Director urges graduates
to make most of life
Photo by Richard Rodriguez
Nora Ephron spoke to SCAD graduates May 29.
From Staff Reports
At her commencement speech at the graduation ceremony at Savannah College of Art and Design, screenwriter-director Nora Ephron told graduates they might not want to model their careers in art after her own life.
Ephron, who wrote and directed "Sleepless in Seattle" and "You've Got Mail," told the students she delayed her efforts in film-making to work as a journalist and then a novelist.
She also congratulated the art students for their bravery in devoting their lives to the art business, and not having anything to fall back on but their own talent and creativity.
At the May 29 ceremony at Savannah Civic Center Arena, Ephron told the group of about 650 graduating students that her one biggest fear was going to New York and never making her mark - never do anything big enough to gain notice.
While she congratulated the students for not playing it safe, Ephron cautioned them not to expect immediate success. On the contrary, they should expect rejection and criticism of their work and ideas as they are starting out.
"You live in a different world when you create something," she said. "You have to be good, and only if you really want it will it happen."
Ephron encouraged the young artists not to listen to naysayers.
"You must trust your gut feelings," she said. "If something is funny, you laugh. If something is sad, you cry."
Ephron also told the group they should not ignore their power to influence the world, nor the influence the world has on them.
"Whatever experiences you have, use them to make yourself better," she said.
