My 92-Year-Old Father Stopped Drawing. Then, a Creative Spark Returned.
Making @Aging_Isaac by: Roland Millman
Creativity is about being active but also about being mindful. This is something I’ve been witnessing in technicolor as I’ve supported and witnessed the birth of my father’s latest project - the making of @Aging_Isaac.
I have been producing/shooting and creating film, video and photography since 1983 - that’s a long time, wow! 42 years and they flew right by. I spent 15 of those years working with my father, Isaac. I was an in-house video producer and called on my father’s art department to collaborate. He spent his career as an illustrator turned art director and then went on to write and illustrate children’s books. Personally and professionally, my father has always impressed me. His drive, his focus and how he churned out material without regard to whether it was perfect or not. He mastered the art of “just get it on paper”. I always wished I could do that too. I try.
They say creativity is “one percent inspiration and ninety-nine percent perspiration”. Heck yeah, but also patience, looking for a spark and then acting on it.
There was a period of time when my father stopped drawing. At 92 he felt like he hit a wall. He shakes, everything hurts, and he is often dizzy. My mom once said, “The machine is grinding down to a halt.” That’s a little dramatic but we are a creative family. My mom ordered him to, “Get back to work!” And so he did.
Over the past few months, my father has been churning out a cartoon every day - sometimes two. Initially posting them to the family text chat. They were rudimentary - wobbly text, the penciling was done over and over and the inking sometimes went awry. They told the story of his struggles and fears. We have a dry sense of humor in our family and the cartoons reflected it. Eventually, he refined the cartoons a bit. His old style poked through in the old familiar way he used to lose himself in his work - his survival instincts.
One afternoon I was inspired to film my parents, sitting in their dining room, talking about “the work”. I wanted to make it part of this greater project. It carried a story on its own. A new Instagram channel was born: @Aging_Isaac.
What I learned, I always kind of knew: Creativity doesn't happen in a vacuum. Creators aren't gods, we're hunters. What we create is simply a repackaging of how we experience the world: fear, love, beauty, strife, everything that touches us. We pluck it from our environment and tell the story.
As creators, we're sometimes blessed with inspiration and other times digging deep to craft sound, images, and words that open a door, a moment for people to connect with something inside themselves or with the wider human experience. That's the gift of connection. Please visit and subscribe to @Aging_Isaac on Instagram. Listen to my story.
BIO: Roland Millman
Roland Millman is the owner of Bright Screen Productions. He is a documentary filmmaker who creates advertising and promotional videos for Pharma, Finance, International News and corporate clients. He is based in New York and works primarily in NY/NJ, CT, PA, and Washington DC. Roland’s film, "They Were Not Silent," was a festival-winning documentary about the Jewish Labor Movement during the Holocaust. As a Yiddish language activist, he made and sold over 3,000 copies of "SHVITZ!" and "No Shmaltz!" work-out and cooking videos in Yiddish. His work was chosen for the Hamptons International Film Festival, the UN Human Rights Film Festival and TIVA-DC Peer Awards. Most recently, Roland is collaborating with his father, Isaac on the Instagram channel @Aging_Isaac which features video clips and cartoon illustrations on the challenges of getting old.
Instagram: @BrightScreenProductions
Instagram: @BSP_Pics
Instagram: @Aging_Isaac
