a massive part of my life and I cannot imagine it any other way. I want to use this passion of mine to make personal art of my own that can inspire people but also help them see the world in a different way.

Ever since I was young, I saw how the world was constantly in chaos. There are many things that cause this. War, famine, and many other things can be attributed to this. However, I believe the main thing wrong with the world today is how much disagreement there is and how it strongly divides people. Whether it’s political, religious, or just a random opinion, people let disagreements ruin relationships. Instead of attempting to be reasonable, many individuals feel that a certain opinion or worldview is apart of their identity and feel as if someone is attacking them when they formally disagree with it. I believe that this behavior is dangerous and the world would be a much better place without it. Now, I am not saying disagreeing is a bad thing. Fair arguments and level headed discussion about complex topic is imperative for building a strong society. However, what I am against is how these discussions can devolve into nothing but hate for another person. To combat this, I have always wanted to being people together. I want to see civil discussion about certain topics, not a vitriolic fight to the death over something. To do this, I want to make films. I want to make films that inspire and bring people together. I want to make films that show how similar all humans truly are and how we can all connect without hate. Hate runs deep in society and I want to help snuff it out by making these types of films. I think that I can truly make a difference with the films I desire to create.

Happiness is subjective. Different thing make different individuals joy in life. For me, a massive part of my life is movies. I go to film for several reason. It can be comforting, but it can also push me out of my comfort zone depending on the subject matter. It teaches me more about the world and, most importantly, the person making it. I love to feel like I know who the filmmaker is as a human being just from the film that they make. Analyzing the writing and directing choices can bear fruit when attempting to truly understand a director or screenwriter. I want to do this in my life. For me, the best way to live a happy life is to express myself through art, particularly filmmaking. I want to make films for a living, but also put my whole heart into what I’m making. This is what would bring me a long, happy, and healthy life.

Ever since I was young, my patents nailed the idea of financial responsibility into my head with a hammer. Whether this was spending less, saving more, or investing, this idea was something that they saw as imperative to my maturity. I have taken most of what they said to heart, and I have been a relatively great saver and investor as a teenager. A specific tip I do is always saving and investing a specific amount of each paycheck. I put about 5-10% of each paycheck into the stock market and 50-70% of each paycheck into a savings account. Sticking with these percentages saving and investing surprisingly easy since it isn’t a massive commitment and I’ve made a habit of it. Saving has made it easier to pay for large expenses like car repairs and college classes. Investing, on the other hand, is much more of a future benefit for me. I invest in a 401k retirement account and I won’t be able to use this until I retire. This is harder than saving because I can’t even touch the money for years. However, I believe anyone with a steady income, and with enough discipline, can put investing into their life and have it benefit them greatly.