Author Archives: thevsstudioblog

“Most people do not listen with the intent to understand; they listen with the intent to reply.” -Stephen R. Covey “Listening is about being present, not just about being quiet.” -Krista Tippett One of the great gifts you can give another artist or anyone who’s contemplating a project is to simply listen. Listen to themContinue reading “Listening And Downloading”

“I fear not the person who has practiced ten thousand kicks, one time. I fear the person who has practiced one kick, ten thousand times.” -Bruce Lee “Ready, Fire, Aim” is a popular business book. While I haven’t read it, the title alone is catchy and offers good advice. How often do we not startContinue reading “Start, Then Iterate”

And so should we. I watched this terrific documentary (available on Amazon prime) about the sculptor Elizabeth King. Similar to the Bill Cunningham documentary I wrote about and loved, it’s all about an artist’s process and how one is called to something. Combining intimate figurative sculpture, stop frame animation and the ritual of theater isContinue reading “Elizabeth King Loves Process”

What would happen if we took the amateur spirit–for me that’s process, doing something for no other reason than the pure love of the thing itself–and married it with the rigor, the discipline and consistency required of the professional? What would we choose to create? How far would we take it?

“A mirror will reflect all things perfectly, whether they are beautiful or ugly; it never refuses to show a thing, nor does it retain the thing after it is gone. The mind should be as open as this.” -Lin Ching-hsi One of the great reasons for art is that it’s a mirror. We can holdContinue reading “Art Is A Mirror”

Advice for the stage actor… What happens when you have a rough performance night? Meaning you didn’t feel good about your work. You felt like you pushed, you “schmacted”, you relied solely on craft and technique to get you through, you were constantly “in and out”, you were “not present”, etc… And there are people–maybeContinue reading ““Thank You For Coming””

“Faith is to believe what you do not yet see; the reward for this faith is to see what you believe.” -Saint Augustine Putting religion aside, I think this beautiful quote applies to making art or any kind of change. We have no idea if the thing inside our head and heart will work. WeContinue reading “Faith”

Everyone wants to have arrived. But the journey is where all the fun is. P.S. – Update to this week’s “Why Not” post…I came across this wonderful quote from Pablo Picasso: “Others have seen what is and asked why. I have seen what could be and asked why not.” How fitting! Oh, and Russel WestbrookContinue reading “Arriving”

What you really WANT to do. What you feel you SHOULD do. What you know you MUST do. When those three things align, you’re on to something. Get to it. Go make your art.

“The person who argues for their limitations gets to keep them.” -Richard Bach Heading into 2016-2017, only one NBA player had ever averaged a triple double (getting double figures in 3 statistical categories–usually points, rebounds and assists) for an entire season. That was Oscar Robertson in 1961-1962. Averaging a triple double for a season wasContinue reading “Why Not?”