Change in My Life

March 20, 2007 by Dave.

In Unitarian Universalist young adult circles, there are few things more important to our well being thatn conferences, especailly to those in the 18-30 sect. They become self made communities that sustain personal and spiritual growth and further a closeness that you don’t get in the real world. Two big ones that happen near the end of the summer are Opus and Concentric. They are a combined week-long conference focusing on spiritual retreat (Opus) and UU young adult business (Concentric). They are both incredible conferences and I have amazing memories of both cons, and this year I’m not going to either. I’m also not going to UU General Assembly, the anual meeting of Unitarian churches (thie year held out in Portland, OR).

Aside from the fact that I’m over the age limit for Opus/Concentric (I turned 38 this February, and the limit is 35—though that is semi-flexible) and aged out, I’m really trying to take a difficult road now. I was in Los Angeles this time a week ago bumming around after a film conference for Latino filmmakers. It was a great conference and a wonderful time. That conference is unlike any other film conference I’d attended, with the exception of the Independent Feature Project’s fall market and the Austin Film festival. It really connected filmmakers with people who can get decisions made and really try to get opportunities for its members. And they provide about 60% of the meals there—filmmakers, what markets or festivals do you know where they feed you?

In the time that I was in LA I made a decision to really try and push my career forward. This means a couple of things. Number one, I have to be open for opportunities, not just to write but to make films. Two, I need to go to the two other film conferences I mentioned. These conferences are NOT cheap, in some cases more expensive than Opus/Concentric and GA combined. So I need to save whatever monies I have to try and attend these conferences in the fall. So that means no other UU cons this year.

I was considering “crashing” Opus (meaning attending the YA con at age 38), but after this last week, I’m changing my priorities. It’s a shift in thinking for me, and one that is needed to get my career up and running. It’s basically that saying of outgrowing childish things and reasoning and doing things like a man. I’m not saying that Opus/Concentric or spiritual connectedness are childish—and they are extremely important to me—but my focus is changing to different things. As a father and an artist, I need to focus on getting my career off the ground. As such I have to adjust things accordingly.

At the LA conference, I met a couple of people who might be able to help me on my way. There are no guarantees, but it’s a start.

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