Filmmaker and writer/director Mike Mills discusses the transformative power of his movie 'Come on, Come on' and the importance of loving things. They also analyze a scene from a movie about poop with philosophical undertones. The chapter concludes with a request for advice on jump-starting creativity and overcoming apathy.
Loving things and being excited by them can ignite creativity and motivate action.
Finding inspiration in something unconventional or unusual can lead to profound insights and connections.
Deep dives
Loving things and the reciprocal nature of creativity
In the podcast episode, filmmaker Mike Mills discusses how his movie 'Come on, Come on' lifted the host out of a haze and inspired him creatively. Mills emphasizes the importance of loving things and being excited by them as a way to ignite the generative process within oneself. He mentions that when he is stuck creatively, he writes down pieces of art that he loves or describes why he thinks they are great. Mills believes that loving anything, whether it's a piece of music, a book, or a movie, can have a profound impact on sparking creativity and motivating action.
The deep and philosophical meaning of the poop scene
The podcast also touches on the movie 'Me and You and Everyone We Know,' specifically discussing a scene involving two brothers engaging in poop talk. Although it may seem perverse on the surface, the screenwriter and director, Miranda July, and the two child actors elevate the poop talk to a deep and philosophical level. The scene explores the reciprocal nature of everything and notions of connection and endless exchange. The host uses this example to illustrate Mike Mills' advice of finding inspiration in something one loves, even if it may seem unconventional or unusual.
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Loving Anything and the Reciprocal Nature of Everything