Podcast 3

I recently spent four nights alone in Death Valley. Every magic hour, I would lose my way in the Mesquite Dunes and climb a peak to gain my bearings. And I thought a lot about the book I was reading, a road map for life called From Strength to Strength.

In it, Arthur C. Brooks says that many “strivers” believe that the more successful they are, the more shielded they are from a sense of irrelevance that often accompanies aging.

This is a bit of a stretch, but bear with me. It’s not unlike how many directors of social issue documentaries think that the more successfully they depict horrible conditions, the more shielded they are from critics panning the film as irrelevant.

But both striving for success–and documenting misery–can reach a point of diminishing returns. In the movies, this has been called “suffering fatigue”.

So what’s the solution? In life, Brooks argues that the first strength of “fluid intelligence” transforms around mid-life into “crystalized intelligence”, a.k.a. wisdom.

But that transformation requires tending to things which–I must confess–I haven’t always prioritized: family, friendships, spirituality, mentoring, and being of service.

In New Doc Editing specifically, I’m pledging now to increase my service to filmmakers through more compassionate story consultations, a more thoughtful blog (which you’re reading), and my Esther Perel-style podcast The Art of Documentary Storytelling.

Today I’m releasing Episode 3, in which I guide a filmmaking team away from viewer fatigue. Enjoy the escape to “Below the Belt”, featured in the podcast!