You don’t need to be famous–you just need to go deep

One of my favorite parts of the movie La La Land is when Emma Stone’s character, Mia, puts on a one-woman show in a small theater. She breaks her back and sacrifices a lot to write, produce, and act in her show. She rents the the theater, does her own marketing, and makes the whole thing happen.

The result is underwhelming. She can’t fill the seats. People don’t get it. Her boyfriend doesn’t come. She can’t pay the theater back. She has to move back home to New Mexico. 

But later in the film (spoiler), a studio producer gives Mia a call, telling her that she saw the show, and sees major potential in Mia. The rest of the movie is a whirlwind, as Mia becomes successful and achieves her dream.

This isn’t a blog about getting “discovered.” That doesn’t happen anymore. This is a blog about putting forth the best work you can, with the resources you have at the moment. Because even if it doesn’t reach a lot of people, it doesn’t necessarily need to. Great work is great work. It speaks for itself and can advocate for you for years to come. And if it goes deep with the right people, things can change for you. 

That’s how I feel about this blog. I wish it was more widely read, sure. But it’s gone deep with the right people. The conversations and opportunities I’ve gotten from it have made it well worth it. 

What’s your pocket project? What’s your dream? Make the best thing you can now with what you have. It doesn’t need to go viral. It just needs to go deep with someone.