If you’re a fan of Kevin Smith and have been following him on social media, then I’m sure you’ve heard the news about his recent heart attack. Luckily, he is currently making his recovery, but this made me think about how much of an impact both Smith and his work have had on me.

After High School, Smith didn’t know which career to pursue. One night, he went to an art-house theater, watched Richard Linklater’s Slacker, and was inspired to pursue film-making. When I was 16, I was struggling to figure out what I wanted to do with my life. One day, I was hanging out with my friend and we decided to watch Clerks. We had both seen some of Smith’s other movies, but for some reason hadn’t seen his first. We headed to the local Hollywood Video and snagged the DVD from the shelf. I remember sitting there laughing but, once the third act started, the film began to speak to me. Smith has said in his podcasts and stand-up specials that when he made his first film, he was attempting to make a movie about nothing. I think he failed in that regard, but in the best kind of way. To me, Clerks is about two guys struggling to figure out what they want to do with their lives. That was me at the time, and I saw myself in both Dante and Randall. Dante is unsure of himself and overthinks everything. On the other hand, Randall doesn’t seem to care about anyone’s opinion, and isn’t afraid to say so. We all want to be Randall and to have a commanding presence about us, but ultimately, end up Dante at times. Brian O’Halloran and Jeff Anderson are both amazing in their roles, and in the end, give a really deep and emotional performance. Clerks also features the debut of Jay and Silent Bob. Smith had originally written the role of Randall for himself but ultimately decided to don the trench coat and backwards hat. I don’t think we would have it any other way.

It’s because of Clerks that I pursued film, and it’s the reason I am even typing this article. This film will always be a big part of my life. It shows us that no matter how hectic and pointless life may seem, sometimes we have the most clarity in the eye of the storm.

Clerks is widely available on DVD and Blu-Ray.