Trust The Process

“Trust The Process.”

These three words are linked to Sam Hinkie, former GM of the Philadelphia 76ers and highly controversial figure. His story is fascinating. You can read more about it here.

Let’s adopt this mantra/slogan for our own work.

“Trust The Process.”

Don’t trust external results–accolades, achievements, awards, etc…I mean, they might happen. But you certainly can’t count on them. And those externals should not be the reason why you’re doing a piece of art.

But you know what you can count on? What you can trust?

The process.

“Trust The Process.”

What is the process?

Basically, it’s any consistent effort and action that’s entirely within your control. Input equals output.

Some examples that might apply to actors, writers or producers include…

…learning your lines; really learning your lines; backwards and forwards so that they’re at your fingertips

…reading the script hundreds of times; breaking down the text; fully exploring every single character nuance and motivation

…daily observation of life and human interaction

…sitting your butt in the chair and writing something every single day; no matter what

…rewriting; not giving up on a paragraph until every single sentence is exactly the way you want it

…reading and studying other writers’ material; asking what worked and what didn’t; cultivating your own taste and style; finding a piece of art you’re passionate to manifest

…seeing plays, films, other art forms

…regularly meeting with artists

…putting yourself out there; sharing your work with others

Control what you can control.

Do the work.

“Trust The Process.”

It will never let you down.