The Vs. Studio Blog

Fifty years earlier, in a state of agitated anxiety, he [Mike Nichols] had told an interviewer, “I don’t care about being forgotten. I fear getting to the end of my life and feeling I’ve wasted it. I don’t want to get to the end and think I haven’t tasted enough and touched other people enough and had a good enough time.”

In old age, that fear had vanished. All of his desperate urgency had given way to a serenity he had taken a lifetime to find. At one of his favorite restaurants, he had lunch with a friend whose son was about to go out on his own; he was looking for some advice he could share. Did he have any wisdom to offer?

He thought for a moment.

“Well,” he said, “just so long as he knows that things that start out poorly don’t always end poorly.”

He thought some more.

“That,” he said, “and study improv.” -closing passage from the biography, Mike Nichols: A Life by Mark Harris

“The world is a slightly better place for having improvisation in it than it was before. There’s something about it that says something positive about the human spirit, that a bunch of people can get together and by following a few simple traffic rules can create art and can entertain an audience and can thrill and exalt each other. -Del Close

“The rules of improvisation apply beautifully to life. Never say no – you have to be interested to be interesting, and your job is to support your partners.” -Scott Adsit

“Improvisation is the art of being completely okay with not knowing what the f___ you’re doing.” -Mick Napier

“Just say yes and you’ll figure it out afterwards.” -Tina Fey

“No one looks stupid when they’re having fun.” -Amy Poehler

“Those who have learned to collaborate and improvise have prevailed.” -Charles Darwin

I always say that the greatest training for any actor, especially one just starting out, is to study improv. It provides the basic building blocks of listening and responding truthfully under imaginary circumstances. Improvisation is such a valuable tool to have in your acting arsenal. Learn it! Use it!

And I actually think everyone, no matter if they’re in the arts or not, should take an improv class. Besides being incredibly fun–my Chicago years performing weekly improv shows were the most consistent fun I’ve ever had (Long live “The Barking Squirrels”!)–you will learn soft skills like:

Listening. Real listening. Deep listening. (Which in turn, engenders empathy.)

Focus.

Concentration.

Creativity.

Confidence.

Teamwork.

Problem solving.

Decision making.

Thinking quickly on your feet.

Dropping preconceived notions and expectations and going with the flow. (The infamous “Yes, And…” that is necessary for successful improv.)

And many other soft skills.

So, if you’re even thinking about studying improv or taking a class, do it! I promise, you won’t regret it.

P.S. – This Nichols and May improv. (Note: They do violate some of the core improv tenets. But when you’re masters of the form, you can break the rules.)

“If you don’t take money, they can’t tell you what to do, kid…Money’s the cheapest thing. Liberty, freedom is the most expensive.” —Bill Cunningham

“Be fiscally responsible so you can be creatively reckless.” -Tom Rothman

“I had learned to manage on very little money. I had it down to a science. I really didn’t need much to live on….There was something about the idea of unrealized dreams. I knew that if I sold the script—even for $500,000—I knew that after the money was gone, I would have become very bitter if I never realized my dream.” -Sylvester Stallone on turning down a script sale for Rocky so that he instead could star in the film

“What I realized was that the budget and your creative control are in direct proportion to one another. So the lower the budget, the more creative control you have. Or if you want more money, you have to sacrifice and compromise creative control.” -Kathryn Bigelow on making The Hurt Locker for $10 million instead of $30 million so that she could cast all relatively unknown actors

“Wealth consists not in having great possessions, but in having few wants.” -Epictetus

The writers Kurt Vonnegut and Joseph Heller were at a glamorous party outside New York City. Standing in the palatial second home of the billionaire host, Vonnegut began to needle his friend. “Joe,” he said, “how does it feel that our host only yesterday may have made more money than your novel has earned in its entire history?”

“I’ve got something he can never have,” Heller replied. “The knowledge that I’ve got enough.” -Ryan Holiday

If you want artistic freedom and creative control, then you have to be willing to sacrifice some things. Namely money. This might involve doing some or all of the following:

Stick to a budget. Always live within your means. (Including if you happen to receive a large payday or bonus. Save and invest that money. Don’t spend it.)

If possible, find a day job that you enjoy and one that doesn’t crush your soul. So that you have maximal energy to still make art. (Also, find ways to bring creativity to that day job.)

In your free time, every chance you get, make art for art’s sake.

Constantly ask yourself, “How can I make this art for as little as possible without sacrificing an ounce of quality?”

Don’t rush. Excellence takes time. Especially when you have little money. That’s okay. It’s worth it. Keep going.

P.S. – The B/W phots were taken by legendary photographer Bill Cunningham (also pictured above). Watch this extraordinary documentary about him, his monkish daily life, and his creative process.

P.P.S. – H/t to the always excellent Billy Oppenheimer for inspiring this post.

“You become what you give your attention to.” -Epictetus

“The willingness to figure things out as you go is often the only difference between those who achieve difficult things and those who never begin.” -Shane Parrish

“To know what you are going to draw, you have to begin drawing.” =Pablo Picasso

If you’re scared to take on a new project because you’ve never done it or anything like this before, don’t be.

You only need two things to be confident in order to proceed:

(1) A burning desire to do said project.

(2) Trust in your capacity and competency. Both will increase in proportion to what is demanded by the project.

That personal growth alone is worth it. And, it’s the reason to do something hard and something brand new.

In addition to recapping my end of year favorites (films, plays, books, albums, etc.) I thought for 2025, I’d share each month. Without further adieu and in no particular order, here are March faves…

FILMS:

The China Syndrome directed by James Bridges – I’ve watched this one multiple times now and each time I appreciate it more and find something new. Besides the gripping plot, it features dynamite performances across the board including Jane Fonda, Jack Lemmon and Michael Douglas. Lemmon gives a clinic in behavior and vulnerability.

Three Films by Joan Micklin Silver – Thank you Criterion Channel for curating her work. Silver was a trailblazer, one of only a handful of women to direct a film for a major Hollywood studio in the 1970s, and the three films below are fantastic and beautifully showcase her range and talent. You can read more about Silver and her work in this Criterion essay.

Chilly Scenes Of Winter – John Heard gives an incredible performance.

Between The Lines – Very early Jeff Goldbum performance. He and the entire ensemble are great.

Crossing Delancey – The look on Amy Irving’s face when she sees the Pickle Man at his work (played by Peter Riegert) is worth the watch alone.

PLAYS (Live, In Person):

The Unraveling conceived and directed by Katherine Noon – A phenomenal World Premiere from Ghost Road Company. The entire ensemble was incredible and fiercely committed throughout. No moment was taken for granted. And the production design had so many great and memorable takeaway moments. Thrilled to have done a Vs. Theatre Club outing for this one.

Unreconciled written and performed by Jay Sefton – Another Vs. Theatre Club outing, featuring a one person tour de force from Jay Sefton. His character work was so specific and spot on. You felt as if you were in the same room with all these people. Jay boldly tells his truth, and in doing so, it’s not just cathartic for him, but also for all of us, who are privileged to witness.

Barrymore written by William Luce – Another Vs. Theatre Club outing and another tour de force performance from Vito D’Ambrosio. Don’t miss its return engagement at the Whitefire Theatre in May.

ALBUMS:

The Clash – “Combat Rock”

Purple Mountains – “Purple Mountains” – The lyrics are haunting–especially when you read about the struggles and what happened to David Berman shortly after releasing the album–but the melodies are surprisingly upbeat and uplifting. This dynamic contrast makes this album a masterpiece and a must listen and re-listen. (H/t to my friend Ron for turning me on to this one.)

“And this is the main thing I learned was that I’m writing music for an orchestra. I’m like, “I don’t even know what I’m doing. Why is that coming out?” I don’t feel like I’m doing it. I feel like I picked up the pen. I feel like I had the idea to do the cards, but then when everything just starts coming out so quickly, like that’s how fast I wrote that movie. I go, I really feel like something else has taken over. So this is what my belief is, because I hear it in different realms. You ask Keith Richards, “How do you come up with these riffs?” He goes, “I don’t. I don’t. They’re floating around the sky and I pull them out first.” You ask asked Jimmie Vaughan, “How do you play guitar, those solos?” He goes, “It’s like a radio. Once you get a tune just right, you can’t even believe what’s coming through.

So I believe, I call it the creative spirit. There’s a spirit assigned to all of us that’s creative, that doesn’t have hands. It needs you to pick up the pen, pull out the cards, and then when you start getting in the flow and you’re like, “Whoa,” it’s writing. That’s that. And if you can have that mindset, you take your ego out of it and go, “All I need to do is be a good conduit for this thing. Be a good pipe and it’s going to come through.” So you don’t ever have to get hung up on that question you had. Well, what happens when you can’t come up… It wasn’t me to begin with. If it’s not coming out, it’s because I’m blocking it and if I were to do this and I’m flowing, and if I were to say, “Wow, I just wrote 10 cards. I don’t know if I can write more. How did I do that?” You just shut the pipe because your ego got in the way. You just clogged it because it gets pissed off that you think it’s you. It’s not you. It’s like, “Dude, just open up. Let me through, pick up the fucking pen.” -Robert Rodriguez, excerpt from his podcast interview with Lex Fridman

Give your ego a break.

YOU didn’t make it.

Instead you got out of the way and let it happen.

That’s the secret. (Put you do have to sit down at the desk and pick up the pen.)

Listen to this phenomenal podcast interview with Robert Rodriguez. It’s quite possibly the most inspiring and greatest lesson on creativity you will ever hear in your life. (H/t to my friend Ron for bringing it to my attention.)

“How you do anything is how you do everything.” -Zen Buddhist Proverb

“In the morning, when you brush your teeth, brush them in such a way that happiness is possible during the whole time of brushing – which may last only one or two minutes. That is something I do every morning and after each meal: I brush my teeth in such a way that happiness is real during the time of brushing. I don’t say ‘let us brush it quickly in order to do this and that’. Brushing your teeth is a practice and you can be in the Pure Land during a time of tooth brushing…Do everything in your daily life in that kind of spirit and the Kingdom of God becomes available to you right away.” -Thich Nhat Hanh

“Most failure isn’t due to a lack of effort, but to a lack of focused effort. We take on more and more, but accomplish less and less. We run faster and faster, but find we are getting nowhere.

Science backs this up: The concept of attention residue says that there is a cognitive switching cost to shifting your attention from one task to another. You think you’ve moved on—but part of your brain is still stuck on the last thing. You’re one foot in, one foot out…on everything you do.”

Energy is more important than time. 5 minutes of present energy is worth more than an hour of scattered energy. Remember that. -Sahil Bloom

“What you are doing on stage is the most important thing in the world at the present moment.”-Lee Strasberg

“Talent is nothing but a prolonged period of attention and a shortened period of mental assimilation.” -Konstantin Stanislavski

“Age Quod Agis” is a Latin phrase that translates to “Do what you are doing” or “Concentrate on the task at hand.” It’s attributed to Ignatius of Loyola, founder of the Jesuit Order.

It’s a wonderful reminder to simply be present and not take any single task for granted. If you’re brushing your teeth, brush your teeth. If you’re washing the dishes, wash the dishes. If you’re writing the email, write the email. If you’re acting on stage, concentrate fully on your single action or single behavior.

We’re all human. We’re all busy. We all get distracted. Even professional athletes drop the ball because they’re thinking ahead to the next play.

It’s okay. Just pause. Bring your attention back on what you’re doing. If need be, think or say to yourself outloud “What am I actually doing right now?”

Then repeat as a mantra:

“Age Quod Agis.”

Strive to have your day be filled up with as many concentrated tasks as possible.

You’ll be a lot more effective and whole lot happier in the process.

Failure is an opportunity.
If you blame someone else,
there is no end to the blame.

Therefore the Master
fulfills her own obligations
and corrects her own mistakes.
She does what she needs to do
and demands nothing of others. -“Tao Te Ching” by Lao-Tzu, Verse 79, (Stephen Mitchell Translation)

“If you’re not failing, you’re not learning. If you’re not learning, you’re not growing. If you’re not growing, you’re not living…We can be truly successful only at something we’re willing to fail at. If we’re unwilling to fail, then we’re unwilling to succeed…The most useful trait you can train within yourself: To stop seeing failure as a bad thing. -Mark Manson

“In the archer there is a resemblance to the mature person. When he misses the mark, he turns and seeks the reason for his failure in himself.” -Confucius

“Put the thought of hitting right out of your mind! You can be a Master even if every shot does not hit. The hits on the target is only an outward proof and confirmation of your purposelessness at its highest, of your egolessness, your self-abandonment, or whatever you like to call this state. There are different grades of mastery, and only when you have made the last grade will you be sure of not missing the goal.” -Eugen Herrigel, Zen in the Art of Archery

More failure = More opportunity (to learn, to grow, to improve, to accept responsibility) = More success and fulfillment.

Fail more.

“If you have to ask somebody how to become a film director, you’ll probably never do it…The film industry is all about saying ‘no’ to people, so inherently you cannot take ‘no’ for an answer…If [my reply] pisses you off, and then you go out and say, ‘I’m going to show that Jim Cameron; I am going to be a director’—that gives you the kind of true grit you need to have in order to go through with it.” -James Cameron

“We were told, explicitly, ‘don’t do it,’…Ben’s mom told me, ‘Don’t do it,’ you know what I mean?” “So I do think if you’re really meant to do it, it doesn’t matter what anybody says.” -Matt Damon

Question: “Should I do it?”

Answer: “If you can be talked out of it, then you shouldn’t do it.”

“We don’t get our wants. We don’t get our shoulds. We get our musts. When it becomes a must, it happens.” -Shaan Puri

“Action is the antidote to despair.” -Joan Baez

The joy you feel from accomplishing something is the same whether you had to do it or wanted to do it.

So, wanna feel good today?

Stop hesitating. Just complete something. Anything. Go get some sh-t done.

“Art is never finished, only abandoned.” -Leonardo da Vinci

If you’re working with a master whose aim is a masterpiece, then you have to constantly remind yourself that in terms of completion, “it takes what it takes.”

Read this post from George Bothamley and his always excellent Art Every Day Substack about Ludovico Sforza (The Duke of Milan) commissioning Leonardo for this now famous fresco painting.

From the post…

Sometimes, he would paint non stop, for hours on end – perhaps even turning up in the middle of the night to “correct” some minor detail in a work that was still not even fully sketched out.

Other times, he was known to go missing for days or weeks at a time – with no word of when he would return to the painting.

And then, when he was finally on site again, the brothers would often spy on him just standing in front of the work . . . lost in a world of his own, until eventually he might deign to lay a single brushstroke, before leaving again.

If you were tasked with producing this work, how would you handle Leonardo? And would you have the patience to see it through to completion?