“I found myself feeling better connected to other people”
I worked on a film in Mexico for three months and I was the only America crew member, myself and our still photographer. It was the only time that I can think of where as a white male I have been the minority for the entirety of a period of time and it was a totally unique experience to understand someone else’s perspective and see how many people experience that on a daily basis in this country.
We find ourselves telling them to just pull themselves up and ignore it, and you can’t ignore it. It puts you ill at ease and you have to find ways to assimilate and ignore your own identity.
I found myself feeling better connected to other people and had to work in a different language. All those things were complicated but I came back with a greater appreciation of how other people live their lives. And that made it worthwhile.
My mother used to make me long tube socks stuffed with cotton and in little 3 or 4 inch increments there would be a ribbon tied, to segment it like an earthworm. I called them Ba. I attached a certain amount of support to them. They were throughout my childhood.