The Vs. Studio Blog

“A person’s success in life can usually be measured by the number of uncomfortable conversations he or she is willing to have.” -Tim Ferris.

Once we embark on our passion project, it won’t be comfortable. We have to sacrifice, make hard decisions, “steal time from comfort” as Derek Sivers writes.

And while on the journey, there will be lots of doubts and uncertainties, lots of uncomfortable moments. It often won’t feel great. We’ll get annoyed and want to fight back against the discomfort.

But if we can hold on, sit with the discomfort, there’s a ton of satisfaction waiting for us on the other side. The satisfaction that comes from knowing we intentionally chose to do something hard, something generous, something we had no idea would work. For no other reason than we were called to it.

We were willing to be uncomfortable for as long as it took to finish the job. To make our art.

There’s no more comfortable feeling than that.

Congratulations. It means you’re breathing. You’re ALIVE!!!

You have the basic necessities (food, water and shelter) plus some level of comfort.

You have an internet connection and some sort of device.

You have everything you need and more.

Get to it.

Go make your art.

In addition to focus, another vital reason to know your One Thing is that no matter how bad the day went, no matter how many distractions and unexpected obstacles came up, at least you worked on something–even if only for a couple of minutes–that you deemed important. Nothing, nobody could stop you from your one thing. That’s powerful.

Then at night, before you go to sleep, before the demons of self doubt and negativity creep up, say to yourself, “Well, at least I did that.”

Be proud and rest easy. Tomorrow’s a new day.

Nor should they.

That’s your job.  To decide what you’re passionate about, what’s vitally important to you.  So much so, you had to create and share it with others.

Stop looking for affirmation on your idea.  Just do it.

Go make your art.

“Be the change you want to see in the world.” -Ghandi

James Clear argues in his terrific book “Atomic Habits”, that when setting goals, we should focus on identity. Not outcomes. Rather than asking the question, “What do I want?”, we should ask “What kind of person do I want to be?”

Take health, for example. Instead of setting a goal to lose a specific number of pounds or look a certain way, we should focus on becoming a healthy person. Someone who eats moderately, exercises regularly and prioritizes their physical and metal health.

Old habits are based on our old identity. Create a new identity, he argues, and we’ll create habits that support this new identity. Consistently doing small or atomic habits over time leads to lasting change. (Read more about this in Mr. Clear’s blog post HERE.)

In the book, he provides a fascinating, real-world example of a person who loses a lot of weight and more importantly, stays healthy after the weight loss. The person focuses entirely on identity. Not outcome. His process is extraordinary…The first two weeks, all he does is wake up early, get dressed and drive to the gym. He doesn’t work out. Just shows up and leaves. After two weeks, he does the same thing, but then adds five minutes of exercise. Every two weeks, he increases the amount. And so on and so on. He’s consistently proving and supporting his new identity.

In deciding to make a change or create art, we might be better served by first asking ourselves “What kind of person do we want to be?” That will inform our choice and our process. In doing so, we’ll increase our chance of making lasting change and real impact.

A great essay persuades. Makes us re-think our convictions. Often motivates us to act. Emerson’s “Self Reliance” comes to mind.

A great, personal essay does all this through the author’s observational lens and firsthand experience navigating the world. It engenders empathy which is the first step towards making any kind of lasting change. Both for ourselves and for others.

My friend Michelle Cacho-Negrete wrote a beautiful collection of personal essays entitled “Stealing: Life In America” Centered around her being a “street kid”; being raised by an immigrant Jewish mother in Brooklyn during the 1950’s and 1960’s, here are some samples of her crisp and insightful prose…

I can, however, imagine the moment after death: a quiet state, perhaps close to what we sometimes achieve during meditation; the absence of fear, worry, hate and anger. Or maybe there is only emptiness.

None of us can return to the past, especially one not ours, except in dreams and memories and sometimes in madness.

I understood that living my life would involve living with uncertainty, without answers, with secrets that would forever remain secrets, and that I needed to learn to be comfortable with it. I understood, also, to not judge the love of another by what I wanted, but by what they were capable of giving.

The book goes out of print in October. (I will always love print over digital.) You can find copies on Amazon HERE while they last. Get one. You’ll be glad you did.

P.S. – You can also email me at jclark@vstheatre.org. I’ll put you in touch with Michelle to purchase a copy directly from her.

“You find out when you reach the top, you’re on the bottom.” – Bob Dylan

Joseph Campbell said that the greatest tragedy in life is not so much failure, but climbing the ladder of success and finding that it was up against the wrong wall.

The reason it’s so important to take time to figure out what we’re passionate about and why, is that no matter what the outcome, at least we knew set out to do something we really cared about. We put our ladder up against the right wall.

Two of our most precious assets.

Finite. No matter what we do, we can’t get more.

Everyone is vying for them. Now more than ever.

Guard them with your life.

P.S. – This is my 150th blog post. Thank you for reading. I promise to continue doing my best. To continue earning your time and attention.

The first image is Van Gogh’s, “Wheat Field, with Cypresses.” It’s one of the most famous and expensive paintings (over $100 million adjusted for inflation) of all time.

The second is a stock photo I found when googling “wheat fields with cypress trees.” It sells for $19.99.

Both are beautiful. Both have value. Both engage our senses.

But it’s Van Gogh’s that truly captures our imagination. Weaves a spell. Makes us feel something and want to know more.

That’s the power of art.

Go make it.

“‘The Only True Wisdom Consists In Knowing That You Know Nothing.’” “That’s Us, Dude!”

“The Best Time To Be Is Now, And All’s We Can Say Is…Let’s Rock!”

“All We Are Is Dust In The Wind, Dude.”

“Be Excellent To Each Other.”

“San Dimas High School Football Rules!“