Have you ever looked back at your past creative projects from three-plus years ago and absolutely cringed? Yeah, me too. There’s something about reviewing our past creative endeavors that tends to give artists the willies. It’s similar to how most of us don’t enjoy looking at awkward photos of ourselves taken during middle school.
This process of revisiting our own past work and being terribly disheartened applies to the full spectrum of creative mediums. The sentiment is the same with regard to painting, drawing, pottery, and just about anything else. I have old poems, prose, and graphic design projects that I’m equally unmotivated to revisit but, for the sake of this article, I’m going to reference a few of my old short films.
I’ve read various interviews with famous filmmakers who have said how they rarely, if ever, revisit their past films. Even if it’s a classic. Al Pacino said in an interview last year while making the rounds for The Irishman, that “…there’s no real need (to go back). I’ve seen it; I know what it is. If it’s good, I feel lucky. If it’s not, it’s something you try to forget.”
Of course, I’m nowhere near the arena of someone like Pacino. Yet, when I rewatch past projects like Stella, I can tap into what he meant. I said in a previous post that I’m an extremely nostalgic person. This characteristic doesn’t necessarily extend into the professional sphere, however. I’m not a huge fan of my early poems and stories, nor do I enjoy re-watching old videos I’ve made. That said, it can be a *fun* exercise to do so occasionally as a means of gaging your own progress. So long as the act of doing so doesn’t make you vomit or question your self-worth.
