| By Jeremiah Ocañas | Photo by Raul Leal |
Snow keeps falling, we keep slipping, wine keeps pouring, movies keep flicking...and we took it all in! #Sundance
For the first time as a content creator, I felt that I was truly a part of a community. For the past six years, Lone Stars Entertainment has set out to make a name for ourselves and last week, walking down Main Street in Park City, Utah, it was exciting that our name was known.
I'm not much of an eager traveler. When I moved to Los Angeles from Texas in my packed Honda CRV, with my chest up against the steering wheel, I kept thinking that if I was on the horse and buggy heading west, I would be the guy saying "Ain't nothing out there but mountains and desert! We should turn around and go home. Ain't nothing to be found out west." In my past life I probably did turn around. Now, all these lifetimes later, I realize I had to make the journey alone to find my tribe of fellow artists. Artists who strive to live their truth. Artists who write into the wee small hours of the morning possessed with passion. Artists who suffer seeking an ear to hear their pain. Artists who seek the moment, not the past or the future. We write. We rehearse. We shoot. We repeat. We edit. We rest. We share. WE CREATE!
I walked down Main Street with cold toes from sweaty snow boots with no expectations and felt successful. All those days of isolation—writing, editing notes, memorizing lines—and there I was now, meeting fellow filmmakers I've met in the past and connecting with new visionaries who all seemed to carry a torch of brilliance. I'm a very hyper individual and to counteract my energy, I always talk to myself at rapid fire or I'll count a person's words after they're done speaking. That usually leaves me looking like I'm trying to be cool. But the weather in Utah was so cold that, "Ain't nobody got time for that." I'd see someone, hug them, maybe shake their hand a little too long, and forget to talk to myself or count words in my head. I was able to connect with people I had issues with in the past and was able to clear things up. My outfit: I wore a paisley robe under my jacket that made me more friends than I ever could, and not once did I feel out of place.
I'm a filmmaker, dammit, and I'm no longer afraid to admit it to everyone. I'm not rich or famous and who knows if I'll ever have a film at Sundance, but I'll go again to support my tribe. I'll walk those streets, catch a cold, and do it with purpose. I'll sit in those seats and support your dream and vision. I won't feel bad if we can't get into the good parties because Lone Stars Entertainment is the party. We always celebrate the journey! I guess what I'm trying to say is that I'm grateful to just be in the mix. A big shout out to Josefina López and Judith Weston and they know why! A shout out to my Mother, my family, and kids...who would of ever thought!
The creating continues. I'm happy now that I can enjoy the journey and not fear the destination or hold on to what was in the past.
Lone Stars in the building! #WeCreate
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