Author Archives: thevsstudioblog

“When you go through life with preferences but don’t let your happiness depend on any one of them, then you’re awake. You’re moving toward wakefulness. Wakefulness, happiness—call it what you wish—is the state of non-delusion, where you see things not as you are but as they are, insofar as this is possible for a humanContinue reading “Desire Or Preference?”

“I’m your density. I mean, your destiny.” -George McFly, Back To The Future It’s no accident that this script and this role came to you at this exact time. Embrace the mystery. It’s your cosmic destiny calling.

“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 (translated by Stephen Mitchell) The best directors, the best leaders, they don’t care about getting credit. In fact, they’d prefer you felt you came up with the ideaContinue reading “All By Yourself”

“Nothing great was ever achieved without enthusiasm.” -Ralph Waldo Emerson “Pain + Reflection = Progress.” -Ray Dalio “The trick, researchers say, is realizing that a prerequisite to motivation is believing we have authority over our actions and surroundings. To motivate ourselves, we must feel like we are in control.” – Charles Duhigg, Smarter, Faster BetterContinue reading “E.P.O.”

“What does it mean that success is as dangerous as failure? Whether you go up the ladder or down it, your position is shaky. When you stand with your two feet on the ground, you will always keep your balance.” –Tao Te Ching by Lao Tzu (translated by Stephen Mitchell) We all want to haveContinue reading “There Is No There, There”

“If you don’t eat yer meat, you can’t have any pudding.” -Pink Floyd, “Another Brick In The Wall” “The secret of happiness is not to do what you like to do, but to learn to like what you have to do.” -King George V Let’s face it, even if you’re living the dream, doing theContinue reading “Have To Do For Love To Do”

“No, the jungle wasn’t evil. It was indifferent. So, too, was the world. Evil, then, must be the negation of something man had added to the world. Ultimately, it was caring about something that made the world liable to evil. Caring. And then the caring gets torn asunder. Everybody dies, but not everybody cares. ItContinue reading ““Matterhorn””

I often end these blog posts with the sentence, “Go make your art.” And while many readers of this blog are other artists, the sentence applies to anyone. Recall our definition of art: “doing something that might not work in service of others.” Whatever industry you’re in, whatever you’re trying to do, whatever change you’reContinue reading ““Go Make Your Art””

You don’t work on the great plays and parts. They work on you. What a gift to give yourself.  (Thank you playwrights!). The opportunity to grow and fully realize your human potential.

“The first messenger, that gave notice of Lucullus’ coming was so far from pleasing Tigranes that, he had his head cut off for his pains; and no man dared to bring further information. Without any intelligence at all, Tigranes sat while war was already blazing around him, giving ear only to those who flattered him.”Continue reading “Don’t Shoot The Messenger”