Unpacking

I’m unpacking. A lot, it seems. Unpacking my belongings. Unpacking my past and my dreams for the future. Unpacking my failures and wins and only keeping the things that are precious to me.

Today, I found the notebook I used to scratch out the story for Send in the Owl. It’s been almost two years since I began writing the screenplay and even longer since I wrote the dossier that caught the attention of Nick Peetros and Ludovico Films—and, of course, Kathleen Deming herself.

The project was a lifeline—it pulled me out of my misery and reminded me that I could create another world.

And if I could do it on paper, then maybe I could do it in real life.

Let’s Rock—Journal for Send in the Owl

There are times when art only lives in my head—it’s intangible, simply thoughts and feelings sometimes scribbled in a journal without form or much reason. I don’t want to break the flow by trying to actualize it. I just want it to wash over me.

I like to believe during those periods, the energy is reviving me, making me whole. Ready for the work that will come.

And eventually, a geyser of ideas erupts. Stories flood my fingers so fast I can’t catch them all. It’s euphoric, and I work as hard as possible because I know it will pass.

Rough storyboard

But sometimes, there’s an outside and unexpected force—a Cupid’s arrow that pierces your heart, and magic bleeds out.

Meeting Nick and Kathleen and having several Twin Peaks actors onboard this project is a dream come true. To be a superfan of something and then play a tiny role in perpetuating the myth is surreal—yet it feels perfectly right.

First thoughts about Buella

So, while I’m unpacking my books, pictures, and journals filled with lousy poetry, I’m so thankful for this beloved part of my past—and, undoubtedly, my future.