Written by: Lauren Anders Brown, Executive Contributor
Executive Contributors at Brainz Magazine are handpicked and invited to contribute because of their knowledge and valuable insight within their area of expertise.
Giving up and wrapping up are two contrasting approaches when it comes to dealing with challenges, tasks, or even life situations. While they may appear similar on the surface, they carry distinct meanings and implications.
If you have spent any time on or around a film set, or seen one shown on tv or a movie you’ll have heard the assistant director call out ‘That’sa Wrap.’ This tells all the different departments that whether all the work listed for the day on the call sheet was completed or not, their jobs for the day are done and they could ‘wrap up’ or put away their equipment and any other work that was in progress and leave the set. In episodic television, where I worked the most towards the end of my time on set, we often would not ‘make our day’ or leave work unfinished on the call sheet to pick up another time. Growing up in the film industry, I am very familiar with wrapping up work on a set working with others, but I’ve just recently struggled with deciding when to wrap up projects I’ve left unfinished for years because I refused to give up on them.
What is giving up?
Giving up refers to the act of surrendering, quitting, or abandoning a pursuit or goal. It often stems from frustration, disappointment, or a perceived inability to overcome obstacles. Giving up can be a result of a lack of motivation, resilience, or belief in one's abilities. It signifies a decision to cease efforts and accept defeat, potentially missing out on valuable opportunities for growth, learning, or achievement. My films have naturally had a strong festival run, along with impact screenings, and a natural progression until the pandemic. I had one film that had a very short festival run and my last and biggest film FORGED had only screened at a couple of festivals. The funding raised for the impact work was running out but I wasn’t ready to give up and nor did I have my next big project to keep me going. I felt stuck and stubborn.
What is wrapping up?
On the other hand, wrapping up involves a deliberate process of completing or concluding a task or endeavor in a thoughtful and organized manner. It entails acknowledging the progress made, tying up loose ends, and ensuring a sense of closure. Wrapping up involves a proactive approach that recognizes the value of finishing what one has started, even in the face of difficulties or setbacks. It signifies responsibility, commitment, and the ability to own one's actions. Being a self-shooting director and producer, I don’t have an assistant director to call ‘That’s a wrap’ on my sets. I have to be the one to do it, and it's hard to know when that time is meant to be. It’s not like I was filming all scenes that needed to be in daylight and the sun was going down, there was nothing to make me walk away from the work but myself.
So what’s the difference?
While giving up may provide temporary relief or respite from challenges, it often leaves a lingering sense of regret or unfulfilled potential. It can hinder personal growth, limit future opportunities and reinforce a negative mindset. Conversely, wrapping up encourages a sense of accomplishment, satisfaction, and personal integrity. It allows for reflection on lessons learned, a celebration of achievements, and the possibility of moving forward to new ventures.
Whether it was giving up or wrapping up, I was holding onto these last couple of projects a bit too tightly in fear of not having that next big film. It was keeping me from looking at the other opportunities in the startup I had been working with part-time at Gamoteca. Working with that startup was inspiring me to begin to build my own a digital pet passport called PadsPass.
In life, there are undoubtedly moments when the decision to give up may be warranted, such as when pursuing a goal becomes detrimental to one's well-being or when it no longer aligns with one's values or aspirations. However, it is crucial to exercise discernment and self-awareness to differentiate between temporary setbacks and genuine dead-ends. In many cases, perseverance, adaptability, and resilience are key ingredients for success. Once I accepted I needed to wrap up the time and effort I put towards my film FORGED, I was able to commit to a couple of last submissions of the film which ultimately is how it won two Telly awards this year.
Startup life is a diversion from my identity as a documentary director, but I haven’t given up on making films I’ve just diverged for a bit. Ultimately, the choice between giving up and wrapping up lies within an individual's mindset, determination, and perspective. While giving up may seem like an easy way out, wrapping up empowers individuals to face challenges head-on, learn from their experiences, and embrace the opportunities that lie ahead. It is through the act of wrapping up that one can find closure, maintain a sense of accomplishment, and pave the way for new beginnings.
Lauren Anders Brown, Executive Contributor Brainz Magazine
Lauren Anders Brown is an award-winning documentary storyteller who uses film, photography, audio, and her writing to focus on issues of global health and human rights. She has captured content in over forty countries, including conflict zones, in order to amplify the voices of others and especially women. She produces work through her own production company colLABorate: ideas and images, works as a consultant for the United Nations, and is Creative Director of the e-learning startup Gamoteca. She is a true artivist: an artist who uses any and all of her available platforms to creatively advocate for human rights.
