Could Your Art Cost You Your Relationship? | Michael Glover Smith on Hekla

In this episode of Is There More?, Megan A Tully sits down with filmmaker, author, and history of cinema professor Michael Glover Smith to talk about his new indie film Hekla, premiering in Los Angeles at Dances With Films this month! Get your tickets here: https://danceswithfilms.com/2026-hekla/What starts as a conversation about independent filmmaking becomes a much deeper exploration of art, relationships, divorce, creative identity, and the emotional cost of being an artist.Michael opens up about how Hekla was shaped by his own life — including his divorce, the death and rebirth of identity after a long relationship, and the question so many creative people quietly carry:Can you fully devote yourself to your art without losing the person you love?We talk about the making of Hekla, micro-budget filmmaking, directing actors, collaborating with Elizabeth Stam, giving up creative control, using pain in performance, and what happens when your personal life becomes the material for your work.Michael also shares behind-the-scenes stories he says he has never shared in another interview — including why he wasn’t present for the first two days of shooting, how the fantasy sequences were created, and how walking five miles a day influenced the opening of the film.This conversation is for filmmakers, actors, artists, writers, and anyone who has ever wondered whether their ambition, creativity, or inner world could cost them a relationship.Follow Michael Glover Smith:https://www.michaelgloversmith.com/Follow Megan A Tully / Is There More?:https://www.instagram.com/meganatully/