Last week when I did the blog post about how the show “America – The Story of Us” related to business, I had some conversations on Twitter about it.  I made a comment that I see analogies everywhere and that “I should have people name a show or movie and I could find a link  and lesson to business.”

@adreanaline challenged me:  she said, “OK, Beyond Silence, I’d like to see what you come up with.”

Here is a summary of the movie – I won’t give away the ending –

Beyond Silence is a film in German about a hearing girl who grows up with two deaf parents.  They don’t support her going to school because they need her as  translator.  She is about 8 when the movie begins and has many responsibilities in her family.  Her aunt gives her a clarinet for Christmas which she falls in love with and which causes problems at home.  They don’t want her playing the clarinet or getting close to the aunt – the father especially wants her to stay as the caretaker of the family.

As she grows up she is torn between her role at home and wanting to make her own life. It’s teenage independence times 10 because her parents depend on her so much.

And unexpected A-Ha:

If you are deaf, there is no multi-tasking during movies!  I so take for granted that I can watch, listen and sketch or paint my nails or whatever during a movie or tv show.  Since this movie was in German, I had to read the subtitles to know what was going on.  Complete focus required – it gave me a peek inside life without sound and the many little things that would change.

The analogy I got from the movie:

This movie was a young girl’s struggle for independence and to balance her duty to family and to herself.

How many people go into a field of study in college or profession because it is what their parents or family expected? “We become lawyers in this family” or “We go into politics” or “We are in the family business.”  But what if that isn’t your passion?  How do you go for what you want when your peer group is steering you in another direction?

This can apply to art as well.  If you think about it, I bet you can come up with many well-meaning statements from friends and family about what you ‘should be doing’.  Maybe you’ve heard that you should get a steady job with benefits and do your art as a hobby.  Or you should get an agent because you won’t make it on your own. Or my favorite, “everyone knows real artists can’t make a living.”

When people are putting fear into your head or not respecting your dream and vision for your life and business, turn a deaf ear.

Tune them out, pretend you can’t hear it and you can’t even understand the sub-titles! This doesn’t mean you shouldn’t listen and learn how to move forward towards your dreams, but you shouldn’t let the fears and expectations of others make you so fearful that you give up on yourself.

Here’s to your creative success!

– Tara Reed

P.S. I learned something interesting about Blockbuster when looking for a copy of the movie. If they don’t have the movie in a store but have it in their warehouse, you pay the normal $5 and they mail it to you.  If you return it to a store, it acts as a coupon and you can get a new release for $1.99!  Coolio!