Tip#1065: Coping Tools & Methods for Mental Health, Part 4 - Spielberg Documentary

I recently posted a photo of printed samples and archives with scans of my illustration work on Instagram and Facebook. I was touched when an old high school friend expressed her eagerness to see my new website THE ART OF EMMANUEL LOPEZ. That inspired me to finish it! This is what I wrote…

My new art website is almost finished! Going through decades worth of my artwork has been a joyful reunion with so many memories of times in high school, art college and over 20 years of my illustration business Crackers World Communications! I am so glad that many of my art and printed samples of illustrations survived the recent years of turmoil. Plus I'm so happy I invested countless hours to digitally scan as much of my illustrations that I could over ten years ago! This photo is just a small sampling of my unearthed treasures.

On the new website there are two main tabs: Published Illustrations and Original Art & Prints. And then under those headings are the following categories:

Published Illustrations: (click here)
1) Black & White
2) Colour & Line
3) Mixed Media/Collage
4) Earthy Textures
5) Juicy Colours
6) Caricatures
7) Unreleased Artworks
8) Self-Promotionals

Original Art & Prints: (click here)
• High School Works
• Art College Works
• Professional Works
• Portraits

Equally important is a special section called Creative Tools for Motivation featuring eight key tools I’ve used to help me cope with depression and difficult times. See: click here

While going through hundreds of art and illustrations of over 20 years I knew deep in my heart that my creativity was a huge coping tool for undiagnosed depression since my high school years. I often share in my motivational talks that movies have saved my life in dark times and I now add that my passion for art and illustration did too. Now I want to share this with others who could use their own creative tools for motivation and depression.

Two synchronistic events encouraged me to go on this emotionally healing journey in building this new art website. The first was seeing the awe-inspiring exhibition by fantasy filmmaker Guillermo Del Toro called "At Home With Monsters" (see #tip1061). And the other was seeing the amazing HBO documentary, Spielberg.

Spielberg (2017)

The documentary film, Spielberg, features the life and career of one of the most influential film directors of all time, Steven Spielberg. This highly engaging, nostalgic movie includes exclusive interviews with actors, family, and the filmmaker himself as well as clips from over 50 years of films such as Jaws, Close Encounters of the Third Kind, E.T., Raiders of the Lost Ark, Jurassic Park, Schindler’s List, Catch Me If You Can and many more. See: movie trailer

I grew up loving Spielberg movies and for a long time I considered Close Encounters of the Third Kind as my favourite movie. His early films were so magical for me and purely wondrous on the big screen! He was a huge creative inspiration for my imagination while in high school, art college and right up to the present. So seeing scenes from favourite Spielberg films along with behind the scene stories was incredibly fascinating as well as feeling like a warm blanket of nostalgia!

What touched me even more was hearing Spielberg speak about personal demons with self-esteem growing up and the pain of dealing with his parent’s separation as well as how making movies helped his mental health. Filmmaking was a way to channel his sense of isolation and fractured relationship with his father which you can see in films such as E.T., Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade and Catch Me If You Can.

Spielberg's quotes from the documentary...

“Most of my demons were self inflicted wounds... I didn't have a lot of high esteem for myself growing up. I was just a lonely guy… I felt good about myself when I was making a film. But when I had too much time to think those scary whispers would start up.” 

“I avoided therapy because movies are my therapy!” 

Spielberg has always been a hero to me and now even more so knowing that his own creativity are coping tools for his personal pain. That is something I can deeply relate to and I hope other creative people can too. I highly recommend seeing this amazing film!

Creative coping tools for self-expression can be the silver lining within dark times and challenges we face in life. If you have a talent in art, music, writing or even filmmaking be conscious that you have a powerful method that could help empower your self-confidence, self-esteem, resilience and indestructible optimism! Find yours today!

Related Tips:
Tip#1015: Coping with Depression, Mental Health & Wellness -Collateral Beauty
Tip#1052: Coping Tools & Methods for Mental Health, Part 1 – Baby Driver
Tip#1056: Coping Tools & Methods for Mental Health, Part 2 – Alkaline Foods – The Martian
Tip#1065: Coping Tools & Methods for Mental Health, Part 4 - Spielberg Documentary

MOVIES & MENTAL HEALTH INTERVIEW:
Listen to Emmanuel’s interview on the podcast show THIS MOVIE’S ABOUT YOU with Thom Ernst (former host of TVO’s Saturday Night at the Movies) and Louis Marrone. Emmanuel discusses his ideal double bill of GROUNDHOG DAY and PLEASANTVILLE and how they helped him cope with clinical depression. Click here

DO YOU KNOW SOMEONE THAT NEEDS CHEERING UP?
SEND THEM THIS: Uplifting Movie Montage produced by Emmanuel Lopez!

LISTEN TO EMMANUEL’S CBC RADIO INTERVIEW on
MOVIE MESSAGES OF HOPE: The Fresh Air Show

Remember How Movies Can Help You:
A) Entertain & Escape
B) Re-energize & Release
C) Inspiration & Motivation



Emmanuel Lopez-Motivatorman
Motivational Speaker on Health & Wellness
Discover How Movies Inspire Resilience & Indestructible Optimism
See website: www.motivatorman.com
 
© Emmanuel Lopez 2017

Tip#1064: Life & Work Lessons from Movies, Part 2 - The Founder

As I work on building my new website THE ART OF EMMANUEL LOPEZ I am reminded of how many wonderful years I was creating art and illustrations full time. I felt a strong sense of accomplishment unearthing many files with 100’s of printed samples and digital scans of commissioned work for high profile clients, magazines, newspapers and advertisements.

This introspective and retrospective process reminded me that I had a simple, effective and successful business model for my illustration business, Crackers World Communications, that I founded in the mid 80’s. I started with a simple whimsical style of black and white illustrations which were in demand for newspapers like The Toronto Star, The Globe & Mail and The Financial Times of Canada. My self-promotionals, in the form of direct mail post cards and Christmas cards, were also a key to my success that reached potential clients. See this interview that featured some of my direct mail examples: Interview on Canadian Learning Television (2003) 

Interview on Canadian Learning Television's Career Moves Show (2003)

See now: Click here

Back in the mid 80's there was no internet or email so purchasing mailing lists of potential clients were like gold at the time! Word of mouth was key as well as new clients contacted me after seeing my illustrations in print that featured my name and credit underneath. And since there was no email the working relationships were either via telephone or in person. That social interaction was a joy that I miss today!

And as I review my rich history of illustrations and art I was excited to learn how I could incorporate this phase of my career with my current motivational services. Once again the universe was listening to me and an inspiring movie synchronistically came into my life that instantly became one of the greatest films to inspire business owners and entrepreneurs!



The Founder (2016)

The biographical drama film, The Founder, is about businessman Ray Kroc (Michael Keaton) and his creation of the McDonald’s fast food chain. This entertaining and nostalgic movie also stars Nick Offerman and John Carroll Lynch as McDonald's founders Richard and Maurice McDonald. See: movie trailer

When this film was released I actually didn’t want to see it because it featured Ray Kroc as a ruthless, unethical businessman. But despite those character traits he still demonstrated many great leadership qualities. You see how he has a vision and doesn't let anything stop him making it a reality, not even the original founders. There is also a great sequence where the McDonald brothers are telling the story of how they created their fast food process. This film is definitely a great story with overflowing lessons and inspirational quotes for business owners and entrepreneurs!

"It's a symphony of efficiency, not a wasted motion." 

"We're an over night sensation thirty years in the making." 

"McDonald's could be the new American church, feeding bodies and feeding souls and it ain't just open on Sundays boys. It's open seven days a week." 

"If you're not making money hand over fist then something's terribly wrong." 

"You don't seem to know what business you're in. You're not in the burger business you're in the real estate business." 

"Nothing in this world can take the place of good old persistence." 

Inspiring Themes:
• Having a Vision
• Confidence
• Passion
• Persistence
• Perseverance
• Resilience
• Indestructible Optimism 
• Ethics
• Leadership
• Teamwork
• Problem Solving
• Business Lessons

Today I do my best to eat more healthier, nutritional foods and yet once in awhile I will enjoy a trip to McDonald’s. For me it isn’t just the food it's the happy childhood memories I feel when I taste a McDonald’s hamburger! It's comfort food. And now I know more about the story behind this successful, global franchise and is an important resource for business lessons to recommend!

Movies can be filled with work and life lessons that inspire and motivate. They can feature characters that represent positive and negative traits that you can learn from. Whether you are a business owner or wanting guidance in your life, be open to the power of cinema to deliver insights and catapult you forward with confidence and positivity!

Related Tips:
Tip#676: Life & Work Lessons from Movies – The Internship
Tip#334: Power of Persistence – Billy Elliot
 Tip#744: Have a Vision, Part 1 - Noah 



MOVIES & MENTAL HEALTH INTERVIEW:
Listen to Emmanuel’s interview on the podcast show THIS MOVIE’S ABOUT YOU with Thom Ernst (former host of TVO’s Saturday Night at the Movies) and Louis Marrone. Emmanuel discusses his ideal double bill of GROUNDHOG DAY and PLEASANTVILLE and how they helped him cope with clinical depression. Click here

DO YOU KNOW SOMEONE THAT NEEDS CHEERING UP?
SEND THEM THIS: Uplifting Movie Montage produced by Emmanuel Lopez!

LISTEN TO EMMANUEL’S CBC RADIO INTERVIEW on
MOVIE MESSAGES OF HOPE: The Fresh Air Show

Remember How Movies Can Help You:
A) Entertain & Escape
B) Re-energize & Release
C) Inspiration & Motivation



Emmanuel Lopez-Motivatorman
Motivational Speaker on Health & Wellness
Discover How Movies Inspire Resilience & Indestructible Optimism
See website: www.motivatorman.com
 
© Emmanuel Lopez 2017

Tip#1063: Coping Tools & Methods for Mental Health, Part 3 – Forks Over Knives – Hungry For Change

This is an example of a 40% acidic & 60% alkaline meal I prepared which would be 100% alkaline if not for the acid forming foods of the baked salmon belly, white basmatic rice and the side garlic Caesar dip. Still this was very delicious! Alkaline forming foods in this meal include: raw broccoli, zucchini, carrot, yellow pepper, wakami seaweed, Himalayan pink salt, ground black pepper and mineral water.

I definitely have a new passion for eating and cooking more nutritional foods! And I combine that with my other passions for photography and storytelling by documenting my journey on Instagram called THE FILM FOOD FRIENDS PROJECT. It is a joy to share what I am learning about a more alkaline plant-based diet which, thankfully, doesn’t include eliminating meats, poultry, fish and dairy. They just need to be drastically reduced. See: Emmanuel’s Instagram

I am often shocked when I look back growing up on how awful and imbalanced my daily diet was. For example during high school I’d have French fries and chocolate milk for lunch thinking it was nutritious because potatoes are a vegetable and milk was good for you.

Here is an example of a 80% acidic & 20% alkaline meal which means it creates a more acid environment in the body because of the duck, pasta and cream sauce. And though this was absolutely delicious I just needed to supplement this by eating more fruits and vegetables after this meal. So no need to give up foods I love, I just need to follow acid alkaline food guides and be conscious of what I eat every day!

But today now I know that fried foods and dairy are highly acidic forming in the body. I’ve been eating highly acidic forming foods for decades and now realize its been slowly inflaming and destroying my body and my mind. At least now I am aware of how to balance acid foods like meats with more alkaline forming foods like vegetables. What continues to inspire my drive to focus on a healthier diet is this quote I first mentioned in tip#1055…

“No disease, including cancer, 
can exist in an alkaline environment.” 
Dr. Otto Warburg,
1931 Nobel Prize winner for cancer discovery

My food journey has been about staying inspired and motivated when it came to not knowing how to prepare meals with fruits and vegetables. And since I’m an artist what has helped was to “cook with colour” which really excites my eyes and desire to photograph my new meals I prepare! A book that has helped with it’s highly detailed food charts is The Acid Alkaline Food Guide by Dr. Susan E. Brown and Larry Trivieri, Jr. It’s a small, compact book and you can see a sample of the food chart at this link: Alkaline Food List

There were two important bits of advice I got from food documentaries that helped me be more courageous and adventurous with adding more plant-based foods into my diet:

1) There are many different ways to eat vegetables but the best way is whatever method will get you to eat them.
2) When starting a new diet just add in the good foods, it will eventually crowd out the bad foods

The second statement came from the eye-opening film, Hungry for Change and it is one of two documentaries I highly recommend you see on Netflix!

Forks Over Knives (2015)

The documentary film, Forks Over Knives, advocates a low-fat, whole-food, plant-based diet as a way to avoid or reverse several chronic diseases including obesity, cardiovascular diseases, and cancer. It is also about avoiding processed food and food from animals. See: movie trailer

“People who were raised in Japan, The Philippines, Korea, China never had heart disease, prostate cancer, colon cancer, breast cancer, rheumatoid arthritis, multiple sclerosis…” 
John McDougall, MD

This quote from the film struck me personally because I was born in the Philippines but moved to Canada when I was three. So I was mostly raised on a western diet. This film is brimming with insights from many nutrition experts and case studies of people who successfully cured and reversed their chronic diseases. I highly recommend you just look at the movie trailer and see if it resonates with you. Here is a link to the official website: Forks Over Knives

Hungry For Change (2012)

The documentary, Hungry For Change, exposes secrets the diet, weight loss and food industries don't want you to know about deceptive strategies designed to keep you coming back for more. See: movie trailer

“The problem is we are not eating food anymore we are eating food-like products. And they are adorned, they are made to look better and smell better so people are attracted to them.” 

This film is filled with more riveting information from interviews with best selling health authors and leading medical experts to shake up your programmed belief systems and mindset. You will also be inspired to make your own diet and lifestyle changes by real life transformational stories. Again I highly recommend you see the movie trailer and then watch this on Netflix. Here is the official website: Hungry For Change

A third film I recommend is What The Health which I featured in tip#1055. All these documentaries have been so helpful to me in my quest to cure or reverse clinical depression. They have helped inspire, motivate and empower me to make huge lifestyle changes while enjoying new food delights while stepping into the unknown. I hope these films as well as my story inspires and motivates you on your own journey for a more satisfying and delicious life!

Related Tips:
Tip#1055: Believe in Miracles, Part 3 - Health & Wellness - What the Health
Tip#1015: Coping with Depression, Mental Health & Wellness -Collateral Beauty
Tip#1052: Coping Tools & Methods for Mental Health, Part 1 – Baby Driver
Tip#1056: Coping Tools & Methods for Mental Health, Part 2 – Alkaline Foods – The Martian
Tip#1063: Coping Tools & Methods for Mental Health, Part 3 – Forks Over Knives – Hungry For Change



MOVIES & MENTAL HEALTH INTERVIEW:
Listen to Emmanuel’s interview on the podcast show THIS MOVIE’S ABOUT YOU with Thom Ernst (former host of TVO’s Saturday Night at the Movies) and Louis Marrone. Emmanuel discusses his ideal double bill of GROUNDHOG DAY and PLEASANTVILLE and how they helped him cope with clinical depression. Click here

DO YOU KNOW SOMEONE THAT NEEDS CHEERING UP?
SEND THEM THIS: Uplifting Movie Montage produced by Emmanuel Lopez!

LISTEN TO EMMANUEL’S CBC RADIO INTERVIEW on
MOVIE MESSAGES OF HOPE: The Fresh Air Show

Remember How Movies Can Help You:
A) Entertain & Escape
B) Re-energize & Release
C) Inspiration & Motivation



Emmanuel Lopez-Motivatorman
Motivational Speaker on Health & Wellness
Discover How Movies Inspire Resilience & Indestructible Optimism
See website: www.motivatorman.com
 
© Emmanuel Lopez 2017

Tip#1062: Movie Message About Purpose, Part 3 – Blade Runner 2049

Immediately after I posted last week’s Tip#1061: Be of Service to Others, I received many comments of support and appreciation on Facebook, Linkedin and Twitter. Sharing my personal struggles and creative solutions once again was being validated that I am living my purpose in life helping others with my stories. And my purpose is evolving.

As I wrote in the previous blog post I felt passionately driven to dig further into my illustration archives and continued building my new website currently titled THE ART OF EMMANUEL LOPEZ. I am so excited because I am finally assembling a retrospective of how my art and illustrations evolved over many decades both personally and commercially. Evolution was a powerful theme running through my head as I sifted through old backup CDs and DVDs of my scanned artworks.

 My series of self-portraits from an exhibition at the Ontario College of Art & Design, 1985

It filled me with joy seeing these old illustrations that were still as colourful and vibrant as the day I created them decades ago. I could feel in my soul that there was still a higher purpose on how my art could be of service to others and trust the answers will unfold naturally. Right now I am having so much fun choosing and organizing the art images for the world to see on the new website!

Once again, and synchronistically, I was compelled to see the opening day screening of Blade Runner 2049 that brought back memories of the beginnings of my artistic career when the first Blade Runner movie was released in 1982. There were many mirrors for my life in the new film especially its themes of evolution and where the purpose of a person comes from.



Blade Runner 2049 (2017)

The science fiction film, Blade Runner 2049, is about Officer K (Ryan Gosling) who begins to question his purpose after discovering a long-buried secret that could plunge his society in 2049 into chaos. This moody, atmospheric sequel to 1982’s Blade Runner features returning character Rick Deckard (Harrison Ford) and new fascinating characters played by Ana de Armas, Sylvia Hoeks, Jared Leto, Carla Juri, Robin Wright and Mackenzie Davis. See: movie trailer

At almost three hours this film really immersed me into its futuristic world and yet I felt pros and cons about this film. Visually it had a distinctive look and yet didn’t have the same rich textures and details of the first film. But about a day after, I began to absorb the many concepts this new film offered. As in the first film, there are different forms of life such as bioengineered “replicants” and now there are virtual companions that are very lifelike and surprisingly sentient. For me, this was a very thought-provoking movie about one’s purpose and how much of it is our choosing and how much of it is planned e.g. care givers or something beyond or divine.

I know I need to see this film again because it definitely has movie messages and life lessons that could help guide me further on my evolving purpose. And perhaps if you are currently questioning your purpose in life this might be the movie prescription you need to feel more energized and confident with the path you are on.

If you feel stuck about your purpose in your life or career remember that movies can be brimming with thought-provoking messages to help you move forward. Ideal films can also arrive synchronistically to take you to another world for a few hours and return you feeling inspired, motivated and empowered! Be open to the next magical, movie messages that come your way!

Related Tips:
Tip#476: Do You Know Who You Are? - Captain America: The First Avenger - 5 Movie Tips
Tip#363: Discover Your Life Purpose - Accepted
Tip#1009: Discover Your Life Purpose, Part 2 - Moana
Tip#529: Be Open to Evolving – Johnny Depp – 21 Jump Street
Tip#607: Movie Message about Purpose - Rise of the Guardians
Tip#1026: Movie Message About Purpose, Part 2 - A Dog’s Purpose
Tip#1062: Movie Message About Purpose, Part 3 – Blade Runner 2049



MOVIES & MENTAL HEALTH INTERVIEW:
Listen to Emmanuel’s interview on the podcast show THIS MOVIE’S ABOUT YOU with Thom Ernst (former host of TVO’s Saturday Night at the Movies) and Louis Marrone. Emmanuel discusses his ideal double bill of GROUNDHOG DAY and PLEASANTVILLE and how they helped him cope with clinical depression. Click here

DO YOU KNOW SOMEONE THAT NEEDS CHEERING UP?
SEND THEM THIS: Uplifting Movie Montage produced by Emmanuel Lopez!

LISTEN TO EMMANUEL’S CBC RADIO INTERVIEW on
MOVIE MESSAGES OF HOPE: The Fresh Air Show

Remember How Movies Can Help You:
A) Entertain & Escape
B) Re-energize & Release
C) Inspiration & Motivation



Emmanuel Lopez-Motivatorman
Motivational Speaker on Health & Wellness
Discover How Movies Inspire Resilience & Indestructible Optimism
See website: www.motivatorman.com
 
© Emmanuel Lopez 2017