Author Archives: thevsstudioblog

“Love and work…work and love, that’s all there is.” –Sigmund Freud “To love is to will the good of the other.” -Saint Thomas Aquinas “Yes, we shall live, Uncle Vanya. We shall live through the long procession of days before us, and through the long evenings; we shall patiently bear the trials that fate imposesContinue reading “Love and Work. Work and Love.”

“Nothing great was ever achieved without enthusiasm.” -Ralph Waldo Emerson Enthusiasm and love won’t on their own…get you hired, close the deal, raise the funds, acquire six-pack abs, make the sale, cross the finish line, build the company, manifest your art, etc… But without either of them, you don’t stand a chance.

Staying true to my January meaningful consumption post, I logged all the films I saw in 2022. It was over a hundred. Some were films I wanted to see again. Especially introducing them to one or both of my teenage boys. The list below represents only those I saw for the FIRST time and reallyContinue reading “Favorite Films I Saw This Year”

“Comparison is the thief of joy.” -Teddy Roosevelt When you’re going through hard times, you might be tempted to think “it could always be worse” as a way to feel better. And it’s true.  It could always be worse.  Much worse. But I’m not certain that provides enough lift off. And it could lead toContinue reading “It Could Always Be…”

If you want to get better at anything, you need three things. One…the awareness, acceptance and humility that you need to get better. Two…a burning desire to get better. Three…a plan that involves consistent action, specific measurables and deadlines. This way, you can test your plan and see if you need to tweak or iterateContinue reading “Get Better”

And you may find yourself living in a shotgun shackAnd you may find yourself in another part of the worldAnd you may find yourself behind the wheel of a large automobileAnd you may find yourself in a beautiful house, with a beautiful wifeAnd you may ask yourself, “Well, how did I get here?” Letting theContinue reading “It Happened”

Let me sleep on it Baby, baby let me sleep on it Let me sleep on it. I’ll give you my answer in the morning. -Meat Loaf, song “Let Me Sleep On It” “Above all, do not lose your desire to walk: every day I walk myself into a state of well being and walkContinue reading “Walk And Sleep On It”

“There are no extra pieces in the universe. Everyone is here because he or she has a place to fill, and every piece must fit itself into the big jigsaw puzzle.” -Deepak Chopra “To me acting is like a jigsaw puzzle. The jigsaw puzzle is of the sky and all the pieces are blue. OutContinue reading “Producer As Puzzle Master”

The most important takeaway of Mark Duplass’ SWSW Keynote speech “The Cavlary Isn’t Coming” (worth listening to frequently) is that there is no cavalry. Maybe you’re thinking…if I work really hard, if I make some good art, if I produce some worthwhile content, then someday I can relax a bit. It’ll get easier. I won’tContinue reading “The Tap On The Shoulder”

“Sometimes you gotta say What the Fuck’, make your move. Joel, every now and then, saying ‘What the Fuck’, brings freedom. Freedom brings opportunity, opportunity makes your future. So your parents are going out of town. You got the place all to yourself.” -advice that Miles gives to Joel in the film Risky Business “StudiesContinue reading “Risky Business”