I’m always looking for external validation from my heroes to know if I or my work are good enough. It makes my life feel fulfilling, but I get depressed without it. How do I deal with this? – Roel

I think when you grow older, you start to see that the people you look up to are just as human as you are. Same flaws, same doubts, same noise in their heads. And when that hits, something shifts. You stop chasing their eyes, and you start looking inward instead.

I crave validation too. It’s inherently human. And when I don’t get it, I fall back into doubt. Secretly, I’ve tried to fix a lot of my old work over the years. New grades, new edits, replacing the old versions. I thought I could fix them, trying to be better.

But after ten years of filmmaking, I realised there is no better.

Apart from the technical side of things, the work really is just a reflection of who you were in that moment. Frozen in time. And in that light it’s perfect for what it was, because it represents that. The weight falls off, acceptance grows.

And the validation? Yeah, for me that will never go away. I won’t get it. Not from my heroes. Not from my work. Because it’s part of the work, part of wanting to be seen.

Because there’s nothing worse than pouring so much time and love into something, only to realize no one will ever see it.

So try to find peace in the making, not in the reaction.
Because when the noise fades and the lights go out, the work stays.
Not just for today, but forever.