Inside the mind of Quentin Tarantino

In 1994, around the time of Pulp Fiction's release, Quentin Tarantino visited the Charlie Rose Show to participate in an interview about his life, his craft, and his inspirations. The segment gives viewers a really cool chance to get to know the mind behind the movie and see where some of his ideologies and practices originated and developed from. It was encouraging to hear about his life and how he got started in the film industry because it wasn't something that just fell into his lap. He didn't even go to school first to study the industry and the craft. He worked hard, made mistakes, and learned from everything he did to get where he is today and his outlook was really inspiring to me. He discusses diving into this industry with no thought of having something to fall back on because he didn't want to fall back onto anything. The film industry was his goal and in his mind, his only path. That stood out to me because I feel like some people may approach this mindset as being reckless or irresponsible, but as an artist I find it kind of incredible. He put everything on the line because he wanted to pursue something so passionately. It's easy for us to set goals and pursue things, but how often do we set the goals and pursue the things with such confidence that we never even consider needing to have something in place to fall back on? I'd say not nearly as often as we should! There's a boldness and a steadfast hope that come with making that sort of decision and in certain circumstances I think it's healthy to push ourselves to live that way to smash our own doubt and cultivate faith in ourselves.

Later in the interview, Tarantino and Rose were discussing Tarantino's nontraditional, non-linear methods of telling stories. At one point in this part of their conversation Tarantino said, "There's no problem with being momentarily confused if you feel you're in good hands." This spoke so vividly to me. I love the idea that confusion does not have to be a negative experience in the context of storytelling. I find it completely frustrating and really upsetting when the viewer of a film, reader of a book, or listener of a song is so close-minded or impatient that they immediately shut down the art that they are experiencing simply because they become confused or start to feel lost. There is a certain art to confusion (when employed tastefully) and Tarantino's statement hit the nail on the head. Confusion allows for wonderment, pursuit of further knowledge, and potentially an intensified level of interest. I think it's really important for observers of media to possess this mentality so that they don't deprive themselves of an opportunity to be deeply impacted by something. Sometimes we simply aren't supposed to understand every detail or be completely on track with a storyline. Instilling confusion can be intentional, and I feel like sometimes it can even be an invitation to revisit the media again at a later date and explore it with fresh eyes. Tarantino's ideologies about the experience of being a "viewer" are encouraging and freeing and listening to him discuss his work with Rose gave really incredible insight to the foundation of his projects.

Thank you again for coming by! I hope that your week has been full of exploration and growth, and that something you read today sparked something in your mind.

This is the link to the interview between Rose and Tarantino if you're interested in checking it out! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FTge-hrbU30

{Today's mind/heart/soul-healthy challenge: Think about a movie that you didn't understand the first time you saw it. Did you leave with the impression that you disliked it because you didn't understand it? Would you be willing to revisit it this week, equipped with Tarantino's philosophy of welcoming confusion? Is there potentially something you could learn from the movie that you didn't before? I'd love to hear about your experiences in the comments if you do this. I hope it's a fulfilling experience!}

*MAKE TODAY STORY-WORTHY.*