The Resistance will try a million different ways to knock you off course. To prevent you from doing the work you’re supposed to do. The work you’re born to do. It’s a motherfucker. Insidious. It’s the wolf at the door.
Fight it!
Fight it every day of your life.
Your soul depends on it.
Go make your art.
P.S. – Check out Tim Ferris’ excellent podcast interview with Steven Pressfield (author of The War Of Art and many other books) who first named The Resistance. Click Here to listen.
“I have written eleven books, but each time I think, ‘Uh oh, they’re going to find out now. I’ve run a game on everybody and they’re going to find me out.” -Maya Angelou
“The exaggerated esteem in which my lifework is held makes me very ill at ease. I feel compelled to think of myself as an involuntary swindler.” -Albert Einstein
Feel like a fraud some/most days?
It’s okay. I do too. We all do. C’mon, we’re using our imaginations, playing pretend all the time! What do you expect? We’re bound to feel that way.
But if we don’t take action in spite of those feelings, then we are frauds. Because we’re wasting our gifts. Our talents. Not answering the call.
We’re being fraudulent.
Let’s not let that happen.
Go make your art.
Do you have a bucket list of all the plays and roles you’d love to do someday?
If not, why not start one?
Write down every play you read or see and the date. It’s a good exercise and fun to keep count.
For any plays that really grab you, bold them. Write down the role and maybe a short sentence or two why you’d love to do it. That’s it.
Obviously, you won’t get to play every role on your list. Some you’ll age out of (I’m too old for Paul Bratter in “Barefoot In the Park.”). Some you’re not yet old enough. (I’d love to take a crack at “Willy Loman” someday.) Doesn’t matter. The process of actively searching and selecting is what counts.
Because eventually, you’ll find one that’s just right.
“Pain + Reflection = Progress.” -Ray Dalio
Legendary hedge fund investor, Ray Dalio, swears by his principles. By knowing and writing them down. By constantly examining and refining them. He credits this act for his success and advises others to do the same. He even wrote a book about it.
The Stoics actually argued about the necessity of principles. What they termed “precepts.” Some like Aristo thought it a giant waste of time to write these down. He argued that a person should just instinctively know what the right thing was to do in any situation. Others like Zeno and Seneca countered that life was complicated and taxing. Situations would arise that would test us, that called for nuance, and it was important to know our principles so as to make the right decision in those difficult moments.
When you do hard things, when you make art, you will be tested. Constantly. Tough decisions will be required. You will second guess yourself. That’s part of the price to pay for leading.
Having principles you live by can help making those decisions a little easier. As well as being committed to doing your absolute best for the project and the people involved. To always have everyone’s best interest at heart.
When you make mistakes–and you will, lots of them–reflect on them. Learn from them. You’ll sharpen your principles and be that much better equipped for the next project.
I once asked a good friend of mine and phenomenal actor what it was like to work regularly in television. This was her response:
“Most days, I feel like a Ferrari stuck in a garage.”
She was very grateful for the steady work, money and the friendships that were made. But inside, she felt like she had so much more to offer. Her tremendous skill and passion wasn’t needed or called upon very much . She longed to do the kind of demanding work and roles she found early on in the theatre.
Maybe you feel like this sometimes? Or know people who do? Or both.
Good news! There’s a solution.
Find a play and role you’re passionate about. So much so that you’re willing to produce it. Produce it with excellence and generosity. For yourself, your fellow artists and the audience you seek to serve.
As a result of your decision and bravery, you can let that Ferrari out! And bring some talented artists along with you for the ride.
What could you make happen if?…
You focused intensely on something for just 5 minutes a day.
Every single day.
For the entire year.
That’s over 18 hours.
Go make your art.
“Pressure is a choice.” -Richard Linklater
At some point in your art-making process, you will feel nervous. Opening night of your play, the first day on set, the first time you read your novel in front of a live audience, the day you meet with potential investors for your new company, etc…It’s inevitable.
So, what you do with those nerves?
First, let them fuel you. There’s a reason it’s called “nervous energy.” Let that energy pervade you, focus you, inspire you to work a little bit harder. Like sunlight to a plant. Use it!
Second, be grateful for the nerves. They’re a signal that you’re on the right track. You’re risking, you’re out on the edge, you’re “doing it” as Ray Manzarek once said. The nerves mean you care. Love that you feel them.
You got this.
You’re not too busy.
It’s just not a priority for you right now.
“Really knowing is good. not knowing, or refusing to know, is bad, or amoral, at least. You can’t act if you don’t know. acting without knowing takes you right off the cliff.” -Ray Bradbury
Speaking of questions, “what do you want?” is the big kahuna. Just like an actor should know what they want in every beat, every scene, the overall script (often painstaking, headache-inducing work)…we need to know what we want in life and why. And many of us, deep down, really don’t. That’s okay. Start there. Ask yourself the question every day. Think about it. Journal about it. Without judgment or wondering if if’s achievable. At night allow your subconscious to work on it.
“What do you want?”
“What do you want?”
“What do you want?”
It may take much longer than you think, but if you keep at it, eventually you’ll figure it out.
And if after all that work, the answer is that you just wanna drift away, that’s cool too. At least you know that’s what you wanted. It was your choice. It wasn’t put to you because you didn’t choose.
A friend of mine often likes to say, “Questions are potent. Answers are meh.” She’s got a point.
If you believe in the power of the subconscious, and I do, especially when it comes to making art, then you’ll want to access it as often as possible.
One way to do that is through your questions. A good exercise to try…
Right before you go to bed ask yourself an empowering question. For example, “I intend to do X. How do I accomplish it?”
Ask it a couple of times in a row. Don’t worry about the answer. Maybe spend a couple of minutes visualizing yourself accomplishing the deed, and that’s it. Go to sleep.
Do this over and over for as many nights as you want.
You’ll be surprised how answers will show up when you least expect them to.
The Vs. Studio Blog