I'm just trying to approach what I make with as much respect and

Hear, O seekers of wisdom, the words of Garth Davis, who humbly declared: “I’m just trying to approach what I make with as much respect and research as I can, and just make it with a good heart.” In this confession we hear not the boast of pride, but the quiet voice of a craftsman who understands that creation is not a conquest but a covenant. To make with respect is to honor the subject, the people, and the truth one seeks to portray. To make with research is to build upon knowledge, not ignorance. And to make with a good heart is to ensure that every work, whether film, story, or deed, carries within it the seed of goodness.

The meaning of this utterance reaches far beyond art. It teaches that every act of creation—whether shaping a painting, writing a book, or building a home—demands reverence. For the work we make is not born for ourselves alone but is given to the world, to touch minds, to stir souls, to shape lives. If we labor without respect, our work is shallow. If we labor without knowledge, it is brittle. But if we labor without a good heart, it is poisoned at its root. Davis, in his words, reveals the triad of true craftsmanship: respect, research, and goodness.

The origin of such wisdom lies in the tradition of storytellers and artists who bore heavy responsibility. Davis, a filmmaker, has walked the path of bringing sacred stories and human struggles to the screen. His words reflect the awareness that such work is not to be handled with arrogance, but with reverence. For to tell the story of another—be it of a people, a history, or a soul—is to hold in one’s hands something fragile and divine. The ancients too knew this, for bards and scribes spoke not only for themselves, but for their cultures, for their gods, for their generations.

Consider the tale of Herodotus, the historian of Greece. He did not invent idle myths, but gathered the stories of many peoples, researching with diligence, and writing with respect for the voices he heard. Though flawed, his work endured because it was shaped by reverence and curiosity, not by scorn. So too did Leonardo da Vinci labor, filling notebooks with study and sketches, for he knew that true creation demanded research as well as inspiration. His art and inventions live eternal because they were made with both discipline and heart.

The emotional strength of Davis’s words lies in the phrase: “a good heart.” For knowledge without compassion may build great machines but cannot heal. Skill without respect may produce brilliance but not beauty. Only the good heart, tempered with humility, transforms labor into service, and art into truth. This is why the greatest works—whether the Sistine Chapel or the speeches of Lincoln—still stir the soul: they were made not only with skill, but with reverence and compassion.

The lesson for us is clear: in whatever we make, let us labor with respect—for our craft, for the people we touch, for the truth we seek. Let us labor with research—never assuming, but always learning, that we may not wound by ignorance. And above all, let us labor with a good heart, remembering that our works live beyond us, shaping others in ways unseen.

Therefore, let your actions flow from this teaching. If you write, write with reverence. If you build, build with integrity. If you speak, speak with truth and kindness. Before you set your hand to any task, ask: am I doing this with respect? Am I doing this with knowledge? Am I doing this with a good heart? For if you can answer yes, your work shall endure, not only in form but in spirit.

And so, carry forward the wisdom of Garth Davis: “Make with respect, with research, with a good heart.” This is the path of the true creator, the noble craftsman, the wise servant of humanity. Walk it faithfully, and your works will not perish, for they will be rooted in truth and crowned with goodness.