The Cavalry is Not Coming

One night while trying to become less of a Twitter twit I stumbled across a video of Mark Duplass’s keynote speech at SXSW. I thought it was fabulous, and ended up watching the entire speech even though I’m not interested in becoming a filmmaker.

The speech was about how the cavalry is not coming. He encouraged filmmakers to start making films with whatever they had. No excuses, just get to work. I thought this was also a great lesson for writers.

You Are Your Own Cavalry

It dawned on me that this idea of a cavalry had been a recurring theme in my life.

It began in my late teens when the cavalry was actually one man. I waited on my prince. I used to lie in bed at night, stare at the full moon, and think that somewhere out there was the man I would marry and he was, at that very moment, gazing at the moon too. It was all very romantic, but the underlying feeling was one of needing another person to “complete” me. If I could go back and wake up that dreamer I’d tell her she didn’t need anyone to save her. She was enough.

After graduation, I took off for NYC and later Los Angeles to pursue acting. This time the cavalry was casting directors. Surely they would see something in me and offer me a part, and then I’d be on my way to the movie career I longed for. Again, there was the belief that I needed someone else to bring me happiness. It’s possible this belief stopped me from doing all the work I should have as far as learning the craft of acting. I spent too much time seeking out agents and casting directors and too little time acting.

I think the notion of a cavalry coming is tempting because it involves less vulnerability and less work. Creating films or books requires a lot of courage. First the courage to create and then the courage to put it out in the world for others to see. Having the cavalry behind you feels a lot safer than standing alone. The problem comes when we pull up a chair and wait for the cavalry. When we don’t believe in ourselves enough or allow fear to stop us from doing what it is that brings us joy.

So go out there and make films or write, paint, dance, play music, sing, start a business, whatever it is you know in your heart you must do. Then practice over and over. You will fail. You will have days where you love your work and days where you’ll want to put your manuscript through the paper shredder that sits next to your desk. Perhaps you’ll even want to give up because the work is harder than you ever imagined. But through all the effort comes experience. With time, you will see improvement. Eventually, the cavalry may actually arrive. The good news is, at this point, you will be strong enough to ride with them. You’ll realize they didn’t come to save you; they came because they believe in you.