The Vs. Studio Blog

For the director…

Assuming you’ve earned your actor’s trust, there are times where the best note you can give the actor is to simply say “I don’t believe you here.”

It might seem harsh on the surface, but if that’s how you feel, then tell them. Don’t over-explain. Don’t try to solve. Just tell them.

If it’s a trained and talented actor who truly cares about the work and not their ego, then they will make the fix all on their own. And at some point, even if they never tell you, they’ll be grateful you gave them this note.

P.S. – Speaking of “I don’t believe you”, this video captures one of the most iconic moments in Rock & Roll history. Imagine getting that note from Bob!

“If your actions inspire others to dream more, learn more, do more, and become more, you are a leader.” -John Quincy Adams

Act for the people’s benefit. Trust them; leave them alone….If you don’t trust the people, you make them untrustworthy.

The Master doesn’t talk, he acts.
When his work is done,
the people say, “Amazing: we did it, all by ourselves!” –Tao Te Ching by Lao– tzu (Stephen Mitchell translation)

“Authentic leadership, I think, implies people who can spot, affirm, train, support, finance, and validate gifts and leadership wherever they see them in actual practice (think multipliers instead of monarchs). Then we are not all striving toward the top but striving toward supporting the supreme work of love flowing into the world.” -Richard Rohr

The true test of your leadership is whether people get to where they want to go in life, and feel they did it all by themselves.

And then those people turn around and do the same thing for others.

And so on and so on.

Be a multiplier. Not a monarch.

P.S. – Happy Juneteenth. This post.

“I realized the other day that most people grow up thinking in terms of professional affiliations. ‘I’m going to be an accountant…I’m going to work for General Dynamics.’

Somehow, I always thought of my career as a series of projects, not jobs. Projects… things to be invented, funded and shipped. Sometimes they take on a life of their own and last, other times, they flare and fade. But projects, one after the other, mark my career. Lucky for me, the world cooperated and our entire culture shifted from one based on long-term affiliations (you know, ‘jobs’) to projects.” -Seth Godin

Whatever you’re thinking about doing, whatever goals you have for yourself (big or small)…why not turn it into a project? Design a work plan complete with tasks and micro-tasks. Set deadlines. Figure out how much money you need. Make a financial plan. Create a budget.. And go.

Everything becomes real once it’s a project.

Or better yet, nothing gets real until it’s a project.

P.S. – This post and this post.

It’s possible you use social media to grow your business. Or to enhance your career. Or maybe it’s to find delight and joy. When you add up all the tikking, tokking, tweeting and clicking, what’s the return on that investment? Is your vacation more fun when you spend it taking photos for your Instagram followers? Are you feeding Linkedin or is it feeding you?

Labor is work that we get paid for. It’s work we wouldn’t do for free. And for most people on social media, it’s unpaid labor on behalf of the platforms. If it’s paying off for you, keep going! If it’s not, it might be worth reconsidering. The simple test: when you do it more, do things get better? -Seth Godin

What work would you do for free? Just because you love it.

If you know what that is, then consider yourself lucky. As most people don’t know. Then, go do as much of it as you possibly can.

You might get really lucky and start getting paid to do this work.

But either way, it’s a win-win.

“If I took the Big Leap into my Zone of Genius, I might fail. What if I really opened up to my true genius and found that my genius wasn’t good enough? Better to keep the genie in the bottle and coast along in the Zone of Excellence.” -Gay Hendricks, The Big Leap

“You’ve got to find what you love. And that is as true for your work as it is for your lovers. Your work is going to fill a large part of your life, and the only way to be truly satisfied is to do what you believe is great work. And the only way to do great work is to love what you do. If you haven’t found it yet, keep looking. Don’t settle. As with all matters of the heart, you’ll know when you find it. And, like any great relationship, it just gets better and better as the years roll on. So keep looking until you find it. Don’t settle…

Your time is limited, so don’t waste it living someone else’s life. Don’t be trapped by dogma — which is living with the results of other people’s thinking. Don’t let the noise of others’ opinions drown out your own inner voice. And most important, have the courage to follow your heart and intuition. They somehow already know what you truly want to become. Everything else is secondary.” -Steve Jobs

Just because you have a natural proclivity for the thing or people tell you how excellent you are at doing the thing, or you can make really good money doing the thing, etc…doesn’t mean you should be doing the thing.

You should be doing the thing solely because it’s the thing you badly want and love to do. You feel it uniquely suits you. Regardless of what people think. That’s your “Zone Of Genius.”

Find your Zone of Genius and do it and you will find deep fulfillment and lasting joy. It’s also how you will make the greatest contribution and impact on the world.

For the producer or anyone starting a project…

No one will ever care more than you. Especially at the outset.

Why should they? It’s your project.

Their priority is not your priority.

So, you have two choices.

(1) Don’t care if they care. Have no expectations. Plan to do it all yourself. (Depending on the medium, this might not be possible.)

(2) Inspire them to care.

How do you do this?

Let them know why this matters to you and why you want and need them on board. How much you value them. Then throughout the process, be very specific and precise about what you need done and when you need it done by. All the while, making space for their individual artistry to flourish. Also, have backup plans in case things don’t go as well as planned or deadlines don’t get met. Stuff and life happens. So be sure to forgive them and yourself.

This second, inspiring choice is much harder and takes much more work. But it will be so much more rewarding and fulfilling in the end.

What will you choose?

“If it’s important, you’ll find a way. If it’s not, you’ll find an excuse.” -Ryan Blair

The only question to ask yourself:

What’s the thing that you will do, no matter what?

Find and start doing that. Once you do, everything else you need will show up.

But until you do, nothing will show up.

The measure of a calling isn’t whether you get picked or it chooses you first.

The measure is whether, despite everything…all the obstacles, all the disappointments, all the heartbreaks…you keep choosing it.

“Perhaps, if you’re fortunate, your job is in sync with your work. But most of the time, our work is something we have to fight for. It’s not something we’re given, or apply for. It’s what we choose to do. The change we seek to make, the people we seek to serve, the decisions we insist on being responsible for. Doing our work is a calling. Doing our job is an offer to follow someone else’s instructions.” -Seth Godin

To do meaningful work and have a great artistic experience…

You don’t need to be picked or ask for permission.

You just need to be willing to do all the same work if you were picked and permitted. Because at that point, you’d have to. Because it would be your job.

Instead, why not do it all just because you want to?

Ask yourself, “How far am I willing to take it solo?”

Find your anchor project. So many good and unexpected things will come your way once you do.

“Intentionality fuels the master’s journey. Every master is a master of vision.” -George Leonard

“When you’re not intentional, life gets out of control. When you are intentional, life becomes manageable.” -John C. Maxwell

“Be careful not to lose sight of the divine presence in any of your actions. Never undertake any work or activity without first having lifted your mind to God and committing that activity to him with holy intentions. Do the same when you offer thanks for the outcome of all your actions. Always examine whether things unfolded in accord with the right intentions you had at the outset, and if you find anything defective, humbly ask the Lord for forgiveness with a firm resolution to amend your failings.” -Saint Pio of Pietrelcina

In the morning ask yourself, “What is my intention for today?” Perhaps it’s to be more patient, or have focus, or spread joy everywhere you can. Then throughout the day, especially as challenges arise, come back to that intention.

What you will realize is (a) just like meditation, this is an ongoing practice and (b) unlike outcomes, intentions are within your control. This provides you with some autonomy and agency, in a world filled with uncertainty.

Be intentional for anything you’re doing. It could be the smallest task, like say, brushing your teeth. Before you start brushing, ask yourself “What is my intention?” Then as you do it, just keep coming back to that intention. This helps you stay present, which boosts your mood and overall happiness.

I’ll leave you with this great quote from Zen master Thich Nhat Hanh:

Eat with gratitude. And when you put the piece of bread into your mouth, chew only your bread and not your projects, worries, fears, or anger. This is the practice of mindfulness. You chew mindfully and you know that you are chewing the bread, the wonderful nourishment of life. This brings you freedom and joy. Eat every morsel of your breakfast like that, not allowing yourself to be carried away from the experience of eating. This is a training. When you brush your teeth, how much time can you afford for brushing your teeth? At least one minute, maybe two? Brush your teeth in such a way that freedom and joy are possible, not allowing yourself to be carried away by concerns about what you will do after you are done. “I am standing here, brushing my teeth. I still have teeth to brush. I have toothpaste and a toothbrush. And my practice is to be alive, to be free to enjoy tooth-brushing.” Don’t allow yourself to be a slave of the past or the future. This practice is the practice of freedom. And if freedom is there, you will enjoy brushing your teeth. Resist the tendency to be carried away by your thoughts and fears.