I’m really inspired by your journey, Taegan. And excited for whatever lays ahead. There’s a real integrity to your work, in all of its forms. Hot Docs would be lucky to have you! Congratulations on an extraordinary year, my friend.
Nov 6, 2023·edited Nov 6, 2023Liked by Taegan MacLean
Congrats Taegan. What an amazing feat. I hope people catch Woodbine before it goes from this space for a bit, because I would vote it "Best Substack Post All-Time, Hall of Fame" if that was a thing. It's brilliant and my favorite part is the footage and music with your dad roller blading, which seems like it catches magic. Watching some your work building up to it, Woodbine does seem like a climax and it makes sense for things to move on in a slightly different direction, IMO. Looking forward to it. ONE WORD FOR LIFE!!
That's one of my favourite parts of the doc, too. I had thought I lost that footage, actually. I was looking for it throughout the year and had planned to use it in a few other videos. Then, when editing Woodbine, I found the tape on a shelf in the basement. Really glad I did
Taegan, I applaud you so much for spurning “content” for art. Here’s to cabins in the woods, and the time to make art. I’m dedicating next year to more research and longer form writing too. Wish you the very best with your longer form films too. Cheers to more art in ‘24 🥂
Thanks Jill - Very excited to hear you're going to be exploring longer form writing, too. I'll still have plenty of shorter docs, but I feel like I'm ready to tacjle the challenge of something 60+ mins.
What sort of topics would you dedicate your longer form writing to?
Your clarity is not crazy. I see you standing at a threshold about to walk into the rest of your life. May you always be more of who you truly are. Godspeed, Taegan.
Congratulations, Taegan. What an achievement and reflection on where One Word started and what it became and all that you produced and shared along the way. As I've said before, it's been a joy and source of inspiration and awe to read and witness the evolving project. I really hope Woodbine gets accepted into Hot Doc. It deserves to be shared with the world! So ... 🤞
Excited for what's next here. It's always a pleasure to see a post arrive from you in my inbox.
Thanks Nathan. I'm still debating what to do with the feature-length project next year. Part of me thinks it might be interesting to host an in-person premier and then a watch party online. I'll see how the idea evolves over time.
Ahh, a legacy and lifetime craft! I couldn't be more excited for you for this clarity and mission for you and your family's life!
It lights me up to see you so lit up about this, and I wish you luck on entering Woodbine and any other films you create to send out to film festivals! It's so cathartic to even hear you've accomplished goals and of course, learned more about what you wanna pursue long-term in the process. Congratulations on everything, and I'll have to listen to the podcast interview too!
Thanks so much for your support. We'll see how Woodbine fares at these festivals. The competition is intense and in some ways One Word films aren't the vibe that documentary festivals are looking for. But it's a good experiment!
Really looking forward to what's to come and hearing what you think of the upcoming films and interviews.
May your films get seen by the whole world, may you keep creating and be inspired endlessly. I am happy and honored to know you and your heart and the work you do.
Really interesting post, Taegan. Your plans for the future sound fab and good luck with the film festivals. Your work is so unique I'm sure it will be noticed.
Yes, congratulations. From my point of view, you are doing this Substack for the right reason because you are focused on creating good work instead of being popular. I've always felt that if the work is good that speaks for itself, sand readers and viewers will be drawn to it. That's better than constantly beating up on people to subscribe.
Thank you Peter. I totally agree. And I've noticed that deeply effecting a few people can have a profound impact on my work, versus trying to build an audience of thousands and poking them for likes/comments. It's all hot air. Impact to those I know and grow to know, that's the real ticket.
Thanks Justus - I'll still have something out most months, sometimes even 2x a month. But it'll be a mix of films, interviews, and updates. My hunch is if I give myself a little more time, I can make even better films.
It's all an experiment though. As I start looking at this as a lifetime project, I start to realize how early we are in the story. If I live to 70 or 80 (fingers crossed) we're heading into year 2 of 43!
love it! The internet is the perfect place for public experiments - it’s my primary argument that everyone should have their own website or Substack, even for those of who have day jobs that they don’t plan on quitting.
Last year, an author on post (Peace Zodanou) would share sentences from her manuscript like “The alley swallowed [Redacted] whole the moment she stepped in it.” It was great fun... so I look forward to any update you can share in this new year!
I really like to see you grow, since I connect with what you produce. I can see how you've evolved as a person and as a content creator. It's so refreshing when you are permanently surrounded by "perfectly" produced content, that might be "perfect" but with no character since it's just optimised for dopamine, consumption and therefor become stressful and boring again. But we humans love unperfected things since we are ourselves unperfected creatures. And this gives us character. Thanks for showing the world your character Taegan because it always comes with nice surprise out of the blue.
I totally agree. I've begun to see a path for my films that feels unique to me. I'm aiming to create meaning out of what I capture. I think a lot of creators end up focusing on what gets the most amount of people to watch. But many lose out on telling their story. I'm really trying to pay attention to those pitfalls and avoid them. Best way I have found to do that is ignore the metrics completely.
Amazing! This is a wonderful reflection as well as thoughtful leap into the future. I can’t wait to see more of your work, you are inspiring. I’m glad you figured this out at the age of 37. I wish I would’ve had more foresight. I will be emailing you for your consideration for the works part of your projects... even though my art making has been sporadic. At 60 years old, I need to find more time to make art, I have spent a lifetime devoted to my family... now is the time to carve it out. I wish you all the best and you have so many years ahead of you, I’m so excited for you. ❤️
I’m really inspired by your journey, Taegan. And excited for whatever lays ahead. There’s a real integrity to your work, in all of its forms. Hot Docs would be lucky to have you! Congratulations on an extraordinary year, my friend.
Thank you Chloe - it's been equally inspiring watching your journey. So glad to have connected with you this year.
Congrats Taegan. What an amazing feat. I hope people catch Woodbine before it goes from this space for a bit, because I would vote it "Best Substack Post All-Time, Hall of Fame" if that was a thing. It's brilliant and my favorite part is the footage and music with your dad roller blading, which seems like it catches magic. Watching some your work building up to it, Woodbine does seem like a climax and it makes sense for things to move on in a slightly different direction, IMO. Looking forward to it. ONE WORD FOR LIFE!!
That's one of my favourite parts of the doc, too. I had thought I lost that footage, actually. I was looking for it throughout the year and had planned to use it in a few other videos. Then, when editing Woodbine, I found the tape on a shelf in the basement. Really glad I did
Taegan, I applaud you so much for spurning “content” for art. Here’s to cabins in the woods, and the time to make art. I’m dedicating next year to more research and longer form writing too. Wish you the very best with your longer form films too. Cheers to more art in ‘24 🥂
Thanks Jill - Very excited to hear you're going to be exploring longer form writing, too. I'll still have plenty of shorter docs, but I feel like I'm ready to tacjle the challenge of something 60+ mins.
What sort of topics would you dedicate your longer form writing to?
Your clarity is not crazy. I see you standing at a threshold about to walk into the rest of your life. May you always be more of who you truly are. Godspeed, Taegan.
Ann, you've been so encouraging. Thank you.
Congratulations, Taegan. What an achievement and reflection on where One Word started and what it became and all that you produced and shared along the way. As I've said before, it's been a joy and source of inspiration and awe to read and witness the evolving project. I really hope Woodbine gets accepted into Hot Doc. It deserves to be shared with the world! So ... 🤞
Excited for what's next here. It's always a pleasure to see a post arrive from you in my inbox.
Thanks Nathan. I'm still debating what to do with the feature-length project next year. Part of me thinks it might be interesting to host an in-person premier and then a watch party online. I'll see how the idea evolves over time.
A watch party online would be awesome! (Obvs would love to be there in person, too 😅)
Ahh, a legacy and lifetime craft! I couldn't be more excited for you for this clarity and mission for you and your family's life!
It lights me up to see you so lit up about this, and I wish you luck on entering Woodbine and any other films you create to send out to film festivals! It's so cathartic to even hear you've accomplished goals and of course, learned more about what you wanna pursue long-term in the process. Congratulations on everything, and I'll have to listen to the podcast interview too!
Hey Cierra,
Thanks so much for your support. We'll see how Woodbine fares at these festivals. The competition is intense and in some ways One Word films aren't the vibe that documentary festivals are looking for. But it's a good experiment!
Really looking forward to what's to come and hearing what you think of the upcoming films and interviews.
Super excited for it all! And indeed, I'm sure it will be a fun and interesting experiment and journey to take your work down that path!
And of course, always looking forward to whatever you create in the future!
May your films get seen by the whole world, may you keep creating and be inspired endlessly. I am happy and honored to know you and your heart and the work you do.
Thank you so much Nadia. That's a very kind thing for you to say.
Totally true! 🫶
Really interesting post, Taegan. Your plans for the future sound fab and good luck with the film festivals. Your work is so unique I'm sure it will be noticed.
Thank you Yasmin.
I'll have more details as the year progresses. Will premiere the feature-length with an event in person and online, too!
It's the "crazy" ideas that can have the most impact. I look forward to witnessing your journey unfold. Cheers from Southern CA (in the US).
Agreed. Sometimes just saying them out loud can bring a lot of clarity. This post helped me a lot with what to tackle next.
I've truly enjoyed everything of yours so far and can't wait for what's next. Good luck, Taegan!
Thanks a lot Fossil. Been listening to your music recently and it's beautiful work.
You’re welcome! And thanks I appreciate that.
It makes so much sense. All of it.
Thank you Lynn. Lots to look forward to
Inspiring stuff! Bravo. Cabin in the woods sounds, seems secure and so inviting.
Thank you Kenneth - it's a lot less noisy in the cabin, that's for sure.
Yes, congratulations. From my point of view, you are doing this Substack for the right reason because you are focused on creating good work instead of being popular. I've always felt that if the work is good that speaks for itself, sand readers and viewers will be drawn to it. That's better than constantly beating up on people to subscribe.
Thank you Peter. I totally agree. And I've noticed that deeply effecting a few people can have a profound impact on my work, versus trying to build an audience of thousands and poking them for likes/comments. It's all hot air. Impact to those I know and grow to know, that's the real ticket.
This is so awesome! I'll miss the monthly release schedule, but that's only selfish of me. All the best for year 2...all ninety minutes and beyond!
Thanks Justus - I'll still have something out most months, sometimes even 2x a month. But it'll be a mix of films, interviews, and updates. My hunch is if I give myself a little more time, I can make even better films.
It's all an experiment though. As I start looking at this as a lifetime project, I start to realize how early we are in the story. If I live to 70 or 80 (fingers crossed) we're heading into year 2 of 43!
love it! The internet is the perfect place for public experiments - it’s my primary argument that everyone should have their own website or Substack, even for those of who have day jobs that they don’t plan on quitting.
Last year, an author on post (Peace Zodanou) would share sentences from her manuscript like “The alley swallowed [Redacted] whole the moment she stepped in it.” It was great fun... so I look forward to any update you can share in this new year!
I really like to see you grow, since I connect with what you produce. I can see how you've evolved as a person and as a content creator. It's so refreshing when you are permanently surrounded by "perfectly" produced content, that might be "perfect" but with no character since it's just optimised for dopamine, consumption and therefor become stressful and boring again. But we humans love unperfected things since we are ourselves unperfected creatures. And this gives us character. Thanks for showing the world your character Taegan because it always comes with nice surprise out of the blue.
I totally agree. I've begun to see a path for my films that feels unique to me. I'm aiming to create meaning out of what I capture. I think a lot of creators end up focusing on what gets the most amount of people to watch. But many lose out on telling their story. I'm really trying to pay attention to those pitfalls and avoid them. Best way I have found to do that is ignore the metrics completely.
Amazing! This is a wonderful reflection as well as thoughtful leap into the future. I can’t wait to see more of your work, you are inspiring. I’m glad you figured this out at the age of 37. I wish I would’ve had more foresight. I will be emailing you for your consideration for the works part of your projects... even though my art making has been sporadic. At 60 years old, I need to find more time to make art, I have spent a lifetime devoted to my family... now is the time to carve it out. I wish you all the best and you have so many years ahead of you, I’m so excited for you. ❤️
Hoping you get to make more time for art in 2024!