Dear Reader,

I am somebody who does things imperfectly all the time, so why do I feel like my tech systems have to be perfect for me to make a movie?

I built an online school. I’ve had sales funnels. I’ve launched courses and programs. I’ve made multiple six figures. All of that required tech. Almost every part of my business is online.

And yet every time an email has a glitch, every time a system doesn’t work exactly right, every time a funnel’s off, I just think: ugh, if I can't do this perfectly, how do I expect to make a movie?

Never mind the fact that I have a B.A. in Cinema, have studied directing for twenty years, and have produced hundreds of live shows.

I often tell myself, "I'm just bad at tech," even though that's not true.

In the same way that I’ve always been like: oh, I’m just bad at math.

And I think back to first grade when I was actually really good at math. I was better than everybody else in the class at math, until fourth grade, when I got made fun of for being good at math. And then I got into fifth grade, and I had a teacher who actively put me down for how smart I was.

A male teacher, by the way.

I think about the statistics about how girls do better in school until fifth grade, when puberty hits and suddenly they have to be beautiful, not smart.

I’m someone who prides herself on her intelligence. I work my brain a lot. And yet when it comes to tech, I think of myself as an idiot — even though I am so much more competent than most of the people in my life when it comes to this.

There are so many layers to the misogyny of why women are discouraged from certain roles in the film industry – and many industries in general – that I wrote a whole Substack post about it.

You can read it here.

I’m not going to let imperfection stop me from making this movie.

I’m going to mess it up.

I’m going to learn.

I'm going to figure it out with a team of people cheering me on.

I'm going to make imperfect art with imperfect people.

I’m so grateful that I’ve built a creative career and a kind of life where I can say: hey, guess what? I don’t know what I’m doing all the time!

I’m allowed to do it mediocre and scared and hard and before I feel ready.

And Reader, so are you.

If you're scared to try a new artistic project or creative endeavor because you're scared of it, reply and let me know. I'll cheer you on and remind you to do it imperfectly.

And if you want to help me make an imperfect film, check out NoAnimalsHarmedFilm.com to donate time or money today.

Because the world needs our stories, now more than ever.

With imperfect love,

Lauren

P.S. We have only 8 days left in our crowdfunding campaign and need your help to reach our goal! Can you donate today?​

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