My seventh-grade vice-principal.
To everyone who's ever told anyone with a dream: "they can't."
Keep your head down. Follow the rules. Do as you're told. Play it safe. Wait your turn. Ask permission. Learn to compromise. This is terrible advice.
If I were to write an autobiography, a book about my life. One title that would work would be: "Do What You Can't." Cause that idea encapsulates everything I ever done
Like, when I wanted to move to New York City and my dad was like: "You can't, you don't have any money"
Or when I first said I wanted to make movies and it was: "You can't, you didn't go to Film School"
I want to have a TV show: "You can't Casey, you're not pretty enough"
And to go even further, like if I was to characterize what this new generation of content creators and filmmakers. What we all do on YouTube and everywhere else, we Do What We Can't.
You can't be an action movie filmmaker BUT You get your parkour friends to dress up like video game characters, jump off of buildings and you can "Right Devon?" "Yes"
You can't have a talk show BUT You have a webcam and you can.
Next thing you know you're interviewing the president.
You can't fly around New York City on a Magic Carpet BUT You get your electric skateboard, Some PVC Pipe, A great outfit, Give Jesse a call, And you can.
You don't need gear, You don't need trucks or a crane You don't need some big expensive camera rig that never works.
When you're a Creator you don't need someone in your ear telling you: What you can and can't do, What you can and can't say.
They call us: Gamers, Influencers, Internet Famous, But we know something they don't…
You can start a blog, or a makeup channel, Or travel around the world with a gigantic piano playing it in beautiful places for interested people.
When you're Creator, All you need is your phone, An internet connection, And a good idea.
A story you want to share, Something you need to say, And then the rest is history.
If you do it right you get to quit the day job, Make friends from places you've never been. Meetups, Collaboration.
A life moving so fast and so full, you won't even have time to process it.
So to my fellow creators, I say: Keep creating, Keep doing the work.
And never forget, you don't have to listen to anyone. Because in this new world, no one knows anything.
The haters, The doubters, are all drinking champagne on the top deck of the Titanic and we are the fucking iceberg.