Author Archives: thevsstudioblog

“It is not that we have a short time to live, but that we waste a lot of it. Life is long enough, and a sufficiently generous amount has been given to us for the highest achievements if it were all well invested. But when it is wasted in heedless luxury and spent on noContinue reading “The Cost Of Your Ownership”

Don’t ask a question or seek feedback if you’re not ready to hear a truthful reply. Otherwise, why are you seeking it?

Maybe you think you’re ready to lead. But until you’ve burned your boat, thrown your hat over the wall and gone all in, don’t expect to anyone else to get behind you. One thing I love about producing live theatre is that you have to set a date for opening night. You don’t have toContinue reading “All In”

“The greatest danger for most of us is not that our aim is too high and we miss it, but that it is too low and we reach it.” -Michelangelo Maybe you’re not quite giving it everything you got because deep down you’re afraid your best isn’t good enough. That’s a real fear and itContinue reading “Don’t Hold Back”

The best decisions are often what you eliminate or say “No” to doing. Similarly, the best art often arises from what you left out. Consider the last line (maybe one of the best last lines in all of literature) from Hemingway’s A Farewell To Arms: “After a while I went out and left the hospitalContinue reading “Left Out”

“You know what the scariest thing is? To not know your place in this world. To not know why you’re here…It’s hard for many people to believe that there are extraordinary things inside themselves, as well as others…Go to where people are. You won’t have to look very long.” -Elijah Price’s advice to David DunnContinue reading “Unbreakable”

Feel like nobody cares about your art? Good. You’re free to make what you want. Whatever lights you up inside. Now go make it. P.S. – No one will ever care if your aim is to get them to care. They may end up caring because you risked. Because you made something from your heartContinue reading “Nobody Cares”

“There is no better than adversity. Every defeat, every heartbreak, every loss, contains its own seed, its own lesson on how to improve your performance the next time.” -Malcolm X “Plenty and peace bring cowards. Hardness ever of hardiness is mother.” -William Shakespeare “Everybody has a plan until they get punched in the mouth.” -MikeContinue reading “Dear Adversity,”

“To me, acting doesn’t really feel that different, one job to another. The set’s different, and we had no money, and we had small catering and stuff, a small crew, but it doesn’t feel that different. If you play basketball on a playground, and then you play in a college game, you’re playing basketball. IfContinue reading “Just Find A Way To Play”

It doesn’t matter that anyone ever notices the details you cared so much about and sweated over to get just right. It should only matter to you. That you cared enough to sweat them in the first place. Consider this excerpt from Walter Isacsson’s excellent biography of Steve Jobs… Nobody but Apple’s engineers would knowContinue reading “Detail Oriented”