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“Desire is a contract you make with yourself to be unhappy until you get what you want.” -Naval Ravikant Choose Wisely.

“Trust The Process.” These three words are linked to Sam Hinkie, former GM of the Philadelphia 76ers and highly controversial figure. His story is fascinating. You can read more about it here. Let’s adopt this mantra/slogan for our own work. “Trust The Process.” Don’t trust external results–accolades, achievements, awards, etc…I mean, they might happen. ButContinue reading “Trust The Process”

So you wanna be a producer? Okay. Great. There are two T’s you absolutely need to have. Two T’s you must continually develop. Two T’s you will always be judged on. Your TASTE. Your TENACITY.

CHRISTY What do you guys do? MIKE I’m a comedian. More uncomfortable silence. LISA Do you ever perform out here? I’d love to see you. MIKE No… LISA You should. A lot of comics play Vegas. MIKE Well, I’m afraid it’s not that easy… LISA Why not? MIKE There are different circuits… it’s hard toContinue reading “You’re A Producer?”

“How long are you going to wait before you demand the best of yourself?” -Epictetus If not here…where? If not now…when? If not you…who? What are you waiting for? Remember. Memento Mori.

“It’s heart, not head. Thought will f-ck you up.” – Bob Dylan Don’t try to change anyone’s mind with your art. You got no shot. It’ll come off as preachy. And no one wants to be preached to. Instead. Aim for their hearts. Open them up. And then maybe, just maybe, they’ll change their ownContinue reading “Heart, Not Head”

Kevin Kelly, founder of Wired magazine and polymath, wrote this fantastic essay. It’s one of my all time favorites. An absolute must-read. Talk about empowering! If we can go make art, and get 1,000 people to love our art, so much so they’re willing to consistently engage with and pay for it…we can have aContinue reading “1,000 True Fans”

My old Chicago acting teacher and mentor, Kurt Naebig, warned us early on to never complain about the industry. Never, ever moan and groan about jobs or the lack thereof. His words, “The industry didn’t choose you. You chose it.” He was right. So why do we stop choosing? If we chose to be artists,Continue reading “You Don’t Get To Stop Choosing”

Beware. I’m attempting an original metaphor. Wish me luck… Picture yourself at a beach. You stand near the ocean, looking out. Tide rolls in. Tide rolls out. That ocean is the universe. When the tide rolls out, bend down and quickly dig a hole in the wet sand. That hole is your life. There areContinue reading “Metaphor Alert!”

In his best-seller Start With Why, author Simon Sinek argues that the best companies and organizations, the ones we remember, are those that have a clear sense of purpose. Their “Why” supersedes their “What.” Their products and services exist because of their “Why.” Mission before Action. What if we did that for ourselves? As artists,Continue reading “Start With Why”