I have written 15 or 20 screenplays that are almost all ready to be shot do I have an ego about it ? No because I haven't done anything but put words on paper and ANYONE can do that, right ?
Does my public persona have an ego ? Yes because that is what the public expects from me when I'm at an event they want to see the Character come out in me . Do I know how to turn it off and on, of course I do because my wife wouldn't stand for public persona Jamie in her house for very long . Can I turn on the public persona at the drop of a hat, yes because I get asked to talk shop, sign something or take a picture with someone pretty regularly but just as quickly as I turn it on I turn it off and resume everyday life .
An Ego can be a very important asset when you trying to build a brand or sell yourself there is no question about that you have to believe in yourself no matter what your doing weather it's writing books, screenplays, comics books, making music drawing, painting etc. ? I have an ego I admit that but I also control when my ego comes out and when to keep it locked away .
Which begs the question when does an ego become more of a problem then an asset ?
When your ego starts to take over your everyday life, when you start to take yourself too seriously and you start losing your grip on what's real and what's not . When you start to see yourself as a bigger part of things then you really are your ego needs to be checked. When you feel you are bigger then the world you live in you're ego needs to be checked ..
I'm just a guy that is talented enough to write screenplays and has the balls to put his work out there for the world to see on film, I'm nothing special, I'm NOT the greatest screenwriter out there, I'm NOT the best film maker out there but I'm damn good at what I do I simply don't think the world revolves around me and what it is that I do ..
I have a loyal fan base who knows who I am and I LOVE each and every fan I have because they are awesome and they make me feel like I've done something amazing again do I have an ego about it because I'm adored by thousands of people in Horror groups on Facebook and Thousands more who follow me on Twitter ?? No ego here because I know this an all end five minutes from now, tomorrow , a week from now or 20 years from now . I Cherish every moment I have doing my dream job and some people lose sight of where they came from quickly when they get a little (very little) fame ...
No matter how successful I become, how many movies I make, DVD's I sell, autographs I sign I will remember STAY HUMBLE, STAY HUNGRY because I'm no better then anyone else in this industry and I KNOW THAT .
I'm not talking about celebrities that make more money for making a movie , they have an ego and have earned the right to have one but do you think they have that ego 24/7 ? more then likely not, when they are at home with their friends and family they are just like you and I because they get that they can't be wild and crazy celebrities all the time .
The people I'm talking about are small time folk that might have a few books under their belt or have been in a few small movies etc. and all of the sudden they are the BIGGEST thing in the world and I'm over here like "Really, you think because you one of MILLIONS of people who wrote a book and put it on Amazon you're something special or is it because you did a convention appearance and had a bunch of people talk to you that you think your a big deal now ? I have done the appearance thing and I sold 11 copies of my first movie on it's release date am I jumping around saying "Look at me I'm famous now" !! No I'm not because I'm not famous I'm just a guy trying to make movies and MONEY and FAME aren't my main motivation in all of this, I simply want to make movies for fans to enjoy, if they want me to sign a DVD for them great if not I honestly hope they enjoy the movie .
STAY HUMBLE, STAY HUNGRY MY FRIENDS :)