Your not a (Blank) until you do it
Now a days anybody with a DSLR and an NLE calls them self a "filmmaker"...
NOW I say your NOT a filmmaker until you COMPLETE your own FILM... until that time comes you WANT to be a filmmaker...
There is a sense of pride that comes with FINISHING things... NOW if you wanted to feel the pride of being able to call yourself a "filmmaker" YET you could do so without even COMPLETING a film.... doesn't that kinda dull the whole pride thing?
Nowadays marketing has convinced us that we can become things through buying... you can go to Guitar Center and spend $2000 and you will walk out a "musician" because you've got all the gear.... You can walk into an Apple Store and walk out a "Filmmaker"... it all sort of cheapens and bastardizes the arts...
I never really considered myself an "animator" until after I completed HSM this year... then I felt a great sense of pride... not really feeling like I earned the title really drove me to work harder and go further... I'm not an amazing animator or anything but I've put my time in and completed a lot of animated projects...now after I made my first CRAP claymation what if I was like YUP I'M AN ANIMATOR... I think that would have nullified the whole working to earn the title thing...
So be careful what you call yourself... don't start painting stripes on yourself until you earn them... lest you become like the hipster with all the prison or yakuza tattoo's who like never went to prison or joined the yakuza 0_o
Brought to you by professional weirdo M dot Strange.