From the time I was very young, the energy of the night always entranced me. It seemed so mysterious and unattainable to my young self. Having a very early bed time, I was never exposed to the night except on weekends and when I would wake up during the night. It seemed like a whole new world. A world that operates on its own and plays by its own rules. I was never much of a day person or much of a fan of the sun. It’s not that I detest the sun; it’s that I don’t prefer it. I would take a rainy day any day over a sunny one. The rain and the clouds have more substance and intrigue to me.
Being a filmmaker, I would constantly look at things with a narrative point of view and the night would always more than deliver.
Let’s go on a journey for a moment.
The night unleashes what seems like another personality in its inhabitance. It’s a space of passion, greed, crime, love, depression, creativity, and awakening. It’s where deals are made in the shadows of alleys and secrets are kept through the light peeking through closed curtains. It's where fresh paint still dries as a delinquent packs up his spray paints. It’s also where trust is betrayed and the decisions of the day are tossed, turned, and dissected. It’s where the weak of heart become strong and the rugged become sentimental. It’s a place of discovery and also escape. To loosely quote another work, “it’s where your emotions are free to roam untouched by the judgmental eyes of the sun.” I find that the work I create centers around the night, whether it takes place in the night or not. The night is such a central component in my life that it almost feels like a person of itself. Another staple of the night is none other than the moon. Mysterious for years, and clouded with various legends and myths, the moon is an interesting subject. As it controls the movement of the tides, it is also rumored to have an effect on our overall mood depending on its phase. This is where the “full moon” legends originated. I believe it goes without saying that our “normal” personality is somewhat altered during the brief period of darkness. We’re more daring, more adventurous, more spontaneous, and definitely more thoughtless, not taking into account the repercussions of our actions come the morning. This is another amazing quality of the night. What happens in the night stays in the night.
From the first hour of the morning till the last shed of light is seen in the sky, there are rules, regulations, expectations, and consequences. Not saying that all of these are relinquished with the arrival of the stars, but they certainly become less of an obligation. The nightlife will continue to intrigue me until the day I die and will always be a source of warmth, inspiration, and comfort. So here’s to the night owls, here’s to those who can only relax under a dim streetlight or the bright flashes of neon. Here’s to those who thrive on the absence of light and feed off of it. And here’s to those that unleash themselves from the stresses of the day and release into the depths of the known darkness.
