Author Archives: Daniel Leighton

Brene Brown: The power of vulnerability TED Talk

A very important talk about a very important topic.  It starts getting really good around the 8:55 mark when she talks about the etymology of courage (“to tell the story of who you are with your whole heart”) and later on when she talks about the you can’t selectively repress emotion.  I.e., you can’t turn off vulnerability without also turning off joy.  Highly recommended.

Posted in Wisdom Tagged , |

“The Moment I Knew I Was A Director”

From LA Times’ The Envelope:

Posted in Uncategorized Tagged , , , , , , |

Quote of The Day

“If my aim is to prove I am “enough,” the project goes on to infinity because the battle was already lost on the day I conceded the issue was debatable.”
– Nathaniel Brandon (via the book “The Trance of Scarcity” by Victoria Castle)

Posted in Quotes

Coppola on Inside The Actor’s Studio

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=18pZjqLaMMA

Posted in Filmmakers/Filmmaking

Why Taking Risks Is A Good Thing

Wisdom from Francis Ford Coppola…

Posted in Filmmakers/Filmmaking, Wisdom Tagged |

How I’m Feeling Today

Mild but persistent knee pain (chronic)

Tight neck (semi-chronic)

Tired and kind of light-headed (not uncommon especially lately)

Pain throughout back brought on by stomach cramps (common)

Hand pain mostly mild, but occasionally very intense (new, but ongoing for the last six weeks)

Bruised ribs (temporary, but ongoing for two weeks)

Mild pain in wrist (seems to be related to the hand, but may be a recurrance of a Crohn’s related arthritis flare-up I had in 2002 or 2003)

Headache (common – hoping glasses will relieve some of this – getting them on Tuesday or Wednesday)

Posted in Health, How I'm Feeling Today

Gimme Some Truth

Too many people don’t want to look at The Truth. I’m talking about the shit that really matters, not who is right and wrong, but all the underlying mechanics of the situation. About how we filter our fears into neuroses or blame or any number of other avenues we use to release the pressure valve of The Truth that we know deep down inside us instead of dealing with it directly and moving to the next level.

A quote…

“Neurosis is always a substitute for legitimate suffering” – C.G. Jung

and a song…

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Op9-D3kdBiw

Posted in Music, Musings, Quotes

Cat On A Hot Tin Roomba

Not that I would want our cats doing this to our dog, but it is funny…

Posted in Amusement

Go Into The Story: Screenwriting 101: Alvin Sargent

A great quote from a great screenwriter via Go Into The Story my favorite new blog:

“You must write everyday. Free yourself. Free association. An hour alone a day. Blind writing. Write in the dark. Don't think about what it is you're writing. Just put a piece of paper in the typewriter, take your clothes off and go! No destination… pay it no attention… it's pure unconscious exercise. Pages of it. Keep it up until embarrassment disappears. Eliminate resistance. Look at it in the morning. Amazing sometimes. Most of it won't make any sense. But there'll always be a small kernel of truth that relates to what you're working on at the time. You won't even know you created it. It will appear, and it is yours. Pure gold, a product of that pure part of you that does not know how to resist.”

— Alvin Sargent (Paper Moon, Julia, Ordinary People)

Posted in Quotes, Writing