The Vs. Studio Blog

Most great investors will say it’s much harder to sell a stock than it is to buy. There are several reasons for this including investor psychology, cognitive biases and the power of sunk costs, to name a few.

I think another reason has to do with decisions.

Before purchasing a stock, there’s only question, “To buy or not to buy.”

Once you purchase, like it or not, you now enter into relationship with that stock. As such, you will face a million little decisions all along the way.

“The stock went down, what do I do?”

“The stock is way up, what do I do?”

“The stock reported bad numbers. Is the story still intact? Is it still on the right track”

“There’s a new CEO. What does that mean?”

“My friend gave me a hot tip on another company. Should I sell this one and buy that other one?”

The same holds true when you decide to produce something you’re passionate about. You are now in relationship with that project. You care about it deeply. As the great producer Daryl Roth says, “I feel like all my plays are my children.”

And because you care enough to be a producer, you accept responsibility. Which means you will have a lot of decisions to make.

So, choose wisely.

P.S. – A correction…In yesterday’s post, I mistakenly billed the title of the short film as “Dirt Devil.” It’s actually “Dust Devil.” Hope you enjoyed watching it!

The short doc film “Dust Devil” about the ballerina Marta Becket and her founding a theatre in the middle of the Mojave Desert is phenomenal. It encapsulates everything this blog and The Vs. Studio is about.

Watch it Here. It’s nine minutes long and I promise it’s worth your time.

Just like mood affects our own desire to make art, mood also affects our intended audience’s desire to receive art.

Think about when you’ve re-read a book or re-watched a film. The first time you didn’t “get it” which could’ve been for a variety of reasons, including you just not being in the right mood. But now, maybe because of time, distance and perspective coupled with mood, you try again and love it.

We can’t control how or if/when our art is received. We can only control our decision to find the art inside us and manifest it with excellence and generosity. Part of having a generous mindset is to release any expectation from our audience.

if someone doesn’t like or care for our art, we can just think to ourselves, “That’s okay. It’s not for you.” Or. “It’s not for you…at this time.”

Speaking of fear and fun (yesterday’s post)…

Ever wanted to write and perform your own solo show? Have some ideas, but don’t know how or where to start? Have a story inside you’re dying to tell, but need a little push? Looking for a community of like-minded people to help get you there?

If the thought of getting up on stage to tell your story is both terrifying and exciting, then we have the workshop for you.

Send me an email to jclark@vstheatre.org and I’ll give you the full scoop!

“What do you fear, lady?” [Aragorn] asked. “A cage,” [Éowyn] said. “To stay behind bars, until use and old age accept them, and all chance of doing great deeds is gone beyond recall or desire.” -J.R.R. Tolkien, The Return Of The King

“When deciding whether to do something, if you feel anything less than ‘Wow! That would be amazing! Absolutely! Hell yeah!’ — then say “No.” -Derek Sivers

Joseph Campbell said “the cave you fear to enter holds the treasure you seek.” Does that mean that every time a potential project causes us to feel afraid, we should ignore it and plunge headfirst into the darkness?

Well, besides risking physical harm, we should also ask ourselves if the project is going to be fun. Yes, FUN! That’s such an important and often overlooked aspect in today’s hyper-productive world.

If you’re gonna risk something in the service of making art, it better be fun. When you think about the process, the learning, the growth, let alone the outcome, it should bring joy to your heart.

It’s okay to be afraid. To feel like “Uh…I don’t know if I can do this.” But if there isn’t also a part of you that feels like “It’d sure be fun to try”, then pass. This isn’t the one for you.

And trust that the right project is on the way.

“Do you know what the scariest thing is? To not know your place in this world, to not know why you’re here.” -Elijah Prince in the film Unbreakable

Struggling to find your purpose?

First commit to something. Anything. Honor that commitment to its completion. Give it everything you got.

Then find something else and do it again.

And again.

And again.

And again…

You’re developing a commitment mindset. It’s out of that mindset that purpose often reveals itself.

Don’t talk about it.

Be about it.

Two things the world badly needs right now (and will always need)…

1. Leadership.

2. Solving interesting problems.

When you produce something you’re passionate about, you get to deliberately practice both things. And like any skill, the more you do, the better you get.

What are you waiting for? If not for yourself, how about for the world?

Actor Matthew McConaughey talked a little about his process on a recent Marc Maron podcast. He mentioned finding a “lock in line” somewhere in the script. This is a word or phrase that unearths the character for him. It’s his “way in.”

This is good acting advice which can also be applied to finding your “why” for producing a script. We often struggle, especially at first with coming up with our why. At least putting it into words. We just “feel” we have to do this thing. Nothing wrong with that. But as I’ve mentioned throughout this blog, having a strong why helps us in many ways. It gives us a solid base to return to in the inevitable moments of struggle and self doubt. To remind ourselves, “Oh yeah, this is why I’m doing this.” It helps us convey our enthusiasm to other artists we wish to enlist. And it helps us get the word out when our work is done and ready to be viewed.

To find our why, maybe look no further than the actual script. Maybe it’s a monologue or a scene or a sentence or even a single moment that just lights us up. Lock in to that.

“Humility is not thinking less of yourself, it’s thinking of yourself less.” -C.S. Lewis

“All streams flow to the sea because it is lower than they are. Humility gives it its power.” –Tao Te Ching, Translation by Stephen Mitchell

I was in an Oceanside vintage store looking at gifts for a friend. Minutes before, I received a lovely note about that day’s blog post. I was feeling pretty good about myself. Then I turned a corner in the store and spotted the above sign. I laughed out loud and instantly knew I had to buy it.

The sign now resides next to my desk. It’s a wonderful reminder of humility and that everything sucks. Meaning that whatever art we’re trying to make…be it a blog post, a poem, a painting, working on a character, etc…it sucks.

At first.

But if we’re passionate about it and have a strong why, if we care enough to stick it out, keep grinding, to slog away and be our own toughest critic, eventually…

It won’t.

P.S. – And what if after all that, others still think our art sucks?…That’s okay. We did the best we possibly could. We can always live with that.