Julie Davis '90 was back at Dartmouth College this weekend for a showing of her film "I Love You, Don't Touch Me," and it was the perfect time for her to reflect on her existence as an artist. Davis arrived on campus late Thursday night, and she was in full conversational mode Friday afternoon during our brief interview at the Hanover Inn.
To hear Davis speak, it is obvious that being back at Dartmouth College suits her well. After a whirlwind year, she said that it feels "great" to be back. "I haven't forgotten what it feels like to be a student here. It's wonderful." Davis said.
Part of Davis' experience at Dartmouth involved a strengthening of her need for a creative life. She is a firm believer in self-satisfaction and self-exploration, and she urged everyone not to "compromise with what you want to do, the people you love, and friends -- the three things people most want you to compromise on." When Davis noted that "now people take me seriously," she was indirectly citing the difficulties involved with being young and creative. Fledgling artists are too often viewed as "flighty" or "aimless" or any other string of words implying a lack of maturity.
Davis certainly felt the sting of such beliefs, and she is not entirely convinced that she has "made it" yet. "I Love You, Don't Touch Me" has still not been released theatrically, and she is trying to make her next film independently. "I still don't know what will happen yet," Davis said honestly.
The truth of an artist's life is that he or she spends a lot of time "not knowing" -- not knowing how successful he or she will be, not knowing how good he or she is. Davis urged all aspiring artists to believe in themselves and have confidence in their voices. "I wasted too much time being miserable because I didn't know what I'd become," Davis announced with a slight pang of regret.
Unsure of herself and unwilling to compromise with her life, she held a series of film related jobs after college so that she could learn more about the process of filmmaking. It was an educational time, and she worked as a movie extra, an assistant film editor, a stand-in, a receptionist, and even as a commercial editor for the Playboy Channel.
In regards to the Playboy experience, she noted that being the only female on her floor was odd and depressing, but that she was so in need of money that she accepted the job with the belief that it would add more depth to her perception of life. It did. She plans on making her next film a comedy-drama about a woman working in the Playboy industry, and she is in the process of writing the script.
In the meantime, she is making a "very erotic" movie for Playboy under a pseudonym as a sort of research project for her next project. Davis approaches this and every other experience as a learning exercise, trying to figure out what she will gain from the experience, what this tells her about herself, and what this tells her about the society in which we live.
Besides gaining educational experience from her endeavors, Davis also looks to her exploits for inspiration. She spoke of the artist's need to feel and to react, and she cited Woody Allen as a personal hero. "He's it, he's like my inspiration," Davis stated emphatically. When questioned about the appeal of his films, she noted that "it's real people talking. That's what I always feel, and it makes me not feel so alone."
Allen's films are, for her, a reminder of the commonality of human experience. Life imitates art, and we are not so alone in the world because the people on screen have thoughts and feelings just like we do. Hell, they even talk like us. She seems to admire the fact that his films seem inspired by the writer/director's own life and thus appear to contain a ring of truth. This is also the reason why she does not like a lot of his current work, noting that "his inspiration now is a little girl," and that his recent films mirror this fact.
To Davis, truth in art and life is paramount. In her films, she feels the need to portray life as she lives it, life as it is for her. She feels obligated to do research, to be honest, and to present people and relationships in a way that is responsible and free of falsity.
While some may argue that such an approach can be limiting -- let's hope that Davis does not feel the need to make a movie about crack-addicted prostitutes anytime soon -- it can also be liberating.
Davis is setting herself up with the challenge of being constantly inspired in her daily life, a challenge that will increase and enrich her understanding of the world and of herself.
Ordinary lives are rich with drama, and the ways to explore these dramas are limitless if one has a good ear and an effective voice. Davis' goal is to hone her senses -- to hear more clearly, to see with greater focus, to speak in clearer tones and to make the audience grateful that she went to the trouble.
