Hi Vincent, good post. The questions are, I think, ones that all creatives struggle with, especially when things aren't going well. It's always been my dream to live from my creative work, but getting to that point is extremely difficult when you start at the bottom. If you look around at the people who are taking their films to festivals, the truth is that a good number of them come from a wealthier background--that not only makes their films have a higher production value, but also can give them a much-needed network if they want to crowdfund, and maybe even have a connection in Hollywood who will be key to their success. I'm not complaining about working near-zero-budget--all my films have been made that way--but it's not the same world as when Kevin Smith and Robert Rodriguez found fame. This is something I've had to realize slowly. I have always believed that if you work hard and don't give up, you will reach your goal, but I am not sure anymore if that is true. I think there are a lot of people who work hard year after year and things just don't work out... Of course I don't really know because you only hear about the successful ones. Anyway, I'm not trying to discourage you, these are just some thoughts that have been going through my mind the past year as I've struggled to make it as a creative. One thing I found helpful was the idea that it sometimes happens slowly as a process--the move from hobbyist to professional, I mean. I tend to think of it as one breakthrough moment, but often it's not like that.

Okay, all that being said, I have one suggestion as a filmmaker: get a producer. And I am saying this to myself as well. I have self-produced my last 4 short films and I have to say that being both director and producer is too big of a job for one person. Last summer I made a short film just with one other person (DP) and we took it slowly, just doing a few shots a day, but I remember saying to him one day, "I just feel so overwhelmed, all the time." And he said, "Well, you're making a movie." And I thought, yeah, I guess I am. The thing is, since I love making movies, I think I wasn't thinking about how stressful it actually is. It's hard to add a member to the team when you don't have money to pay them, but there are people out there who just love all the organizing, creating schedules, making phonecalls--all the parts I hate. ;) I need to find one of those people...