together, Bob showed it to a teacher, a once-gifted
filmmaker who was blocked himself The teacher savaged it.
Bob abandoned the film. He stuck the film in some boxes,
stuck the boxes in his basement, and forgot about them until
the basement flooded. “Oh well. Just as well,” he told
himself then, assuming the film was ruined.
I met Bob half a decade later. Sometime after we became
friends, he told me the story of his film. I had a suspicion
that it was good. “It’s lost,” he told me. “Even the lab lost
the footage I gave them.” Talking about the film, Bob broke
down—and through. He began to mourn his abandoned
dream.
A week later, Bob got a call from the lab. “It’s incredible.
They found the footage,” he related. I was not too surprised.
I believe the creator keeps an eye on artists and was
protecting that film. With the encouragement of his
screenwriter girlfriend, now his wife, Bob finished his film.
They have gone on to make a second, innovative
documentary together.
Faced with a creative U-turn, ask yourself, “Who can I
ask for help about this U-turn?” Then start asking.

BLASTING THROUGH BLOCKS

In order to work freely on a project, an artist must be at least
functionally free of resentment (anger) and resistance (fear).