Inspirations Everywhere

I uploaded the original animatic for The Price at the start of 2013 with the intention of leaving it online for a few months in an effort to express my gratitude for the patience of so many who were waiting for the final film. The description on YouTube mentioned that it would only be available for a limited time, but a strange thing happened as the days continued to tick relentlessly past…

The comments.

You can look through them (if so inclined), but along with many kind and encouraging words for the production itself, there came expressions of gratitude and thankfulness for the way the story provided hope and even an emotional catharsis for some viewers. These have continued to appear over the (now 7) years it has been online, having been viewed over 85,000 times.

I started reading through them the other day — as a group on the site itself rather than individual email notifications — and realized I hadn’t responded to the majority of these comments! I decided to do something about that, and once I started, I just couldn’t stop; it was truly overwhelming.

Here is a sampling:

Julie Dawson: “I sought this story out today on hearing the news that RBG has died. I am so grateful for all the ‘Black cats’ who give everything they have to protect the rest of us in our ignorance.”

Mónica Álvarez: “It is a good story and a great adaptation. Today I read this story to my students for Children’s day.  Thank you for sharing.”

johnmburt1960: “Just shared this with my 12-year-old. Very glad I got the chance.”

Sans Souci Blogs: “Oh did this ever get to me. It is magnificent in every way. Please don’t remove it! It is perfect in every way. Mesmerizing. As a cat rescuer it really affected me. Bravo!”

Shannon Sutter: “I loved this story. I once had a black cat that resided with me. She showed up and I took her in just like in the story. I believe she warded off evil as well. RIP   “Blackie”, I sure miss your presence on my porch.”

Akios Munre: “Is anyone else crying? Because this was truly beautiful.”

Black Jill: “I cried…I Just… I’d have done something, anything, to keep it from coming back and hurting that cat. I have three cats with me now and all I can think about is cuddling with them now.”

Of course, all of this is because of the sheer emotional power of Mr. Gaiman’s extraordinary tale.

It remains stunning to me that even in its “rough draft” form, this little film can tap into that power and reach people in significantly personal ways. And that’s the magic behind inspiration — it can come from anywhere (and usually, right in the nick-of-time).

As I was working through these comments, I happened to click on a link to the Olan Rogers channel. (Many of you might know him from his uproariously funny “Story” videos, the most famous of which is the absolute gold-standard for silliness called “Ghost in the Stalls” that will have you ugly-laughing and saying things like, “I’m scotch… tape!”) I hadn’t been there for a long, long time, and was curious to see how he was dealing with the whole pandemic-thing, so I watched his video called “Keep Moving.”

I wasn’t prepared for such a raw, emotional experience that was transparent and extremely brave. I hope you’ll watch it in its entirety, because the point he makes in sharing both the good and tragic things that have befallen him brought me tremendous feelings of hope and assurance (even though one of the saddest moments is when he describes the passing of his own feline friend, “Starscream”).

All I’m trying to say is that the inspiration for you and what you need right now is out there, so keep looking and you’ll find it, I promise.

Stay healthy, happy and hopeful.