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Summer is creeping to an end, and the fall 2012 semester for Columbia College Chicago is right around the corner. It’s gone from months, to weeks, to days. By now, it’s probably hours. Sigh…I’m sad to say this is the last of my summer blog posts. Don’t fret, though. There is still time for me to inspire you to flex your creative muscles and enjoy what the wonderful city of Chicago has to offer before the summer ends.

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I recently went to the 2nd annual Lowrider Car and Bike show in the Pilsen neighborhood in Chicago. I’ll be honest. I’ve never seen anything like it .I’ve been to other auto shows but nothing with this much heart. The pieces really captured the flavor of the lowrider community. And as great as the brush work was, nothing beat seeing a tricked out baby scooter.

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I have always thought of lowriders as being something best suited for adults. It may be a snap judgment, but don’t blame me…blame the media. But this show changed my mind. What I loved is that this event welcomed all ages. The live music was terrific, and the food was good, but for my money, the best part of the day was watching my nephew work the low rider bike carousel.

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This contraption was part Great America and part medieval torture device. I’ve got to give the kids credit, there were no adults running the ride so I expected a few break downs and minor scuffles. The kids actually managed to take turns pushing the carousel around in a circle without incident. That event really got my creative juices flowing and spurred me to think creatively and courageously.

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When I say, “think courageously,” I mean to think of ways to challenge the status quo and follow your gut. This is the perspective I need to film a documentary this semester. I’m really looking forward to this, but I want to come up with something compelling.

It’s a challenge, because I came into this program as a narrative filmmaker. That means I focus on telling scripted stories. Of course, some documentaries use a bit of scripted material to fill in information or help the piece along. However, ours are biographical. This means we follow an individual hoping to record them in a natural setting. Hopefully, we can capture something honest. This is not like a scripted reality show. The Kardashians, for example, have a team of people writing scripts. There is nothing honest going on.

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So like I said, I’ve got a few weeks before the semester starts, and I’m searching for a documentary subject. I seek inspiration. For a professional example, I decided to check out a sports documentary. ESPN’s 30 for 30 presentation of Run Ricky Run was a perfect choice. It’s commercial and compelling.

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Two Columbia College Chicago examples are Vera Klement: Blunt Edge by Wonjung Bae and Bob Segar Rocks by Timothy Tamisiea. Vera Klement: Blunt Edge is a biographical documentary of Vera Klement, an oil painter from Chicago. Technically, Blunt Edge is masterful. Heck, it was a student academy award winning piece!

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Bob Seger Rocks is simple and moving piece about 12-year-old Luke Casey and how he has inspired those around him despite having had twenty three brain surgeries and suffering from a condition called hydrocephalus. Both pieces are worthy of praise and study. That is inspiration.

So as I sign off for the summer, I’ll leave you with this tip: Define your comfort zone and step out of it.