Author Archives: thevsstudioblog

“There is nothing noble in being superior to your fellow men. True nobility lies in being superior to your former self.” – Ernest Hemingway “When you are content to be simply yourself and don’t compare or compete, everybody will respect you.” –Tao Te Ching by Lao-Tzu (Stephen Mitchell translation) “Blessed is he who expects nothing,Continue reading “Make Friends With The Joy Thieves”

“Visualization works if you work hard. That’s the thing. You can’t just visualize and go eat a sandwich.” -Jim Carrey Timothy Gallwey, author of The Inner Game Of Tennis, has a nifty formula to measure performance. It’s as follows: P = P – I Performance = Potential minus Interference. There are two ways to boostContinue reading “The Performance Formula”

“As Gregor Samsa awoke one morning from uneasy dreams he found himself transformed in his bed into a monstrous vermin.” – Franz Kafka, novella The Metamorphosis if you don’t become the oceanyou’ll be seasickevery day -from the poem, “Good Advice For Someone Like Me” by Leonard Cohen In his masterpiece, The Inner Game Of Tennis,Continue reading “Become The Ball”

“Desire is a contract you make with yourself to be unhappy until you get what you want. Therefore, choose your desire wisely.” -Naval Ravikant One way to not get overly attached to your desires is that for whatever it is you seek, constantly say or think to yourself, “I desire this…Or something better.” Like aContinue reading “This…Or Something Better”

Stop waiting and thinking up your original, “million dollar idea.” Instead, come up with your “one dollar idea.” Meaning, find a simple, perhaps even boring, idea that has value to someone else. A value in which that someone would be willing to pay you one dollar more than it cost you to make or provideContinue reading “One Dollar Idea”

Shane Parrish wrote an excellent article on the differences between an amateur and a professional. I highly encourage you to read it. Click Here to do so. A couple of highlights: Amateurs have a goal. Professionals have a system. Amateurs wait for someone to recognize their positional, tap them on the shoulder, and give themContinue reading “Turning Pro”

“A person’s success in life can usually be measured by the number of uncomfortable conversations he or she is willing to have. -Tim Ferriss You asked for it. Or did you? Remember…If you don’t ask, you don’t get. P.S. – H/t to my friend Todd for providing the above image.

“Compound interest is the eighth wonder of the world. He who understands it, earns it … he who doesn’t … pays it.” ― Albert Einstein “Warren Buffett’s fortune isn’t due to just being a good investor, but being a good investor since he was literally a child.” -Morgan Housel, book The Psychology Of Money IfContinue reading “Time and Consistency”

“I’m always thinking about creating. My future starts when I wake up in the morning and see the light.” -Miles Davis “What a strange thing to consider imagining a world into being with nothing but words, intention, and desire.” -Blake Crouch, book Dark Matter Definition of Create (Merriam Webster): 1: to bring into existence 2:Continue reading “Create”

…Few are chosen.” The old adage of “Many are called. Few are chosen.” definitely applies to the arts. Certainly when it comes to having a sustained career or commercial success. But one way to avoid luck, randomness and gatekeepers from affecting your happiness and ability to lead an artistic life, is to choose yourself. SoContinue reading ““Many Are Called….””