I wanted to make a video so badly. My professors constantly remind me that video is an essential skill for capturing the modern audience. Many other students in my program are already producing this 21st century gold, and here I am still writing boring print articles for my mom to read on Facebook.

Insistent that I, too, could make a beautiful video, I set out to find a story. The charming folks at Flower Power Botanicals agreed to let me come in one day to chat and before I knew it we were touring the dispensary’s grow rooms. Check out the shaky footage in all its glory here.

The production of something even as simple and short as this video deeply challenged me. My rollercoaster moods are best explained through 5 creative steps.

1. Pre-Project Glee – This stage can hardly contain itself. Brainstorming is pure fun. Any idea is acceptable here, time seems endless and unobtrusive, and the vision inside my head is stunning. My excitement leads me to tell everyone I encounter about my awesome project and build up tons of hype.
2. The Exponential Decay of Work – As the amount of work increases, I find my excitement to do said work decreases. The first few hours float by on leftover glee, but soon enough a cup of coffee is the highlight of an entire afternoon and there’s still a pit feeling that the project will never meet deadline.
3. Point of Resentment – As I near the end of my project, regardless of what exactly it is, I hate all of it. The hours of work I’ve put into something seem like they are for nothing. I’m too embarrassed about my project to show it to anyone. Delete that link up there, will you?
4. Willingness to Try Again – It took me a while to get here from stage 3. Remotivating yourself can be incredibly challenging, especially if you set unrealistic expectations for yourself from the beginning. But ultimately, committing to your craft, finishing a product, and vowing to improve are all habits of successful, dedicated artists.
5. Acceptance – Much like grief, it all ends here. Opportunities for improvement are endless. My video isn’t perfect, but it taught me some really important lessons. First and foremost, always use a tripod. Always.