I applied for a scholarship! I’m a member of Peter Walbeck's filmmaker’s Facebook group, and a couple of weeks ago I came across a post on a scholarship with World Nomads. The scholarship competition offers an opportunity to travel to India, create a brief documentary, and learn from professional filmmaker Brian Rapsey. The application requires applicants to submit an essay with limited characters and a sample video that reflects the themes of the scholarship.
The winner will be announced in August, but in the meantime, I would like to share my essay with you:
To win this award would prove to me that I am doing work that is in alignment with my calling. It would offer an opportunity to improve my skills, grow as a human being, and learn from a professional. In October of 2016, my wife and I moved with our three small children from the United States to Mexico to pursue our dream work. We sold all of our personal belongings, told our employers/clients that we were moving abroad, and left!
As a former professor and a martial arts business owner, I hoped to transfer my skills to a location independent lifestyle. The plan was to build an educational consulting firm, create a YouTube channel, and to open a martial arts studio. We have now lived in Mexico for nine months, and throughout the process of starting over, I have experienced triumphs and challenges. I believe that creating video has become critical to my family's transition and will continue to play a significant role in our future as digital nomads.
My filmmaking interest began eight years ago when I created a video recap of my wedding abroad. I took six hours of film and downsized it to a three-minute clip. The editing process was long and tedious, but there was something about it that I enjoyed. As I continue to build my YouTube channel, I have found a passion for creating stories through video. Winning this scholarship would provide evidence that this work is part of a higher calling for my life.
I wrote that essay and then hit the submit button. Regardless, of what happens, I am grateful for taking the time to write about this aspect of my life's calling.
Capturing, editing and sharing video are activities that I enjoy. I have three YouTube channels (La Vida Lindsay, Vernon Lindsay, PhD, Instrutor Leão Preto) and one Vimeo account (UCA Chicago) to disseminate the content I create. Multiple times a week, I upload video and share it to my social media accounts. I consistently look for resources that can help improve my methods to produce higher quality videos. It can be time-consuming and frustrating at times, but I believe this work is a significant part of the callings placed on my life.
In Jeff Goins’ book The Art of Work he discusses this idea of not trying to define our life’s work by one simple category. He argues that for some people, their calling includes multiple layers of their identity including their familial roles, occupations, dreams, desires, and passions. I know that I am called to be a father to three amazing kids, a partner to an incredible woman, a writer, a business and education consultant, a vlogger, and a capoeira teacher.
What do you believe you are called to do? Leave a response in the comments and subscribe to my family’s channel on YouTube
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