Ricky's replies

Hoping to learn from former student now film director Ricky Borba, I asked him two questions. Here they are again along with Ricky's answers. They gave me a dose of comfort hope. Maybe they'll give the same to you.

1. Mr. Director, how can I get my work out into the world?

"I think the first thing is to have no fear of being told no, that your work isn’t good, or any other rejection. If I had let all the “no’s” and “this isn’t very good” sink in, I would have stopped pursuing my dreams around age 20. But I knew that I knew that I knew what I wanted to do in life. So I kept sharpening my iron and I kept a close group of friends who believed in me. That made all the difference in the world. If you keep at it, the world will notice."

2. How did you handle it/persist/go on/keep striving when you were being ghosted and rejected?

"For me, my faith plays a huge role. So I’ve always been able to lean on that. But in raw, in the flesh form, I kept a very close group of friends who believed in my calling/destiny, and when I felt down and that my ass was getting kicked, I got ahold of them to let them know how I was feeling. Another thing I learned about myself is that I’m wholly unsatisfied doing any other vocation than film. Believe me, I tried. Lots of jobs. Lots of disappointment. So I figured if I was going to be truly content in terms of a career, I better give it my all, because the alternative never worked out for me.

"Finally, I think it’s really important to NEVER compare your seeds to someone else’s full grown tree. Sure. Some people are born with immense talent. But more times than not, it takes time to cultivate your skills. And the minute a new singer compares themselves to chart toppers, you’ve lost the mental battle."

"NEVER compare your seeds to someone else’s full grown tree."

I told Ricky that if I was still teaching, I'd ask an artistically talented kid to make this quote into a poster and hang it up in our classroom. It's humbling to think that at this stage in my life I'm only planting seeds. But if I can overcome my pride, I'll plant and nurture them.

Thanks Ricky. By my pupil I've been taught.