J.J. Abrams on the process and being open to the better idea
J.J. Abrams: "I remember my whole life, since I was 8 or 9 wanting to be a film maker. And it was just this thing that I just knew if I was lucky enough to get the shot would be how i'd want to live my life. Whether I could or not, I didn't know, but it was the thing I wanted to do forever.
And there's that thing that happened for me, and i'm sure we all have our versions of this, that you kind of think that somehow the finish line; that's the place you want to get to. And when you get there, you will have become that person, that thing. You will reach a certain level of insider evolution or whatever; that you will feel like i have become that person.
And I remember when I was in my last year of college, and I ran into a friend. And we came up with an idea. And we ended up writing it and selling the pitch to Disney, [...] And i remember signing these documents and getting paid. And suddenly I was a professional screenwriter, and I remember the feeling of not feeling different. And how weird that was. And then I remember when movie actually got made, I thought "okay i'll see my name on." And that was what it was, seeing my name on [..] the screen. and I remember feeling no different and thinking "that's weird".
And I remember since then, talking about and to aspiring film makers, how that happens.
[That] there isn't that moment where you reach that place. You're always the same person. The job that you do, the work that you do is the same work that you do, whether you're getting paid or not. [...] Whether it's produced or not, it's the same process. and it's interesting that you bring this up because i feel like i have now gone through this kind of gauntlet and I was lucky enough to get the opportunity. I was lucky enough to be part of that movie, work with all those people and we were all lucky enough to have it go as well as it did. i sit here the way I would have sat here ten years ago, the way I would have probably sit here ten years from now.
There is not that moment where you go "Oh it feels different". I don't know about you, but whether it's a thing that I have written or a thing that I have directed or whatever it is. I know I've done it. and I could talk about the process but it's somehow impossible that it happened cause when you get to the other side of it. You're the same exact person. "
(My takeaway from what J.J.'s saying is that, you're not going to feel much different after attaining goals. One should instead focus on the process. That's what ultimately gives meaning to the goal.)
[...]
J.J. Abrams: "I think, it does not matter what it is, it's always the same thing but to be open to the better idea at every stage.
[..] I think one must [know] that it doesn't always come from you. It comes from the person who's been really focusing on that thing, or the person who's got a life perspective that's not yours at all who says "well, wouldn't she think or feel this." [...]
But I just loved how the process was about being comfortable and safe to throw out ideas good or bad. [...] We used to have this thing on work on Alias back in the day, where we would always say "Let it suck for a second." Which is like, it's okay, it's okay to talk about it in the worst way and to say you know "here's a pitch" and if someone were to say, "oh come on that's no good." Well, hold on a second just let it, let's talk about it for a second. Cause if the version that sucks actually has a chance, it actually might develop into something that proves itself to be really powerful, and you have to be open that. "
This was part of a Nerdist podcast episode with J.J. Abrams and Dan Trachtenberg.
And there's that thing that happened for me, and i'm sure we all have our versions of this, that you kind of think that somehow the finish line; that's the place you want to get to. And when you get there, you will have become that person, that thing. You will reach a certain level of insider evolution or whatever; that you will feel like i have become that person.
And I remember when I was in my last year of college, and I ran into a friend. And we came up with an idea. And we ended up writing it and selling the pitch to Disney, [...] And i remember signing these documents and getting paid. And suddenly I was a professional screenwriter, and I remember the feeling of not feeling different. And how weird that was. And then I remember when movie actually got made, I thought "okay i'll see my name on." And that was what it was, seeing my name on [..] the screen. and I remember feeling no different and thinking "that's weird".
And I remember since then, talking about and to aspiring film makers, how that happens.
[That] there isn't that moment where you reach that place. You're always the same person. The job that you do, the work that you do is the same work that you do, whether you're getting paid or not. [...] Whether it's produced or not, it's the same process. and it's interesting that you bring this up because i feel like i have now gone through this kind of gauntlet and I was lucky enough to get the opportunity. I was lucky enough to be part of that movie, work with all those people and we were all lucky enough to have it go as well as it did. i sit here the way I would have sat here ten years ago, the way I would have probably sit here ten years from now.
There is not that moment where you go "Oh it feels different". I don't know about you, but whether it's a thing that I have written or a thing that I have directed or whatever it is. I know I've done it. and I could talk about the process but it's somehow impossible that it happened cause when you get to the other side of it. You're the same exact person. "
(My takeaway from what J.J.'s saying is that, you're not going to feel much different after attaining goals. One should instead focus on the process. That's what ultimately gives meaning to the goal.)
[...]
J.J. Abrams: "I think, it does not matter what it is, it's always the same thing but to be open to the better idea at every stage.
[..] I think one must [know] that it doesn't always come from you. It comes from the person who's been really focusing on that thing, or the person who's got a life perspective that's not yours at all who says "well, wouldn't she think or feel this." [...]
But I just loved how the process was about being comfortable and safe to throw out ideas good or bad. [...] We used to have this thing on work on Alias back in the day, where we would always say "Let it suck for a second." Which is like, it's okay, it's okay to talk about it in the worst way and to say you know "here's a pitch" and if someone were to say, "oh come on that's no good." Well, hold on a second just let it, let's talk about it for a second. Cause if the version that sucks actually has a chance, it actually might develop into something that proves itself to be really powerful, and you have to be open that. "
This was part of a Nerdist podcast episode with J.J. Abrams and Dan Trachtenberg.
