Author Archives: thevsstudioblog

It seems to be the case that… …When you feel like you were amazing and expect heaps of praise, you get nothing. Crickets. …When you feel like you were terrible and expect tons of criticism, you get unexpected compliments. I’m not exactly sure why that is. But there’s something really cool and perhaps divinely orderedContinue reading “Divine Feedback”

“Stanislavsky once wrote that you should ‘play well or badly, but play truly.’ It is not up to you whether your performance will be brilliant-all that is under your control is your intention. It is not under your control whether your career will be brilliant-all that is under your control is your intention. If youContinue reading “Why We Do It”

“Perfect is the enemy of the good.” -Voltaire “And now that you don’t have to be perfect, you can be good.” -John Steinbeck Being good, let alone great at something is underrated. It takes a tremendous amount of discipline, hard work and dedication to your craft. Being perfect, especially when it comes to art, isContinue reading “Perfectly Good”

“And then when I walked down the street people would’ve looked and they would’ve said there goes Roy Hobbs, the best there ever was in this game” -quote from the film The Natural, based on the novel by Bernard Malamud “Every film I do, I have to believe that I’m making the best film that’sContinue reading “The Best Thing Ever”

Per Google Search… An irritant, such as a grain of sand or a parasite, enters a mollusk (like an oyster or mussel) and triggers a defense mechanism where the mollusk secretes nacre (mother-of-pearl) in layers around the irritant. This layering process, which can take years, forms a pearl as a protective barrier against the foreignContinue reading “Irritant”

“There is only one happiness in life—to love and be loved.” -George Sand For the actor… Sometimes, the fastest way to “find the character” is to strip away some of the advantages or privileges you might have or even take for granted. Ask yourself what your world view would be like if you didn’t receiveContinue reading “Find It By Losing It”

“You are not your thoughts; you are aware of your thoughts. You are not your emotions; you feel emotions. You are not your body; you look at it in the mirror and experience this world through its eyes and ears. You are the conscious being who is aware that you are aware of all theseContinue reading “Thought Waves”

“This book will be the most difficult of all I have ever attempted…I can do small things after 3:30 PM, but the first part of the day must now be for the book. This is a kind of necessary selfishness—otherwise books do not get written.” -John Steinbeck’s letter to his friend Pascal Covici about theContinue reading “Say “No” To Say “Yes” To Your Art”

In lieu of seeking external validation or affirmation, how then can you know if you’re on the right path? Especially when it comes to the art you’re creating, the work you’re doing or the change you’re seeking to make. The very fact that you’re asking the question means you care. You want to be goodContinue reading “You Know Because You Care”

Some poetry for your weekend (h/t to Poetic Outlaws for this one)… “A Poem On Hope” by Wendell Berry It is hard to have hope. It is harder as you grow old,for hope must not depend on feeling goodand there is the dream of loneliness at absolute midnight. You also have withdrawn belief in theContinue reading ““A Poem On Hope””