Every successful filmmaker I know shares one common trait:

Optimism.

No matter if it’s a director, producer, writer, or crew person – those that have risen to the top have incredibly high levels of optimism.

In fact, they are such positive thinkers, and believe so much in their own capacities, you might even call them delusionally optimistic.

These are the people that knew they would get their scripts funded before they ever wrote a single line. The ones that manifested getting signed to the big agency. And those that landed collaborations with known actors and producers out of sheer will.

Most people in life have a negative bias. Especially towards art, and their own potential for success within it.

No matter how much talent they have, they simply believe the lie that it is impossible to succeed as an artist. That it’s a one in a million shot and you are destined to fail.

So they never even try. Or perhaps they take one or two swings, but when they don’t make it right away, they quit and move onto something more “stable.”

Then they tell everyone that they were right. That the industry is rigged, and the only way to get ahead is to be a trust fund kid or a nepo-baby.

But that’s simply not true.

While there is an obscene amount of nepotism in Hollywood, there are even more real success stories. People who grew up in the middle of nowhere, with zero connections to Hollywood, and still made it despite the odds being stacked against them.

In almost every one of these success stories, there is a level of extreme, delusional optimism at play.

Success in art does not flow to the rational person.

It flows to those who have such an unwavering belief in their own potential, that they simply don’t stop until they reach it.

Because ultimately, filmmaking is riddled with failure. Most filmmakers are rejected by dozens if not hundreds of investors, festivals, producers, and others before they get a single yes.

And even after they find some initial success, they are only faced with more setbacks. They lose money on a project, get dropped by their agent, or just have a slow season where nothing seems to click.

These ebbs and flows are virtually impossible to sustain as an artist if you are a pessimist. The low moments feel catastrophic – clear signs you are on the wrong path.

But those same lows are interpreted very differently by the delusional optimist. Every rejection is a new data point on how to succeed next time. Every stumble is one step closer to a huge leap.

That’s not to say optimistic people don’t feel devastated at times too, of course they do. But ultimately their positivity wins out, and before long they are back on their feet trying again, and again.

To a rational person, their choices seem crazy. They could be making more money working at a bank somewhere, getting a steady paycheck. But they are hustling for years and years with no guarantee that things will work out in their favor.

Optimists aren’t rational though. And that’s exactly what gives them the ultimate competitive advantage. Not just in terms of perseverance, but effectiveness too.

Take pitch meetings for example, which are ultimately just a form of sales. Who do you think is more likely to sell an investor on their film idea? Someone who believes in their project to the point of near delusion, or someone who isn’t even 100% sold themselves?

The people you want to collaborate with are all drawn to optimists, whether they realize it or not.

They themselves likely have a high bias for optimism. And even if they don’t, there is something infectious about the person that just knows it’s going to work out. Those are the people you take bets on.

So perhaps being extremely optimistic isn’t that delusional at all. Maybe it’s more delusional to think you can succeed in making art while harboring negative thoughts about your own potential, and wasting what little time you have on negative emotions.

There will always be a valid reason to not take the next step. To stop writing your movie. To avoid that phone call to the producer. Or to talk yourself out of making a DIY film.

But what you never see is the opportunity cost of constantly saying no to yourself. 

Next time, try leaning into your delusions with unwavering belief, and see what comes of it.

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