Independent

More and more often, I am reading that former colleagues, either on their own or with other former colleagues, are making movies, and web series, and plays, and pilots. Not only do they have ideas, they also have the drive to pull together the financial and human resources to see their projects to fruition. In a world in which we are so often just pieces of a bigger puzzle, they have managed, at least for a time, to be independent.
 
I used to think that independence was about having your own ideas, about creating and developing original content. Yet, while there is most certainly independence in that, the ultimate independence is in being to execute those ideas. It is fantastic to have ideas, but without the wherewithal--be it organizational or financial or logistical--to bring those ideas to life, they are simply file cards in your head.
 
As a person who has spent years with numerous file cards in my head, I cheer those who are getting it out and getting it done. Not only are they employing, for simple satisfaction or for pay, many amazing people with whom I have worked, they are filling screens and stages with new and interesting options for all of us. And they are reminding us, while we sometimes are just getting by, how important it is sometimes to be independent.