“Filmmaking is a Lifestyle”: Redefining My Understanding
Written By: Jon Bregel - Founder, Filmmaker & Coach, Nourish
For the past eight years, I’ve had the privilege of coaching incredible filmmakers, helping them navigate the intricate challenges of balancing work and life, rediscovering creative fulfillment, and pursuing their goals with renewed clarity. These experiences, coupled with my own journey as a filmmaker, have underscored how closely our creative careers are intertwined with our overall well-being. True growth, I’ve come to understand, requires care, intention, and balance.
This realization led me to dive deeper into the intersection of creativity and wellness by studying lifestyle and wellness coaching at Harvard Medical School. My goal was to gain a science-based perspective on how to better support not only the filmmakers I work with but also myself in fostering sustainable and meaningful growth. Our industry can be grueling, often leaving us feeling burned out, disconnected, and questioning the very passions that brought us here. I’ve been in that space, and I’ve learned how transformative it can be to step back, realign, and reconnect with what truly matters.
This season of my life has been a deeply personal journey of reflection, healing, and growth. It’s also strengthened my commitment to helping others find clarity, balance, and purpose in their lives and creative work. Whether reigniting creativity, building balance, or exploring new directions, I’ve found great fulfillment in walking alongside filmmakers on their paths to transformation.
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While coaching has become a meaningful part of my life, my creative identity as a filmmaker remains at my core. I’m still actively involved in creative projects, and my passion for filmmaking continues to inform and inspire the way I approach both my creative endeavors and my coaching practice.
A good filmmaking friend of mine once told me, “Filmmaking is a lifestyle.” At the time, I interpreted that to mean that film should consume my life. And for years, it did. My identity, energy, and sense of self-worth were all deeply entangled with the constant demands of filmmaking.
Now, after years of inner work and reflection, I’ve redefined what “filmmaking is a lifestyle” means to me. It’s no longer about allowing filmmaking to dominate my existence. Instead, it’s about integrating it into my life in a way that honors my creativity, prioritizes my well-being, and cherishes the relationships that sustain me. It’s about harmony, not reactivity, and building a sustainable foundation that supports both my passion and the life that makes it worth pursuing.
If any of this resonates with you, or if you know a filmmaker who might benefit from coaching, I’d love to connect. You can schedule a discovery call by clicking the button below or email me directly at jon@nourish.art.
Here’s to growth, creativity, joy, and embracing the journey ahead!
-Jon Bregel, Founder, Nourish
