Mani Stone in the Nepalese Himalaya
"Read deeply, travel widely."
When I was at UCLA, the legendary John Huston screened a first cut of what would be his final film – an adaptation of James Joyce’s THE DEAD. As the lights came up at the end of the film, Mr. Huston was pushed up to the front of the theater in a wheelchair, replete with oxygen tanks and a nasal breathing apparatus. As Joyce would put it, his “existence seemed to be fading out into a grey implacable world” and yet here he was, talking to film students. After adroitly managed a host of inquiries the inevitable question we had all been dreading came: “What would he advise young filmmakers do to prepare themselves for a career in film?” We sank into our seats in shame and embarrassment, but Mr. Huston sat up to attention, smiled sweetly, and answered clearly, “Read deeply, travel widely.”
In truth, this was never a conscious motivation for my years spent on expedition. They were born from a desire to have a direct, somatic connection with the world and not one abstracted by symbolic rewards and career advancement. As such, these trips have been formative experiences that inspire my creative ambitions, inform my writing and haunt my dreams.
