Things with Amir Motlagh

A hiatus, a subtraction - Things w/ Amir Motlagh Ep 14

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Well, that’s all she wrote for the immediate. To be frank, and if I were to search a pattern, this particular “Things” comes and goes, and for now, it’s a go.

I’ve been very selective with my time for the past few months, as a set of project tasks demand more and more refined attention, which gives me two options. Cutting the excess is the one I chose.

Subtraction is an area of life we overlook, replaced by addition. We do more, instead of doing less. And doing less is where the asymmetries are found, because ultimately, focus is an act of subtraction.

So far now, farewell. Though, in place of this, other things shortly to come, with exponentially more use case.

A meta episode in the vein of Seinfeld, not much happens - Things w/ Amir Motlagh Ep 13

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This is all meta and in the vein of Seinfeld; nothing happens, and all bundled with 99% less laughs. Anyways, as I had feared before I revamped this, that bottlenecks would thwart my consistency. And, yes, they have. So, while I have been perpetually aiming at making these better, or rather, more value oriented & better researched, that has not happened. Will it, who knows? To be honest, it is what it will be.

Though, I do like to talk freely like this, so, maybe I’ll just keep at it. The volume has been increased as my friend Jonathan implored me to bump the gain knob. I noticed that I was mixing it at a volume that film dialogue would be at, and that is probably to low for the web.

What happens in these 7 minutes? A quick chat about the last couple weeks, the weather is spectacular and why you should read ZEN AND THE ART OF MOTORCYCLE MAINTENANCE by Robert Pirsig.

As always, come say hello and subscribe if you’re feeling generous, if not for these, but for all the other more important stuff.

With love,
am

30 Days to Equanimity - Things w/ Amir Motlagh Ep12

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In this episode, we talk a bit about how we can develop a practice to increase overall equanimity, and bring more peace into our lives. The episode functions more like a podcast (its long, pacing is slower which fits the theme), so if you prefer, drop in your own background music if it helps. I didn’t want to force you into anything.

This discussion has no political overtones, nor does it try to usurp therapy or other methods. It has worked for me after a long search and experimentation period and is very simple and extremely easy to implement into your routine. It has also worked for several friends who sought assistance.

What is important here is that you stick through it for 30 days. The science into the why's is less important than the practice. The practice and its focus are what will bring about an easier way of handling the constant stressors that is life itself.

The video also dropped out after a few minutes due to a technical glitch, and you are left with photos of doggos (Roscoe + Buckley), which again, made the edit more in line with a podcast, and less jump cut orientated. I think this accident made for a much better video in either case.

Have a lovely day.

Things w/ Amir Motlagh Ep11

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Slowly turning into a pod(web)cast, lol. This was longer than I wanted, but much quicker to get through on the backend. Still working it out. Fixed the audio drop-out issue, which is a weird Premiere Pro bug.

I have been feeling under the weather (not emotionally man!!), but pushed through to keep consistent.

This episode is more free flowing, as I go through some history of filmmaking in the last couple decades. Again, my preparation is next to nil, which is why so many important points where skipped over. The tradeoff is that I can actually deliver these in a weekly manner.


The Passing of A Friend - Things w/ Amir Motlagh Ep10

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Was not going to do one of these this week, but then I figured that, knowing Chris, he would have been like, "fuck you dude, do one of these on me!" 

I just pulled up our last text message, in which he states that I owe him a Roscoe's Chicken and Waffles dinner. I can't seem to recall why?

Still working out some audio drop-outs, but I think I figured that out. If you're interested in getting your weekly (bi-weekly) dose of these, please subscribe. 

Christopher Ad Castillo: https://www.imdb.com/name/nm1779820/?ref_=nv_sr_2

Celso Ad. Castillo: https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0145036/?ref_=nv_sr_1

MIRS video we co-directed on the set of his film LosAngeles7: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d_lyA...

RIP Christopher Ad. Castillo

The Resurrection of THINGS W/ AMIR MOTLAGH

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A long while back, I tried my hand at creating an ongoing Youtube series that I titled, "Things w/ Amir Motlagh'. At the time, I was so excited about the start of a new journey into a world that had been closed off to me, as I was driven by a singular, inflexible focus for many years prior. It seems so completely innocent looking back, but it was shaped by some heavy things.

My life was in transformation, largely from a new desire to learn, non-fiction literature, some meditative practice and a general flexibility and openness that I had shut out completely. So, with unbridled enthusiasm, I started a Youtube series (on my main Youtube Page that was primarily for film/art) that lasted a few episodes and disappeared. At the time, I decided to turn my focus inward and started subtracting and an ill-conceived YT show was an easy, superfluous thing to scratch out.

Since that time, platforms have changed drastically. While I prefer Twitter as the purest broadcast channel, I'm going to test out YT again, in a similar capacity, though with more headroom of course. As I talk about on the video, I'm not quite certain if I can actually add any value, but at the least, it affords another opportunity to speak out, instead of leave in. It's selfish. We all need a nice mix of both.

I, like many other filmmakers of my generation never pursued YT, as the platform is personality-driven, and demands consistency. With self-contained film, you make one or two (if very productive) works a year, and that is no way to build on platforms that demand consistency. Plus, I came from the school of arts that championed mystery, not transparency. Though at the same time, I like the idea of a community, and a bottom-up approach is the new wave towards prosperity & understanding.

Click the image, go to the video. As they say, please "like & subscribe"!