Freelancing in Tokyo: Following your bliss

Hello all,

A belated shout out to everyone for a happy and successful 2011. This month has been going great, with a blast-off of freelance work. I hope that sets the tone for the rest of the year for me--and for all fellow FITters. 

I just want to take a moment today to talk about "following your bliss." I first heard the phrase "follow your bliss" when actress Cybill Shepherd was talking about her career and how it eventually came back to her after years of being written off by Hollywood. Instead of accepting that, she pursued her dreams of being a working actress again and she managed to get back in the game and stay in it. And she did it by following her bliss. The phrase impressed me deeply and I've tried to keep it at the forefront of my mind while I've been on my FIT adventure--although it hasn't always been easy.

For me, following my bliss meant no longer teaching English classes. I am grateful for all the work I received through the years as an English teacher--and if you've read FIT (and if you haven't, you really should!) you'll know that, indeed, I am not a qualified English teacher--but teaching English in Tokyo was a means to an end. During all those lessons and running about and making lesson plans and filling out reports and trying to make everyone happy, I realized I was not making myself happy.

I realized that what I want on the highest levels of my life is to work as a writer, director or producer for feature-length films.  And as a result of that realization, I have now been involved as either a writer, producer or director on six short films and I completed my second feature screenplay this month--because my goal this year is to write down my goals on my calendar and meet those goals.

None of the above is to say that I am rich and do not have financial obligations to meet. I still need to go out there in FIT-land and do my best, just like all of you. And I still, like perhaps some of you have experienced, encounter difficult agents, people who seem to have issues with paying on time, cultural misunderstandings... the list goes on. The difference now is, for me: I feel like my sense of direction is clear. It sure wasn't for years, I can tell you that, and if I hadn't have come to Japan, I do not know if I would have gained the clarity I have now about myself and my goals.

My point: No matter what reason you have for being in Tokyo, you are here. And since you are, make the best of it and follow your bliss. Explore options, open your mind, reach out, connect, network, expand your horizons. You may discover you are a chef, a dancer, a voiceover artist, a speech writer, a consultant, an events planner, a filmmaker, a producer, a songwriter... yes, you may discover all those things, because freelancing in Tokyo may lead you down paths you never thought you'd travel, and I mean all of that in a good way. If those paths lead you closer to what your dreams and ideals are, then, isn't that fantastic? And if those paths aren't leading you there, can I suggest you change course--mid-stream if you have to. And to those who say "I can't," I'm sorry to disagree. You can. 

I hope that you follow your bliss this year, if you haven't been doing so already, and that you will check in with me and let me know how it's going. It's easy to make excuses about how expensive it is to live here and how difficult it is to do things that might be a snap back home, wherever home is. On the other hand, that's part of your challenge, don't you think? To step up to the plate and face those difficulties and knock the ball out of the park and get to where YOU want to go. 

And wherever that is... I hope I see you at some point during your 2011 FIT journey. Have a fantastic year.