Jason Lindsey Reminds Us Today Only Comes Once

“Make it count” is a battle cry that Jason Lindsey lives by; aspiring to do whatever it takes to find something extraordinary in each day and each shot. By approaching each day positively and being fueled by challenges, Jason’s drive to be his best self personally and professionally remains strong.

And because of this, it is not uncommon to see Jason pull from his personal life to create. Years ago, when Jason decided he was going to work out more regularly, he knew professionally it would be challenging to find the time. “Today Only Comes Once,” comes from this time in Jason’s life where he was inspired to get healthy. He envisioned this project would represent the everyday hero, a person who works a 9-5 job and makes time to live a healthy lifestyle.

See how Jason made the most of this one day; creating the concept, writing the script, choosing the music, shooting the stills, directing the motion, and editing. He did it all and even made time to work out himself.

What did you learn on this project?

The focus of this project was on directing. I’ve learned that the more well-rounded I am at concepting, writing, selecting music, creating, and editing, the better director I become. I enjoy the entire process of creating — it brings me back to my art director days. By doing all of the roles, I can be a better director by putting myself in other people’s shoes.

What was your most memorable moment?

I wanted to ensure the moments that I shot were those that people would find authentic. Pushing the edge, making things more natural and genuine is becoming more important than ever in my work. My goal was to create memorable moments. To do this, I wanted to create scenarios that everyday people experience. We tried to make the environment look like a home with toys around. We also added humor by capturing a guy drinking milk from the carton, wiping his mouth on his sleeve.

What would you like people to know about you and your work after viewing this?

This was a lifestyle shoot where I captured everyday heroes, working with non-actors who were doing fitness for better health. Half of my jobs are with real people, not professional talent or athletes. Working with regular people is something that I look forward to. I approach the project differently. In my mind, the role I play in directing non-professional talent is as a coach of a little league team — while on-set, giving more encouragement, laughter, and direction, using less “insider” language. 

Follow Jason on Instagram to see more work telling the kind of stories that break down our barriers and take us deeper into something.