The Vs. Studio Blog

It don’t mean a thing if it ain’t got that swing
It don’t mean a thing all you got to do is sing
(doo-ah)
It makes no difference
If it’s sweet or hot
Just give that rhythm
Everything you’ve got
Don’t mean a thing all you’ve gotta do is swing
It don’t mean a thing all you’ve gotta do is sing -song “It Don’t Mean A Thing” by Ella Fitzgerald (original composition by Duke Ellington)

“The opportunity cost of investing your life in something that’s not going to get better is just too high.” -Seth Godin, The Dip: A Little Book That Teaches You When to Quit

“Your work is going to fill a large part of your life, and the only way to be truly satisfied is to do what you believe is great work. And the only way to do great work is to love what you do.” -Steve Jobs

It’s okay if the reasons you’re doing the thing now are different than your original reasons for doing the thing.

Industries evolve. Perspectives broaden and deepen. Your own life changes.

But if you don’t have love of the thing, it’s time to leave the thing.

Cuz without love, you ain’t got a thing.

“There is only one way to avoid criticism: do nothing, say nothing, and be nothing.” -Aristotle

I came across the below story about Albert Einstein. Such a great lesson and I’ll just let the story speak for itself…

Albert Einstein once wrote on a chalkboard:
9 x 1 = 9
9 x 2 = 18
9 x 3 = 27
9 x 4 = 36
9 x 5 = 45
9 x 6 = 54
9 x 7 = 63
9 x 8 = 72
9 x 9 = 81
9 x 10 = 91

Suddenly chaos erupted in the classroom because Einstein made a mistake. Obviously, the correct answer to 9 × 10 isn’t 91. And all his students ridiculed him.

Einstein waited for everyone to be silent and said:

“Despite the fact that I analyzed nine problems correctly, no one congratulated me. But when I made one mistake, everyone started laughing. This means that even if a person is successful, society will notice his slightest mistake. And they’ll like that. So don’t let criticism destroy your dreams. The only person who never makes a mistake is someone who does nothing.”

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

FILMS:

La Haine directed by Mathieu Kassovitz – a reviewer wrote “one of the most blisteringly effective pieces of urban cinema ever made”; I couldn’t agree more.

The Umbrellas Of Cherbourg directed by Jacques Demy – might be the most beautiful film ever made; heartbreakingly romantic and devastating.

The Earrings of Madame de directed by Max Ophuls – I’ve always wanted to see this one because great directors like Paul Thomas Anderson, Greta Gerwig and Noah Bambauch talk about the brilliant camerawork; there is that indeed, but the performances are also incredible.

Den Of Thieves 2: Pantera directed by Christian Gudecast – I love a good heist movie (who doesn’t?); I loved the first Den Of Thieves and the sequel does not disappoint; saw it in the theatre with my son Callum and it made us very happy.

ALBUMS:

Damien Jurado – “The Horizon Just Laughed”

Jose Gonzales – “In Our Nature” (h/t to my friend Chief for this recommend)

Jessica Pratt – “Here In The Pitch”

PLAYS (Live, In Person)

Gaslighting Is My Love Language written and performed by Fielding Edlow – I saw this at the Whitefire Theatre; Fielding had brought in a portion of the show on a prior Vs. Tuesday night Zoom reading and it was great to see to full show live; it was hilarious and moving and Fielding told it honestly and beautifully.

Appropriate by Brandon Jacobs-Jenkins – our first “Vs. Live at PRT” reading of 2025; a terrific play that Kim Hlavac sponsored; very grateful to read alongside her and the other amazing actors she cast.

Noises Off by Michael Frayn – a Vs. Theatre Club night, live at the Geffen Playhouse; I wrote this blog about it; can’t believe the same playwright also wrote Copenhagen; talk about dexterity!

BOOKS:

What Makes Sammy Run by Budd Schulberg – an absolute page turner about show business that still holds up over 80 years later.

PODCASTS:

“The Movie Crypt” – my friend and actor Matt Lillard was the guest; he tells tons of great stories and is super entertaining.

“Back To One” – my friend and actor Brad Fleischer was the guest; lots of great acting gems in this one.

“Being an artist means to be continually asking, “How can it be better? Whatever it is. It may be your art and it may be your life.

Most who choose the artist’s path don’t have a choice. We feel compelled to engage, as if by some primal instinct, the same force that calls turtles toward the sea after hatching in the sand. We follow this instinct. To deny it is dispiriting, as if we are in violation of nature. If we zoom out, we see this blind impulse is always there, guiding our aim beyond ourselves. In the moment when we feel the work is taking shape, there’s a dynamic surge, followed by an urge to share, in the hopes of replicating that mysterious emotional charge in others. This is the call to self-express, our creative purpose. It’s not necessarily to understand ourselves or be understood. We share our filter, our way of seeing, in order to spark an echo in others. Art is a reverberation of an impermanent life.” Rick Rubin, The Creative Act

For two days, the river keeps you down
Then you rise to the light without a sound
Past the playgrounds and empty switching yards
The turtles eat the skin from your eyes
So they lay open to the stars

Your clothes give way to the current and river stone
‘Til every trace of who you ever were is gone
And the things of the earth, they make their claim
That the things of heaven may do the same

Bye my darling, for your love, I give God thanks
Meet me on the Matamoros
Meet me on the Matamoros
Meet me on the Matamoros banks -song “Matamoras Banks” by Bruce Springsteen

A bell is no bell till you ring it,
A song is no song till you sing it,
And love in your heart
Wasn’t put there to stay—
Love isn’t love
Till you give it away. -song “Sixteen Going On Seventeen (Reprise)” from “The Sound Of Music”, lyrics by Oscar Hammerstein II

Make art from your heart.

Detach from outcome or from reach. It’s irrelevant.

The win lies in exploring your heart, having the courage to make your art, and then committing to do so with excellence and generosity for others.

Is there any other reason to do it?

P.S. – Speaking of turtles, this article.

P.P.S. – This article on Valentine’s Day.

“My life has slipped away, like water through my fingers… I’ve worked all my life, and for what?” -Voinitsky in Uncle Vanya by Anton Chekhov

“In contrast to what I saw happening in my own circle, where the whole of life is spent in idleness, amusement and dissatisfaction with life, I saw that these people who laboured hard throughout their entire lives were less dissatisfied with life than the rich. In contrast to the people of our class who resist and curse the privations and sufferings of their lot, these people accept sickness and grief without question or protest, and with a calm and firm conviction that this is how it must be, that it cannot be otherwise and that it is all for the good. Contrary to us, who the more intelligent we are the less we understand the meaning of life and see some kind of malicious joke in the fact that we suffer and die, these people live, suffer and approach death peacefully and, more often than not, joyfully.” -Leo Tolstoy, A Confession

“That is the thing you notice about second-mountain people. There’s been a motivational shift. Their desires have been transformed. If you wanted to generalize a bit, you could say there are six layers of desire: Material pleasure. Having nice food, a nice car, a nice house. Ego pleasure. Becoming well-known or rich and successful. Winning victories and recognition. Intellectual pleasure. Learning about things. Understanding the world around us. Generativity. The pleasure we get in giving back to others and serving our communities. Fulfilled love. Receiving and giving love. The rapturous union of souls. Transcendence. The feeling we get when living in accordance with some ideal.” -David Brooks, The Second Mountain: The Quest for a Moral Life

“The secret of life is to have a task, something you devote your entire life to, something you bring everything to, every minute of every day for the rest of your life. And the most important thing is, it must be something you cannot possibly do.” -Henry Moore

“You are never too old to set another goal or to dream a new dream.” -C.S. Lewis

“People don’t stop growing because they got old, but because they started to listen to their inner voice telling them that life was good enough as it is. There is a big difference between gratitude and getting complacent. You have one shot at living a great life, take some risks.” -Orange Book

That dissatisfaction you feel is actually a gift. Especially if you’re older. It’s energy and the fuel you need to avoid what is even worse, which is complacency.

Use the gift.

Remind yourself that you have the wisdom of age and experience to properly channel that energy into the things that really matter. Which are:

Meaningful work.

Meaningful relationships and community.

Making your art (i.e. your passion project) in service of others.

This time around, you’ll be scaling the right mountain.

“The key question to keep asking is, Are you spending your time on the right things? Because time is all you have.” -Randy Pausch, The Last Lecture

A useful exercise to think about and perhaps do…

If you were going to give a Ted Talk and you had no more than 20 minutes (maybe it’s only 15, 10, 5) to deliver it, what would you say?

Start with this question: “What advice would you give to your younger self?”

Then…

Write (fast and furious).

Edit (compress it down, ala George Saunders, to fit within the time constraints).

Record (into your voice memo app or if you’re really feeling brave, into your phone camera).

Review (listen/watch your recording).

Remind (yourself; it’s not too late to follow your own advice).

Share (your recording; with a young person).

In doing so, you might just change someone’s life. Including your own.

“If the thought of lack–whether it be money, recognition or love–has become part of who you think you are, you will always experience lack. Rather than acknowledge the good that is already in your life, alll you see is lack. Acknowledging the good that is already in your life is the foundation for all abundance. The fact is: Whatever you think the world is withholding from you, you are withholding from the world. You are withholding it because deep down you think you are small and that you have nothing to give.

Try this for a couple of weeks and see how it changes your reality: Whatever you think people are withholding from you–praise appreciation, assistance, loving care and so on give it to them. You don’t have it? Just act as if you had it, and it will come. Then, soon after you start giving, you will start receiving. You cannot receive what you don’t give. Outflow determines inflow. -Eckhart Tolle

“It is in giving that we receive.” -Saint Francis Of Assisi

“When you realize there is nothing lacking, the whole world belongs to you.” -Lao Tzu, Tao Te Ching

Don’t give to get.

Give from abundance. Give because you know you already have so much. And just want to share it with others.

You have nothing lacking.

Open yourself to the mysterious and infinite loop of grace.

P.S. – H/t to my friend Joe for the Eckhart Tolle quote and inspiring this post.

“It’s easier to hold your principles 100 percent of the time than it is to hold them 98 percent of the time…Justification for infidelity and dishonesty in all their manifestations lies in the marginal cost economics of “just this once.” -Clayton M. Christensen, book How Will You Measure Your Life

“It takes 20 years to build a reputation and five minutes to ruin it. If you think about that, you’ll do things differently.” -Warren Buffett

“Be more concerned with your character than your reputation, because your character is what you really are, while your reputation is merely what others think you are.” -John Wooden

Many a life gets ruined by violating one’s principles “just this once.”

Know your principles. Stick to them. Especially when it costs you something in the short run to do so.

Not only will you save yourself a lot of decision fatigue, but when all is said and done, you’ll hold your head high, you’ll be glad you did.

A quick story about legendary UCLA basketball coach John Wooden to bring it home…

UCLA was Wooden’s second choice for a coaching position in 1948. He had also been pursued by Minnesota, and it was his and his wife’s desire to remain in the Midwest.

Inclement weather in Minnesota prevented Wooden from receiving the scheduled phone offer from the Golden Gophers. Thinking they had lost interest, Wooden accepted UCLA’s offer instead.

Minnesota contacted Wooden right after he accepted the position at UCLA, but he declined because he had given his word to the Bruins.

Wooden would go on to win ten championships at UCLA. Including seven in a row.

“What does it take to realize you’re good at something?

We hope we’re good…but when the crowd doesn’t cheer loud enough we begin to wonder.

We think we’re good…but then we get envious of the person doing a similar thing.

We start to believe we’re good…but we don’t get the right pats on the back from the right people.

We look for something we’re good at…but if we might be good at it, then it must be something everyone is good at, so it’s not worth very much.

So what’s it going to take?” -Gabe Anderson

The good news is no one has to see your finished product until you decide it’s ready.

But the key word in the sentence is “you.”

Make sure the reason you’re not shipping your work is you.

You still think it can be better.

Not what you think other people will think of it.

If you decide it’s a finished product, then it’s a finished product. The audience’s reaction is not relevant to your decision to ship.

For inspiration, watch this 2002 clip of The Killers now anthemic, mega-hit, record breaking song “Mr. Brightside.” (Notice the crowd barely paying attention and the smattering of polite applause at the end.)

“Many people are trying to take beauty out of the world. Artists keep trying to put it back in.” -Gareth Williams

“Beauty will save the world.” -Dostoevsky

“There is, however, a certain peculiarity in the essence of beauty, a peculiarity in the status of art: namely, the convincingness of a true work of art is completely irrefutable and it forces even an opposing heart to surrender…Those works of art which have scooped up the truth and presented it to us as a living force – they take hold of us, compel us, and nobody ever, not even in ages to come, will appear to refute them.

So perhaps that ancient trinity of Truth, Goodness and Beauty is not simply an empty, faded formula as we thought in the days of our self-confident, materialistic youth? If the tops of these three trees converge, as the scholars maintained, but the too blatant, too direct stems of Truth and Goodness are crushed, cut down, not allowed through – then perhaps the fantastic, unpredictable, unexpected stems of Beauty will push through and soar TO THAT VERY SAME PLACE, and in so doing will fulfill the work of all three.” -excerpt from Alexander Solzhenitsyn’s 1970 Nobel Prize acceptance speech

Looking for your life’s purpose?

Put beauty, joy and love back in the world everywhere you can.

There is no greater purpose or higher calling than this.