The trick is falling in love with something enough, and being

"The trick is falling in love with something enough, and being excited enough by something, to want to make that year and a half or two year commitment and wake up every morning at 5 to go deal with a whole day full of problems to get it up on the screen. You really need passion." Thus spoke Mark Romanek, the craftsman of cinema, whose art demanded not merely skill but endurance of body and spirit. His words shine like a beacon for all who would undertake long labors: that only love and passion can sustain the human soul through the endless trials that creation demands.

For he speaks of the long journey—a year and a half, or two years—the length of time it takes to carry a vision from the first spark to its final form upon the screen. Such a span is no idle passing of hours; it is a pilgrimage through exhaustion, conflict, disappointment, and compromise. To rise each day at five in the morning, to labor all day under the weight of endless problems, is a burden that mere ambition cannot carry. It requires a heart set aflame by devotion to the work, a fire that no storm can quench.

In these words lies the ancient truth: that the greatest achievements are not born of convenience, but of relentless persistence. Consider the building of the cathedrals of Europe, which took decades, even centuries, to rise stone upon stone. No mason or architect could endure such labor unless driven by love for the divine vision they sought to embody. Romanek’s words echo this spirit: whether the work is of stone or of light upon the screen, it is the passion for the vision that fuels the weary hands.

History also gives us the tale of Thomas Edison, who pursued the invention of the light bulb through a thousand failures. Each morning he returned to his experiments, facing yet another day of problems, frustrations, and doubt. He did not rise for money alone, nor fame, but for the burning conviction that the world could be illuminated. This is the same spirit Romanek describes: the willingness to endure unending obstacles because one has fallen in love with the outcome.

His warning is clear: without passion, the weight of such a journey will crush the spirit. A man who enters into great labors for shallow reasons—for money, for recognition, for the approval of others—will falter when the days grow long and the nights grow heavy. But the one who truly loves the work will endure, for every problem becomes a puzzle, every setback a lesson, every day a step closer to the vision that burns within.

The lesson for us is this: do not undertake great labors lightly. First, fall in love with the vision. Test your desire and ask if it burns bright enough to carry you through years of toil, sacrifice, and uncertainty. If it does, then commit fully, for that passion will carry you when strength fails. Without it, even the smallest obstacles will seem insurmountable; with it, even the heaviest burdens will become bearable.

Practical action follows: find the work that excites you so deeply that you would rise at dawn for it, work long hours for it, endure failure for it. Do not choose by ease or convenience, but by the measure of your heart’s fire. Then, once chosen, give yourself wholly to it, knowing that problems are the price of creation, and persistence the path to triumph.

Thus Mark Romanek’s words endure as a teaching for all who dream of creation. To build, to invent, to craft something worthy, you must fall in love with it—and let that love be your strength through every dawn and every trial. Passion is not decoration; it is the lifeblood of endurance.