It doesn’t matter…
…Why we got here.
…How we got here.
…Whose fault it was that we’re here.
…What we could have done to prevent us from getting here.
…Whether it gets worse from here.
None of that helps.
The only thing that matters right now is we’re here.
Let’s accept that with clear eyes and full hearts.
Okay, now we’re HERE…
…Let’s do everything we can, day in, day out, to make HERE a little bit better for everyone else.
“What is the ONE thing you could do right now such that by doing it, everything else would be easier or unnecessary?”
– Gary Keller, author of The ONE Thing
Apply that question to all aspects of your life. Health, Family, Art, Work, Finances, Service, Fun, Etc…
Apply that to your current states and feelings.
Distracted? Stop and ask the question. You’ll get present and connect back to your intention.
Overwhelmed? Stop and ask. You’ll simplify your task list.
Uninspired? Stop and ask. You’ll imagine and create something awesome.
Lazy? Stop and ask. You’ll go for a long walk or run.
Scared? Stop and ask. You’ll find strength, courage and a desire to help others.
Time is your most precious asset. Everyone’s vying for it. Especially the media right now. For more on this, read here.
Guard your time with your life.
How?
Be intentional. Ask yourself…”What do I need to do right now (especially self-care)? What change do I want to make? What art do I want to create? Who do I want to help? How do I want to serve?”
Write your intentions down.
If you go down unexpected rabbit holes of time, stop, take a breath, check in with your feelings, and look at your list. You’ve got important work to do. Get after it!
Fast forward one, three, six, twelve months from now. Assume things are relatively back to normal.
Ask yourself how you spent your time prior to then. What did you do? Who did you help? Are you proud of the thoughts you had? The actions you took? Were you strong and resilient in the face of uncertainty?
Let that inform what you think and do right now.
The word decision is derived from the Latin word, decidere, which means “to cut off.”
When you decide to do something, you cut off all other options. That’s it. You’re all in.
To quote the Irish writer, Frank O’Connor, you “throw your cap over the wall.”
Right now. Make some decisions.
Decide we’re all gonna get through this and come out stronger.
Decide to connect.
Decide to make your art.
Decide to learn something new.
Decide to be generous.
Decide to make peace with uncertainty.
Decide to make change happen.
Throw your cap over the wall. Narrow your focus. Cut off all fear and doubt. You got this.
“Choose not to be harmed and you won’t feel harmed. Don’t feel harmed and you haven’t been.” -Marcus Aurelius
Stop searching for certainty outside yourself. It’s not some ethereal thing.
Certainty comes from within. From your own power to choose.
Choose connection.
Choose strength.
Choose resiliency.
Choose flexibility.
Choose generosity.
Choose optimism.
Choose to make your art.
You can be certain that you chose wisely.
Was reminded today of the stunning poem, Berryman, by the Pulitzer Prize & National Book Award winning poet, W.S. Merwin. Merwin was a seventeen-year-old freshman enrolled in John Berryman’s creative writing class at Princeton. A lifetime bond was forged.
It’s incredible advice to any artist. I encourage you to read it again and again. The last two verses especially resonate.
I had hardly begun to read
I asked how can you ever be sure
that what you write is really
any good at all and he said you can’t
you can’t you can never be sure
you die without knowing
whether anything you wrote was any good
if you have to be sure don’t write
Stop wondering. Go make your art.
Replace fear with action.
Replace worry with presence.
Replace panic with generosity.
I’m guessing you entered the arts because you wanted to connect. You wanted to reach people. You wanted to open their hearts. Maybe even get them to rethink their convictions and make a change for the better.
Your gift is your desire and ability to make that impact.
Great stories produced with excellence and generosity allow us to utilize those gifts.
You know what else does? A crisis.
Some people are afraid right now. They’re feeling vulnerable. They’re desperate to connect. They’re wide open. Even if they don’t know it.
Let’s use our gift. Call someone up every day. Just ask them how they’re doing. And listen. With empathy and generosity.
You’ll have made a HUGE impact.
And…Happy St. Patrick’s Day! Wear some green. Let a little luck of the Irish come upon us all.
When you make art, you have no idea how it’ll turn out. And that can be stressful. But you believe it will work out. Even though you have no evidence to support that belief. How can you? It’s brand new. It’s art…You just do. It’s a feeling inside. You believe in yourself. You believe in your fellow artists. You believe in the power of art to move people.
And because you believe, you take positive, productive actions that support that belief. You work hard and generously. You move forward. Day by day. You invite people to come see your work. Before it’s finished.
We’re gonna get through this difficult time. Absolutely. We will. Believe it.
Now, let all our actions support that core belief.
The Vs. Studio Blog