This past April, I had the privilege of eating dinner with Succession actor Jeremy Strong at the iconic Mory’s restaurant in New Haven. I sat next to the Emmy winner in a private room with ten other undergraduate students, all of whom were heavily involved in the arts scene at Yale, through acting, singing, or creative writing. While I am not the most artistically inclined person, Strong’s words at that dinner really impacted me, and they continue to resonate with me as a student in this course.
Strong told us that during his time at Yale, he wasn’t really involved in any major theater groups on campus. He was turned down from his auditions with the Dramat and never played a lead role in campus productions. Despite this unfortunate fact, he continued to act and make art because he believes creating things is the most important, resonant task we can do as human beings. Strong says that even making mediocre art or outright bad art is a powerful act, as it enables us to make a type of tangible impact on the world around us and not merely exist in space.
During class today, we learned about editing video footage in unique and creative ways. For demonstrative purposes, Professor Smith quickly put together a video of Paul and applied slow motion, music, and color grading effects. It stunned me how quickly his polished final product came together, something that looked like a real, cinematic movie.
As I edit this week’s homework assignment, I can’t help but feel empowered with the ability the editing software gives me to feel creative and artistic. While my final product might not be a cinematic masterpiece, I continue to reflect about Strong’s passion for art and creation. This is one of the first moments in my life where I have found a remotely creative outlet that I really enjoy playing with. While I initially felt perplexed with how to move forward with Jeremy Strong’s advice this spring, I feel moved to create and explore with a new tool in hand.
