"Third Wheel"

Seven years ago I got to fulfill a dream of mine by speaking on the TEDxPeachtree (now TEDxAtlanta) stage. The premise of my talk was that limits create unlimited creativity. There’s nothing more daunting than a blank page, so it becomes easier to create when you’re presented with constraints (full talk HERE).

In the film world, no one does this better than the 48-Hour Film Project. Every year, thousands of filmmakers all over the country get together over a single weekend to start and finish a short film from scratch. That feat, in and of itself, is incredible. But to make things more interesting (and to ensure no one cheats) they reveal creative limitations an hour before it begins that everyone must abide by. Those include a prop, a line of dialogue, and a character every film must use. On top of that, each team draws two genres out of a hat. It’s up to the team whether they use just one or both of the genres.

Last year, my dear friend Ty and I rallied the troops and entered the festival. The prop? Salad tongs. The character? A magician named Lance. The dialogue? “That’s not how we pronounce it.” As for genres, we pulled Romantic Comedy and Car Movie.

I think I slept a total of six hours that weekend, but I had an absolute blast working with our incredibly talented team to pull it off. I’m really proud of what we made in such a short, limited window.

It’s funny how in daily life I fight limitations and crave freedom. But freedom is nothing without inspiration. And the limitations I’ve encountered along the way have always ended up giving me the best inspiration.