We all know the industry is a tough nut to crack. Over the years, I’ve learned that to run the marathon, it helps to have what I call a personal artist statement—a mission that carries me through. For me, it’s one way to fuel persistence. Connecting with fellow creatives like you is another. And honestly, sometimes it’s simply for the joy of it.
So here’s my question: What’s your “WHY”? Why do you want to be a screenwriter, actor, director, crew member, or overall creator?
For me, my personal mission is to encourage audiences through story to find hope where there seems to be none… to show that even in the darkest places, we can overcome.
That’s mine. What’s yours?
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Hey, Leonardo Ramirez 2. Great idea. Mine is "I write to tell exciting, out-of-the-box stories and make money."
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I LOVE "out-of-the-box" thinking Maurice Vaughan. Always have. It's what makes good things happen!
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For me, the “why” comes down to three things.
First, I want to be creative for the sheer joy of it. Songwriting and storytelling give me energy and keep me moving forward.
Second, I love bringing pleasure to others. If a song, a laugh, or a scene I’ve written makes someone smile, reflect, or feel less alone, that’s worth more than any chart position.
And most importantly, I create to leave a legacy for my son. Every lyric, every story, every project is part of something bigger that I hope he can carry with pride one day. That legacy is the strongest fuel I have, and it keeps me writing no matter how tough things get.
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I love all three of your points Wyman Brent - the legacy for your son...that's massive. I want the same for my daughter. She's starting out in her acting journey so my hope at some point is that she can act in one of my stories. That's beautiful man.
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Leonardo Ramirez 2, thank you. That would be fantastic if your daughter coud act in one of your stories. I mention my son because I love him obviously. However, it is also because he has special needs and I want to provide a financial legacy for him when I am gone. With me having an incurable lung disease, it feels like time is limited.
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Fantastic question Leonardo Ramirez 2! Mine is to create many different worlds where people from any walk of life can escape their reality and find themselves somewhere beyond their world.
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Wyman Brent - what you're doing is beyond honorable. It's inspiring, encouraging and a beautiful testament as a father. As dads, we're supposed to think beyond ourselves and consider what legacy we want to leave not just for our kids but for future generations. I hope that your dream will be fulfilled beyond what you thought was possible and that you'll get to see it all.
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Love it Dwayne Williams 2 - we all need that escape every now and then!
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Great question! My why is that I’ve always loved film, it was a lifeline for me growing up, helping me through difficult times. Now, after losing my mother and sister, who shared that love, I feel impelled to write. Screenwriting lets me honour that connection while sharing the stories I carry — stories about human suffering, resilience, and the strength to overcome.
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My "WHY" is that I want to tell my stories in all the ways they deserve to be told, and as such I want to amass a whole creative empire with novels, comics, and eventually film and TV and any other media I happen to think works. I specialise in strange and wonderful stories for strange and wonderful people and want to reach them wherever they are in the world.
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That's truly from the heart Selma Karayalcin. I'm so sorry for your loss and can understand. I lost my mom three months ago so I get it. I love it that you shared that with your mom and sister. Love your mission.
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I love this trend Leonardo Ramirez 2 and I was missing you :)) So, my Why is very simple: Telling stories that awaken, entertain, and inspire a more conscious world. Is what moves me on :))
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You're thinking transmedia Banafsheh Esmailzadeh - nice thinking!!
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It's like your personal artist statement that you had mentioned a while back Sandra Isabel Correia. I love yours my friend! So good!
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Thanks Leonardo Ramirez 2! Yeah before I was thinking novels were my sole niche since I didn't consider comics as a longterm thing but then I really had fun making my comic (even though I keep leaving it alone lol), and I also decided to finally listen to my Mum about getting into screenwriting haha. Some stories definitely work better as novels and others as comics and film, I think, and if I can actually work with all of them, why not, right?
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Absolutely Banafsheh Esmailzadeh. I started out with a graphic novel and then moved to books and finally, screenplays. I had always planned on going the transmedia route from the start and have written my stories with that in mind. Fun stuff!
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Yeah, that’s my Why :)) And I love your commitment to our community my good friend :))
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You always make my day Sandra Isabel Correia!
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Hello Leonardo. I only started writing a couple of months ago, so of course the “why” question has crossed my mind. Some people write because they simply can’t stop, others because they feel they must share. For me, right now, I just enjoy the process itself.
Before, I imagined that writers had to be like Balzac — endless tomes, each book like War and Peace. But I discovered that short stories can appear in the smallest ways, like apples falling from a tree in my garden. Sometimes ripe apples drop to the ground, and in my imagination three little worms — Giovanni, Petrescu, and Prol — are the ones choosing which ones to let fall. Of course, they taste them first and only select the very best.
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I don’t usually tell people about my “relationship” with the worms under the apple tree, but it warms my soul.
Thank you for your thoughtful advice and comments! I didn’t even realize loglines automatically show up in the Lounge feed.
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Nataly Kiut, please tell Giovanni, Petrescu, and Prol hello from an American living in Germany.
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MY WHY: To create comfort food for the soul. Fun, safe, escapist stories which invite people to temporarily forget their worries and, if only for a moment, rediscover their belief in Happily-Ever-After.
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Bradford Richardson, I so totally agree with you. So much of the songs I write and the shows I develop are designed to make people feel just a bit better.
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My why: I can't not do it. It's this feeling in my bones, a calling. I write because I need to. I'm pursuing a career in it because I want the average person to be seen. I want to create shows about first responders that don't shy away from mental health or make them cringe because they're "unrealistic". I want to create shows about life in the military that captures the grave yard humor and ridiculousness while underneath... still getting the details right so instead of focusing on pointing out what "they" got wrong, they can laugh and go "yeah I've definitely said that." I want characters for the people who get dramatized or romanticized that reflect them, that don't make them role their eyes. And since no one else is going to do it, then I suppose I have to.
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Hannah Augenstine, I suppose you must and I am sure you will get it right.
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I feel a deep need to help others through everything I create. I want people to feel what I feel, the small moments of healing, happiness, anger, love.
I do this because I carry a need for forgiveness. I try to make my mother laugh, because she works so hard for me and my sister. We are not in poverty, but she sacrifices herself at work and never rests. My father recently left, and I’ve never really known affection.
So if I create, it’s for a thousand reasons, but above all, to one day show one of my films to my mother. She will be the first to see it, before the world. Maybe I dream too much, but you need a flame if you want to light the fuse.
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Koby Nguyen,, I am sorry to hear about your father. I truly understand your reasons for creating. I am glad that you have a mother that you want to make proud. I am sure you already do in more than one way.
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Nataly Kiut "like apples falling from a tree in my garden" - that is such a beautiful and poignant way of putting it Nataly. They do fall into our soul and it's up to us to decide how we will steward them. This reminded me of when I was working on something that I don't even remember now. I was sitting in my favorite chair when my (then) 10-year old daughter came down the stairs and suggested a story. I immediately discarded whatever I was working on at the time and focused on that. That was my apple. Thank you Nataly, for sharing that.
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My "why" is to give people the same emotional and/or adrenaline rush I had when imagining my story play out in my head.
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Oh man - Bradford Richardson "To create comfort food for the soul" - there's something healing in that. We sometimes forget what stories are capable of and underestimate their power. This is a good mission.
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Leonardo Ramirez 2, my son is 11 years old now. He has always called me Mister Bunny. When he was younger, I would regularly make up stories for him. One set of stories I made up involved a character called Mister Bunny. For years now, my son has called me Mister Bunny instead of dad or papa.
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Hannah Augenstine - totally get the "I can't not do it." Until things take off, I do have a day job that I rely on for income. But during the hard times, I'd beat myself up and ask why I couldn't have wanted to be a plumber or electrician - something more financially reliable than being creative. Peace and open doors did not start coming until I accepted who I was and embraced it. So this "feeling in the bones" that is unshakeable, yeah...that's a calling. You will shine and bring to light things that others were too afraid of.
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Koby Nguyen - you don't dream too much. You bring healing to you and those around you through your dreams. I grew up in your situation and you're spot on about forgiveness. We don't forgive for their sake, we forgive for ours. With that mindset, reconciliation between you and your father will come and in the meantime, you'll share stories with the world that helps them heal.
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Love it Michael Dzurak - nothing like a good emotional rush to realign ourselves outside of a stressful day!
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Mister Bunny rocks Wyman Brent!
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Wyman Brent, I love your Mister Bunny origin story : )
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Leonardo, I'm out there writing because I like to tell stories about people who persevere...folks who, more often than not, are marginalized in some way, shape, or form. (I've got to admit...some of my characters are musical, too.)
As long as what I'm writing strikes a chord (no pun intended) with whoever (at least for now) reads it, I'm happy.
Main thing is: This is my FUN.
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Jim Boston, I struck a chord once and got tossed into jail.
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I want to tell people my best story to entertain them.
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Ok Jim Boston - this "about people who persevere." really struck a chord with me. No pun intended LOL! It's my fun also, my friend. You're always a joy in the lounges.
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That's what we're all in this for Arthur Charpentier ! Agreed!
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For me, my “WHY” is about connection.
I believe stories are bridges—we cross them to better understand each other, and sometimes even ourselves. Whether it’s through screenwriting or directing, my mission is to create worlds where people feel seen, where emotions that are often unspoken finally have a voice.
I want to spark moments of recognition in the audience, the kind that makes someone whisper, “That’s me,” or, “I’ve felt that too.” Because when we recognize ourselves in a story, we realize we’re not alone. And that, for me, is the most powerful gift art can give.
That’s what keeps me going on the hard days, and it’s why I choose to stay in this crazy, beautiful industry.
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Asia Almerico - here are the parts that really resonate: "create worlds where people feel seen" and "we realize we're not alone". It is absolutely the most powerful gift art can give. Beautifully said Asia. May your hard days be replaced by open doors.