by Felicia Day
• • •
A few years ago I took a trip to George Lucas’s Skywalker Ranch. (One of the employees was a big Guild and Dr. Horrible fan, so we got a private tour. I take advantage of stuff like that, because, uh, why not?) We toured a huge warehouse filled with props and wardrobe pieces from Star Wars and Indiana Jones. I hover-touched the REAL DEATH STAR.
Yeah, it was amazing. You can touch me and secondhand hover-touch the real Death Star, too. (Use some hand sanitizer first, please.)
At one point I stopped at a shelf with some odd-looking grenade objects, colorful but rough around the edges.
“What are these?”
“Oh, they’re from Star Wars. Part of the power generator inside the shield generator on Endor.”
I looked closer. “They look . . . janky. What are they made out of?”
“Dixie Cups.”
“Wait, what? You mean the . . .”
“Yes, the disposable cups. They’re spray-painted, see?” My guide lifted up the prop delicately and turned it over for me. Sure enough, I could see that underneath all the paint and decoration was a cup I could pull from a dispenser next to an office water bottle.
“Um . . . what?”
“During the filming of Star Wars, Lucas ran out of money, and the studio wouldn’t give him more. He invested his own money in the film in exchange for the merchandising rights . . .”
“. . . and that’s why he’s a billionaire.”
“Right. But they still had to cut a lot of corners. Some of the props, even wardrobe pieces like the cuffs on the slave Leia costume, had to be cobbled together any way they could.”
“By painting Dixie Cups.” I stared at the prop in awe. It probably cost half a penny to make, and was a piece of the biggest movie franchise ever created. Definitely the most inspiring object I’d ever seen.
Now, I know bringing George Lucas into the mix might be setting the bar a WEE bit high, but the point is that he believed in his vision enough to make it happen NO MATTER WHAT. No one in the movie business wanted to make sci-fi movies at the time. The genre was completely disdained. Lucas believed in himself enough to put in his own money and use whatever resources he had to make his movie happen. And he found out, “Hey, billions of people feel the same way I do about sci-fi movies!”
With the help of frickin’ Dixie Cups.
That same motto “I am determined to create something or express myself, no matter how hard it is, even if my mom is the only one who sees it!” is the embodiment of how I view the web. For the first time, everyone has a chance to have his or her voice heard, or to create a community around something they’re passionate about and connect with other people who share that passion. Best of all, it rewards people and ideas that never would have made it through the system and allows the unique and weird to flourish.
I love the idea of breaking the system. And the beauty of the internet is that it gives everyone, especially unrepresented voices, the opportunity to do a little breaking. (Perot, I just can’t quit you!)
It might be extremely dorky to point out, but who you are is singular. It’s science. No one else in existence has your point of view or exact genome (identical twins and clones, look for inspiration elsewhere, please). That is why we need people to share and help us understand one another better. And on a bigger level than just taking a selfie. (Not hating on selfies, but a few is enough. You look good from that angle; we get it.) We need the world to hear more opinions, give glimpses into more diverse subcultures. Are you REALLY into dressing your cat in handcrafted, historically authentic outfits? No problem, there are people out there who want to see that! Probably in excruciating detail!
I was raised incredibly weird, but one day I accidentally got brave and thought I had a unique point of view about gaming. I decided to jump into web video—a world I knew very little about—to express it. Who knew there was anyone out there who wanted to listen?
I believe the next Oprah Winfrey or George Lucas will not come from a local news desk or college film program. He or she will come from the world of the web. Where the bar to entry is low, and where a group of kids can dream up a story and shoot it in their backyards. Regardless of whether someone gave them permission or not.
I hope all my copious oversharing encourages someone to stop, drop, and do something that’s always scared them. Create something they’ve always dreamt of. Connect with people they never thought they’d know. Because there’s no better time in history to do it.
So bust through all the cat GIFs and top-ten linkbait and share something of yourself. If you enrich one other person’s life, it will be worth it. If you find one friend, it will be worth it.
Plus, the apocalypse may be right around the corner. And then there’s that global warming thing happening.
So take advantage of this time like it’s a 2-for-1 sale, baby!
Good talk.
OXXO
Felicia
Thanks, Guys!
To my brother, Ryon, who made me laugh while writing when I’d IM him with questions and have conversations like this one:
Felicia Day
WHAT ARE YOU DOING?!
Felicia Day
Hey do you remember when we were driving to Florida and Grandma pulled a Taser on Mom and then Mom threatened to leave her on the side of the road?
Tuesday, January 7, 2014 8:57 PM
Ryon Day
yeah I remember that one!
ha ha it is to laff
that was the trip the dog died on and we weren’t there!
Wednesday, January 8, 2014 9:23 AM
Felicia Day
Oh I didn’t remember the dog died during that trip! Thanks, good detail!
Wednesday, January 8, 2014 9:24 AM
That story didn’t make it in the book, but reliving our childhoods made us laugh together. For his help in delving into our past dysfunctions, I give the biggest thanks to him.
To my aunt Kate, who taught me the joy of pretend.
To my dad, because he’s always made me feel like a success, no matter what I’ve done. And who will ALWAYS bug me to keep saving more in my retirement fund.
To my boyfriend, who kept me going through a lot of the crap I just threw up on all the previous pages. I’d delete my Twitter account for you, honey.
To Kim Evey, who was my companion and inspiration through the best and worst. Without you, this book wouldn’t exist.
To Wil Wheaton, Sean Becker, Ryan Copple, Maurissa Tancheroen, and the cast of The Guild and Dr. Horrible, all of whom fuel my creativity and inspire me to be a better friend.
To Joss Whedon, whom I adore with stars in my eyes, who I want to be a badass for. Who inspires me to keep creating while standing awkwardly near the hummus.
To my agent, Erin, and my editor, Lauren, and everyone at Touchstone who believed that people wanted to hear stories from the life of a very weird internet woman.
And lastly, to every fan who’s linked or tweeted or commented on my work. To every person who ever worked on or volunteered on The Guild. You kept me going. You turned my struggle into a success. You are the only reason I’m here. Love you muchly.
About the Author
Felicia Day is a professional actress who has appeared in numerous mainstream television shows and films, including a two-season arc on the Syfy series Eureka and a four-season arc on the CW show Supernatural.
However, Day is best known for her work in the web video world, behind and in front of the camera. She costarred in Joss Whedon’s Emmy Award–winning internet musical Dr. Horrible’s Sing-Along Blog. She also created and starred in the hit web series The Guild, which ran for six seasons and is currently available for viewing on every major digital outlet, including Netflix.
In 2012, she launched a YouTube channel called Geek & Sundry. The network has garnered more than 1.3 million subscribers to date and more than 200 million views. In 2014, the company was purchased by Legendary Entertainment. Day continues to act as CCO and develop
web content and television projects with Legendary as a producer, writer, and performer. She is also extremely active on social media, has over 2.4 million Twitter followers, and is the eighth most followed person on Goodreads, where she is also the founder of Vaginal Fantasy, a romance and fantasy book club with more than 13,000 members.
@feliciaday
www.feliciaday.com
www.feliciadaybook.com
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Copyright © 2015 by RobotKittenGiggleBus Productions
Foreword copyright © 2015 by Joss Whedon
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First Touchstone hardcover edition August 2015
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Interior design by Jill Putorti
Jacket Design by Cherlynne Li and Ervin Serrano
Jacket Photography by Robin Roemer
Photo credits: Shutterstock: 12, 15, 21, 53 (© Ronen Boidek), 150, 167; David LaPorte: 90; Ron Jaffe: 103; the Bui Brothers: 147, 187 (bottom left); Christopher Cruz: 196; Forrest Huff: 205; Christina Gandolfo: 228. All other photos courtesy of the author.
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication data is available.
ISBN 978-1-4767-8565-3
ISBN 978-1-4767-8567-7 (ebook)