The Vs. Studio Blog

“Everything can be taken from a man but one thing: the last of the human freedoms – to choose one’s attitude in any given set of circumstances, to choose one’s own way.” -Viktor Frankl, Man’s Search For Meaning

“Humans are creators of meaning, and finding deep meaning in our experiences is not just another name for spirituality but is also the very shape of human happiness.” -Richard Rohr, Falling Upward

“It is not in our control to have everything turn out exactly as we want, but it is in our control to control how we respond to what happens.” -Epictetus

“The most common way people give up their power is by thinking they don’t have any.” -Alice Walker

For any event that occurs…

Not thinking, “It’s meant to be.” (Or “It’s not meant to be.”)

But rather, “I mean it to be.”

Don’t let fate or fortune rob you of your power to choose. YOU choose what any event means to you. And what actions you take after that event. That’s what having agency is all about.

P.S. – Today is Giving Tuesday and Vs. Theatre Company is a 501(c)(3) non-profit.  So your contribution is fully tax deductible.  If you’re able to and feeling in the generous spirit, you can donate via PayPal Here or Venmo @vstheatre.  Thank you in advance for your financial support.  It truly means a lot.

P.P.S. – “To be or not to be, that is the question.”

“This is the power of art: The power to transcend our own self-interest, our solipsistic zoom-lens on life, and relate to the world and each other with more integrity, more curiosity, more wholeheartedness.” -Maria Popova

“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…Each of us has our own way of seeing this world. And this can lead to feelings of isolation. Art has an ability to connect us beyond the limitations of language. Through this, we get to face our inner world outward, remove the boundaries of separation, and participate in the great remembering of what we came into this life knowing: There is no separation. We are one.” -Rick Rubin

“Art has the power to render sorrow beautiful, make loneliness a shared experience, and transform despair into hope…The transformative power of art is in this sharing. Without connection or collective engagement, what we hear is simply a caged song of sorrow and despair; we find no liberation in it. It’s the sharing of art that whispers, ‘You’re not alone.” -Brene Brown

Perhaps the answer to all our division and the cure for our epidemic of loneliness is to just go make some art together.

Check out this inspiring short documentary, “Beyond The Bridge” made by my friend Kim Z. It’s about doing just that and how it transformed a community.

I attended a funeral earlier today. It was a beautiful service for a beloved member of our local community. The eulogies given were powerful and moving, and as eulogies often do, they inspire you to give, love and do more. The below quote by Ernest Hemingway (also shared at the funeral) is a reminder that sometimes the greatest gift you can give another person is to just be there with them.

In our darkest moments, we don’t need solutions or advice. What we yearn for is simply human connection—a quiet presence, a gentle touch. These small gestures are the anchors that hold us steady when life feels like too much.

Please don’t try to fix me. Don’t take on my pain or push away my shadows. Just sit beside me as I work through my own inner storms. Be the steady hand I can reach for as I find my way.

My pain is mine to carry, my battles mine to face. But your presence reminds me I’m not alone in this vast, sometimes frightening world. It’s a quiet reminder that I am worthy of love, even when I feel broken.

So, in those dark hours when I lose my way, will you just be here? Not as a rescuer, but as a companion. Hold my hand until the dawn arrives, helping me remember my strength.

Your silent support is the most precious gift you can give. It’s a love that helps me remember who I am, even when I forget.

Just be there for them. Trust that it’s enough. It’s actually everything.

P.S. – Aim for eulogy virtues over resume virtues.

P.P.S. – “Stay in the game.” (h/t to Sahil Bloom)

“Every circumstance comes with two handles, which one of which you can hold it, while with the other conditions are insupportable.”
― Epictetus, Discourses and Selected Writings

“We can grab onto resentment—or gratitude. We can focus on obstacles—or look closer and see opportunities. Gratitude shifts our perspective and transforms even the harshest realities into tools for growth.” -Ryan Holiday

“Convince yourself that everything is the gift of the gods, that things are good and always will be.” -Marcus Aurelius, Meditations

“I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want…Give thanks in all circumstances.” -Saint Paul

“Nietzsche was the one who did the job for me. At a certain moment in his life, the idea came to him of what he called “the love of your fate.”

Whatever your fate is, whatever the hell happens, you say, “This is what I need.” It may look like a wreck, but go at it as though it were an opportunity, a challenge. If you bring love to that moment — not discouragement — you will find the strength is there. Any disaster you can survive is an improvement in your character, your stature, and your life. What a privilege!

Then, when looking back at your life, you will see that the moments which seemed to be great failures followed by wreckage were the incidents that shaped the life you have now. The crisis throws you back, and when you are required to exhibit strength, it comes.” -Source: Joseph Campbell, Reflections on the Art of Living (edited lightly for clarity; h/t to James Clear)

Gratitude: Thankful for the “good.”

Next level grattitude: Thankful for the “bad.”

Jedi level gratitude: Not labelling things as “good” or “bad.” They just are. Being thankful for all of life. Amor Fati is the key.

Happy Thanksgiving dear reader. Thankful for all of you and your constant encouragement of this blog. Closing in on #1,300!

P.S. – Those aren’t pillows!

“When first approaching these works, we feel as if we are observers. We are watching these people from afar – in moments when they do not seem to realise we are even here – and we are left wondering who they are, or what they might be thinking, or what may have happened to them in the moments before we find them here. But then, the longer we look, the more it all starts to feel strangely personal too. Almost as if these people may be someone we know. Or someone we passed on the street earlier today. Or – certainly when it comes to Hopper’s paintings – perhaps they remind us of ourselves too . . . and those the times when we too may have sat alone in a late night diner, or felt those pangs of loneliness drifting on the air all around us. It is a remarkable experience.” -George Bothamley, “Art Every Day” Substack

A fun writing exercise to do is to go to a museum, journal in hand. Browse through the artwork until you find one that really lights you up. Then just stare at it, let your imagination take over, and write a story about the character(s) in the painting. Don’t edit yourself. Just keep writing until you’re done. (You can also do this online, but it’s way more fun to do it in person.)

Note: Edward Hopper is a great painter for this. His characters evoke so many different feelings when viewed. In his excellent “Art Every Day” Substack, George Bothamley, does a great job breaking down Hopper and Vermeer (another great painter for this exercise).

My friend and phenomenal teacher, Howard Fine, does a variation of this as an acting exercise. In his intro class, he has students go to a museum and find a painting that inspires them. They write their own “Who Am I?” backstory about the character in the painting. (The “Who Am I?” questions are detailed in Howard’s excellent book on the craft, which you can check out Here.) Taking this a step further, you then dress up in class as the painting. You’re asked all types of questions and are to answer “in character.” I loved it! Both doing and observing.

Lastly, in the terrific documentary, “It Takes A Lunatic”, acting teacher and artistic director, Wynn Handman, is shown “interviewing” actors working on scene study. He asks all kinds of questions and they answer “in character.”

All of these exercises have the following in common…They are super fun, artistically inspiring and get you out of your head, and into another person’s skin.

Give one or more a try at some point. And if you do, let me know how it goes!

P.S. – Here was my painting for Howard’s class. It was a while back. 🙂 You can find it at LACMA.

“Never be limited by other people’s limited imaginations.” -Dr. Mae Jemison

Just like it’s useless to expect most people to understand why Alex Honnold wanted to free solo up El Capitan, or spend thirty years on a novel like Karl Malantes did writing “Matterhorn”, it’s useless to expect most people to understand why you need and want to make this piece of art. It’s not rational or logical (to them). It’s not traditional. It’s not “worldly.” It doesn’t “make sense.”

But that doesn’t mean you shouldn’t do it.

If you have a burning desire, then you must heed the call, and go make it. Don’t let anyone talk you out of it.

When it’s done, then you can tell them why you made it and why you’d love for them to show up.

P.S. – Speaking of climbing mountains, my friend John’s hilarious mockumentary, “The Hillist.”

“You know when you’re walking in the woods on a dark night…and you see a light shining far off in the distance…and you think to yourself: even though I’m tired and it’s dark and the branches are scratching my face…everything is gonna be okay…because I have that light? And I’ll get there eventually? Well, I work–you know this–I work harder than anyone else in this county. I mean, I’m beaten down, Sonya, I suffer unbearably…but I have no light in the distance. I can’t see anything up ahead. I no longer expect anything of myself and I don’t think I’m capable of really loving people.” -Astrov to Sonya in Uncle Vanya by Anton Chekhov (translated by Annie Baker)

If you can force your heart and nerve and sinew
To serve your turn long after they are gone,
And so hold on when there is nothing in you
Except the Will which says to them: ‘Hold on!’ -Rudyard Kipling, poem “If”

“And when the creative well runs dry, it feels like the end of the world. It feels like there is no purpose to fulfill, no checklists to complete, no meaning to be made. Doubt, frustration, discomfort. We need to remember to uncomplicate our hearts, to be here, to be present, and to learn to embrace the journey all over again.
After a period of losing your writing mojo, inspiration doesn’t jump back into your life. It slowly grows back in the crevices of your soul, and your eyes regain that glimmer of hope. We’re little plants sprouting in cracked concrete again and again.
This is not the end. I’m staying the course, allowing myself to be proud of where I am right now, even if it’s scattered, chaotic, and absent at times. Even if I am feeling dreary, annoyed, and unimpressed by life. I shall not quit something with great long-term potential just because I can’t deal with the stress of the moment.” -excerpt from Medium post, “Know Thyself, Heal Thyself” by Diana C.

When you’re suffering and facing uncertainty, you don’t need to know how you’re gonna get through it.

You just need to know that you will.

Believe and trust in that. Stay the course.

Because it’s true. You will get through it.

“Suffering is not a sign of failure. And on the other side…Suffering is not a sign you’re doing great work. The suffering, the difficulty, the tension…it’s simply part of the deal.” -Gabe Anderson

In the process of going after your big goals, there will be times when it will feels easy and there will be times when it feels hard. Where you will suffer.

Neither feeling means you’re on the right or wrong path.

Neither feeling means anything other than what you choose to ascribe to the feeling.

If you’re looking for evidence that you’re doing “the right thing”, stop looking. All the evidence you need is knowing that you already decided this is what you’re going to do. No matter what.

Just keep going.

“Imperfect action is better than perfect inaction.” -Harry S. Truman

“All big things come from small beginnings. The seed of every habit is a single, tiny decision” -James Clear, Atomic Habits

“Evaluating decisions based on outcomes prevents us from learning.” -Shane Parrish

If you’ve decided to do (or stop doing) something, but you don’t take immediate action, then you haven’t really decided anything.

P.S. – Two great resources for better decision-making: Here and Here.

“As you start to walk on the way, the way appears.” -Rumi

“The answer you are looking for is found in the action you are avoiding. You don’t find yourself through planning, you find yourself through acting. The path is found in the action. Act and adapt, don’t think and plan.” -Sahil Bloom

Speaking of “who’s got next?“…

Instead of asking “who’s in charge?”

Just take charge.

Instead of asking “what can I do to help?”

Just start helping.

instead of asking “will you pick me?”

Just pick yourself.

P.S. – This blog post