Spiritual Cinema

When I first started writing Lost In Sunshine, I didn't consciously think about telling a story with a spiritual message. I had never even heard the expression, "Spiritual Cinema."

I knew early on that its theme was self-discovery (all of the characters going thru a journey to find themselves) and knew where I wanted my main (female) character to end up - but that's pretty much it.

I wasn't trying to write something that had a niche (perhaps I should have been?!) or make a BIG point regarding taboo subjects. I simply find/found the idea of arguing different sides of the spectrum with myself - interesting/entertaining/exciting. I think that the more questions we verbalize... the more we ask ourselves... the more we learn about ourselves.

Writing LIS has actually taught me a few lessons in my own life already. For example, anytime I've wanted to run away from a stressful situation, I think of my main character. Even she knows (eventually) that you can't run from yourself. As silly as that may seem, I think that if our stories are real... if they are honest in the story telling... then the messages will organically be there and resonate within those who take the journey. I can't help but think that if I had started 'trying' to make points, or started off with an intent to inspire others, that it wouldn't have been inspiring at all.

But it's no surprise that Spiritual Cinema would gravitate towards me. I've always considered myself to be a spiritual person. One that believes whatever you believe in is great, as long as it doesn't hurt anyone else. And I believe in the power of messages thru visual story telling, too. So, I suppose we're a great marriage. :)

My wish for you all is that one day you'll see the film, and on some (small) level it hits a nerve, gives you a different perspective, or opens an eye. Or maybe at some point, it just makes you laugh, cry, or smile. Whatever the feeling, I hope that you have one about it, and I hope it makes a difference... at least for that day in your life.