The Vs. Studio Blog

“In pursuit of knowledge,
every day something is added.
In the practice of the Tao,
every day something is dropped.
Less and less do you need to force things,
until finally you arrive at non-action.
When nothing is done,
nothing is left undone. –Tao Te Ching by Lao-Tzu (Stephen Mitchell translation)

Perfection is achieved, not when there is nothing more to add, but when there is nothing left to take away.” — Antoine de Saint-Exupéry

Give it away, give it away, give it away now
Give it away, give it away, give it away now
Give it away, give it away, give it away now
I can’t tell, if I’m a kingpin or a pauper -song “Give It Away” by Red Hot Chili Peppers

“The sculpture is already complete within the marble block, before I start my work. It is already there, I just have to chisel away the superfluous material.” -Michelangelo

“Essentialism is not about how to get more things done; it’s about how to get the right things done. It doesn’t mean just doing less for the sake of less either. It is about making the wisest possible investment of your time and energy in order to operate at our highest point of contribution by doing only what is essential.” -Greg Mckeown, Essentialism: The Disciplined Pursuit of Less

Instead of trying to add more to your life. More desires, more stuff, more whatever.

See how much you can take away.

Eventually you will arrive where you started. With everything you need. Nothing more. Nothing less. True satisfaction. True perfection.

Take it away. Take it away. Take it away now.

“He that has once done you a kindness will be more ready to do you another, than he whom you yourself have obliged.” -Ben Franklin

“Don’t be ashamed of needing help. You have a duty to fulfill just like a soldier on the wall of battle. So what if you are injured and can’t climb up without another soldier’s help?”—Marcus Aurelius, Meditations

“Think about someone in your life right now who has given a lot to you.
Have they ever asked you for anything?
If the answer is NO, you might likely think that everything is going great with them, but you could be wrong.
They actually may be going through a lot right now, but have not made it a point to reach out to you.
The fascinating truth about most advocates in our lives is that they often have a hard time advocating for themselves.” -Michael Roderick

Speaking of the art of asking…

When is the last time you asked someone for help?

If it’s been a while or never, why is that?

Do you fear rejection? Perhaps you don’t want to be perceived as anything less than completely self-reliant? Or maybe you just don’t want to bug people?

One of the greatest gifts you can give another person, especially a close friend or family member, is to simply allow them to help you. But you need to ask for it. And be specific.

So many people out there are waiting and wanting to help you.

Let them.

P.S. – This excellent Marginalian article on the “Benjamin Franklin Effect and How To Handle The Haters.”

Deciding by committee what art to make never works. At best, you get a watered-down, boring version. Certainly, nothing excellent.

Rather the decision must be made by a single individual who is passionate and committed to that art.

Once decided, you can absolutely produce said art by committee. Especially in film or theatre where collaboration is necessary and vital.

However in order to succeed and thrive, each committee must be spearheaded by a single individual who is the most knowledgable and passionate about the task at hand. And, after weighing input from the committee members, that individual solely decides what, when and how the task will be carried out.

Otherwise nothing gets done. Or at least, nothing excellent.

“We once lived in an industrial economy—built on industry. Then we shifted to a consumer economy—built on consumption. And more recently we lived in a service economy—built on service.

But we now are entering the age of the Annoyance Economy. And it is the inevitable result of corporations battling for your attention.

They monetize your eyeballs—measured in clicks and microseconds—and they will do anything to hold on to them. This increasingly involves annoying, intrusive actions that no business would have dared to implement in a consumer-oriented economy.” -Ted Gioia

“If you’re not paying for the product, you are the product.” -Tristan Harris

The most valuable currency in the world isn’t gold or greenbacks or crypto.

It’s your attention.

Everyone is vying for it. So much so, they could care less about annoying you.

Just know this and consume wisely my friend.

P.S. – This article from the always excellent Ted Gioia.

“It’s depressing. It’s confusing. It’s fraught. You don’t like where the world is going. You don’t like what’s happening.

What are we supposed to do? Especially when we are so powerless, as ordinary citizens, people who do not hold office, especially when we are matched against billionaires, against madness, against inertia, against so much.

“Remind yourself that your task is to be a good human being,” Marcus Aurelius writes in Meditations, in reaction, it must be said, against his own dysfunctional and cruel times. “Remind yourself what nature demands of people,” he added. “Then do it, without hesitation, and speak the truth as you see it.”

We are not emperors. We are not senators. But we are human beings, connected to all other human beings. Our job is to do our job—to do it virtuously and honestly. Our job as citizens is to participate in politics—not to cede the field simply because it disappoints and disgusts us. Our job is to help the people we can help closest to us—those who have lost their jobs, those who have been targeted, those who do not have the advantages we have. -Ryan Holiday, The Daily Stoic

“When the people lead, the leaders will follow.” -Mahatma Gandhi

“Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for human masters.” -Colossians 3:23

“If you can’t feed a hundred people, feed just one. Never worry about numbers. Help one person at a time and always start with the person nearest you.” -Mother Teresa

“Start where you are. Use what you have. Do what you can.” -Arthur Ashe

If you’re asking and wondering, “What can I do?”…first, do your job. Whatever that is. Parent, spouse, child, friend, artist, co-worker, employer, employee, neighbor, etc…Do it to the best of your ability. Do it with all your heart. Do it virtuously. That’s the biggest contribution you can make.

Then, with whatever bandwidth you have left over (should you have any), help one person at a time. Help the person nearest you. Help them however you can.

Trust that the ripple effect from doing your job well, coupled with simple helpful actions, is the stuff of miracles.

“Culture eats strategy for breakfast.” -Peter Drucker

Speaking of great people…

If you’re looking to work for a company, prioritize finding out everything you can about the culture. If that’s right and you admire the people working there, then go for it. Accept the offer. Everything else will take care of itself.

Conversely, if you’re a company looking to hire someone, prioritize their attitude, enthusiasm, work ethic, openness and can-do spirit. If they have these rare qualities and other soft skills, then go for it. Hire them. Everything else will take care of itself.

“Great vision without great people is irrelevant. A company should limit its growth based on its ability to attract enough of the right people.” -Jim Collins, Good To Great

You can have the coolest brand, the most inspiring vision and the greatest mission statement in the world, but if you have mediocre or unmotivated people carrying out all this meaningful work, then you have nothing.

Knowing others is intelligence;
knowing yourself is true wisdom.
Mastering others is strength;
mastering yourself is true power. -Tao Te Ching by Lao-Tzu (Stephen Mitchell translation)

“Today I will be master of my emotions…I am prepared to control whatever personality awakes in me each day. I will master my moods through positive action and when I master my moods I will control my destiny…I will become master of myself.” –The Greatest Salesman In The World by Og Mandino

I see all my dreams come tumblin’ down
I can’t be happy without you around
So alone, I keep the wolves at bay -song, “Train In Vain” by The Clash

“When you wake up in the morning, tell yourself: the people I deal with today will be meddling, ungrateful, arrogant, dishonest, jealous and surly. They are like this because they can’t tell good from evil. But I have seen the beauty of good, and the ugliness of evil, and have recognized that the wrongdoer has a nature related to my own – not of the same blood and birth, but the same mind, and possessing a share of the divine. And so none of them can hurt me. No one can implicate me in ugliness. Nor can I feel angry at my relative, or hate him. We were born to work together like feet, hands and eyes, like the two rows of teeth, upper and lower. To obstruct each other is unnatural. To feel anger at someone, to turn your back on him: these are unnatural.” -Marcus Aurelius, Meditations

There’s an old Native American story that goes like this:

A grandfather takes his grandson on a walk to share his wisdom for life.
​
“A fight is going on inside me,” he tells the boy. “It’s a terrible fight between two wolves. One is bad, he is anger, fear, hate, jealousy, and envy. One is good, he is hope, kindness, joy, love, and optimism.”
​
The boy asks, “Which wolf will win?”
​
To which the grandfather replies:
​
“The one you feed.”

Every single day when you wake up, you get to choose which wolf you will feed.

Choose wisely my friend.

“Ask for things. Ask for things that feel unreasonable, to make sure your intuitions about what’s reasonable are accurate (of course, try not to be a jerk in the process). If you’re only asking for things you get, you’re not aiming high enough.” -Cate Hall (former lawyer and professional poker player)

Similar to making art, asking involves first knowing what you want and why you want it.

Then, you must take a risk and be vulnerable. You have to actually ask for what you want.

But you might not get it.

And that’s okay.

Because the real value is in the ask.

For the producer…

if you’re renting an outside space for your production, here are two good rules of thumb to follow:

One…Treat the space as if you were the owner.

Two…Leave the space cleaner and better than you found it.

P.S. – This article.