Finding Your Howl

http://changethis.com/manifesto/51.01.YourHowl/pdf/51.01.YourHowl.pdf

In 'Finding Your Howl', Jonathon Flaum tells the story of a pack of red wolves who had been raised in captivity, and then released into the wild as an experiment, so none of them knew how to howl.  One of the wolves, Mumon, realized that without a leader, the pack would not survive.  He ventures into the forest in order to find his howl.  He kills a deer, and after feeding feels ashamed.  A raven tells him he needs to shed that shame, and realize who he really is in order to find his howl.  Mumon runs, stripping away his old self, becoming who he's supposed to be, and finds his howl under the moon.

-The main point that Flaum makes with this story is that all we need to do to be free is realize who we truly are.  That is how you find your howl.  In the story, Mumon comes to terms with the fact that he is a wild animal, and all of the fear and shame that held him back vanished.

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"I am enough of an artist to draw freely upon my imagination.  Imagination is more important than knowledge.  Knowledge is limited.  Imagination encircles the world."  -Albert Einstein

-This quote really puts creativity into perspective, and I truly believe it is one to live by.  When Einstein says, "Knowledge is limited," he means that we do not know everything there is to know about the universe, and probably never will as we are a part of it.  Knowledge is simply an accumulation of what is believed to be true.  Unlike knowledge, imagination and creativity have no boundaries.  It is something that exists within everyone, deep within the soul.  It can be accessed by anyone, regardless of how smart they are or how much they have learned about the external world.  I believe that the universe is structured in the same way as creativity.  They are both limitless, and full of possibility.  The universe basically is possibility, just like creativity.  Possibility for life, and for life to experience.  That is our goal in the universe.  To experience and to create is our mission.
-This quote is one of the things that helped me to realize what my role is in this life, and why I am pursuing a career in film.  I want to be able to express my creativity and share it with others because that is what I believe our purpose to be.  Filmmaking is a perfect example of being able to create out of your own imagination.  This is when thought becomes reality.  As a creative person, you come up with stories, dialogue, camera angles, and music.  Then you can make it a reality by creating a film.  That is why I fell in love with the art of filmmaking.  When watching a movie, it is like you have the chance to temporarily glimpse into the mind and soul of the filmmaker.  This is also the case with other forms of art.  Like film, painting and music are also a way of seeing the imagination of a human being come to life.  I look at filmmaking as an art form, not a business.  I'm not worried about how much money I'm going to make, I simply want to entertain and stimulate the minds of the people who see my films.  Hopefully, I can one day do this.