Joel Haver, a filmmaker, inspires me. After each of his films I am left with a powerful feeling: “I can do it too.”
This is different from “I would like to do that too,” a sentiment I feel often. I would like to bike across China, play ragtime piano, and learn to code. And while I could do those things, I don’t think I will anytime soon. It’s not that I don’t want to—I’d love to. But I don’t feel inspired to do them.
Joel Haver’s movies make me want to jump up and start filming—and I don’t even want to make movies! Even though his movies often deal with deep topics like grief, they also contain the joy of a bunch of friends getting together to make a movie in their backyard. He makes filmmaking look accessible and fun.
If I knew any aspiring filmmakers, I would gift them Joel Haver’s work. I WISH my dream was to make movies because I’d love to follow the trail he’s making. Joel is dismantling the notion that you need millions of dollars and a giant crew to make a movie. He shows you can go out by yourself and create something just for fun.
Beyond his films, I deeply respect Joel’s simple, consistent message: You can make a movie too. Even after being offered studio movies with real budgets, he continues to make films and release them for free on YouTube. He wants aspiring creators to see that this is possible.
As Joel says, “We’re allowed to play music and do art just for fun. Why can’t we make movies the same way?”.
Each year, he hosts a “film festival” during the Oscars. Instead of watching the Oscars, you spend those three hours filming your own movie. You get a week to edit it, and then everyone uploads their films to YouTube. In the past three years, his fans have made over 1,000 films. Now that’s inspiration.
I missed the first year, but I’ve participated the last two years, and both times were super fun. The movies I made weren’t great, but they were fun, and that’s the point.
This year, Joel challenged himself to make 12 movies in 12 months. With less than two weeks left in the year, he still has three films to complete. I’m not sure he’ll make it, but watching him try has been incredible. Each film feels like an experiment, a testament to a creator constantly improving. They’re blowing me away.
Joel’s journey is so inspiring that I’ve even considered trying to make 12 movies in 12 months—and I don’t even want to make movies.
The next obvious question is: what can I do? It’s like Joel is charging my creative battery, challenging me to make something while also sharing a message with the world. I want to be more like Joel Haver.
So, how can I inspire people with my work? My message is equally simple: You can live a meaningful life. But how do I bring it to a larger audience online?Perhaps this writing can have an impact, or my scripts and books. I excel at this in person, one-on-one, but I know it can be bigger. Joel Haver proves it can be done.
Thank you, Joel. I hope you keep learning, growing, and sharing your process. I hope we can make something together someday.