The Vs. Studio Blog

“Fidete, sed verificate.” -Latin phrase that translates to “Trust but verify.”

“Hoping for the best, prepared for the worst, and unsurprised by anything in between.” -Maya Angelou, I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings

One discipline to incorporate as a producer is what I call “the friendly follow up.” It will save you a ton of time and unnecessary heartache throughout your passion project.

A real world example…

You have an important delivery coming to the theatre tomorrow at 3p.  It’s all set.  You booked it last week.

Today, CALL the company and just confirm. 

It takes less than 5 minutes and gives you peace of mind that the company will be there as expected. Thus saving you enormous heartache and aggravation if they didn’t show up. Additionally it’s a generous reminder to the company. It gives them an opportunity to relay any instructions they may have forgotten to pass on during the initial booking. (Especially if this was booked online.)

This discipline can be employed in a multitude of ways with all the people and organizations you encounter. The art of it, which you learn over time, is how to do it in a friendly, not annoying, manner.

“Live in each season as it passes; breathe the air, drink the drink, taste the fruit, and resign yourself to the influence of the earth.” -Henry David Thoreau, Walden

“There’s something in these quiet, forsaken places that draws me in, reconstitutes the chemistry of my blood, a gravitational pull toward getting lost, toward solitude and the stories that linger in the ruins.” -Erik Rittenberry

“In the spaciousness of solitude, we open ourselves up to the truth of ourselves. We more deeply root, examine, shed, and soften. Even in the desert moments of daily life, we are invited into renewal, when the wonder of uncertainty meets a sacred pause amid a busy day. And almost always, the desert spaces are places and moments of paradox: knowing amid the unknowing, refreshment in the parched places, life amid death, fecundity in the barrenness, midnight blooming, and acceptance of seasons.” -Cassidy Hall

Take time with a wounded hand
‘Cause it likes to heal -song “Creep” by Stone Temple Pilots

Everything that’s worth it takes time. Including finding inner peace.

If it’s worth it, you’ll put in the time. Or rather, especially when it comes to inner peace, you’ll take the time.

Read this phenomenal Poetic Outlaws post from Erik Rittenberry. And take some time for yourself this weekend.

Two roads diverged in a yellow wood,
And sorry I could not travel both
And be one traveler, long I stood
And looked down one as far as I could
To where it bent in the undergrowth;

Then took the other, as just as fair,
And having perhaps the better claim,
Because it was grassy and wanted wear;
Though as for that the passing there
Had worn them really about the same,

And both that morning equally lay
In leaves no step had trodden black.
Oh, I kept the first for another day!
Yet knowing how way leads on to way,
I doubted if I should ever come back.

I shall be telling this with a sigh
Somewhere ages and ages hence:
Two roads diverged in a wood, and I—
I took the one less traveled by,
And that has made all the difference. -“The Road Not Taken” poem by Robert Frost

“Sometimes it’s necessary to go a long distance out of the way in order to come back a short distance correctly.” -Edward Albee, play The Zoo Story

If you do enough digging and really learn their origin story, you will find that most, if not all of the people you admire, were willing to take the road less traveled. They didn’t follow “the wisdom of the crowd.” They didn’t try to fit in. They fit out. They took risks. They sacrificed. They believed and bet on themselves. They moved forward even when there was no light in the distance. They were willing to be the exception.

If you want to be or do anything exceptional, then you have to first be willing to be the exception.

(This post is particularly apropos as I’m sending this at 11:55p. 5 minutes prior to my daily Midnight deadline)

For most things, especially those that you have to complete on someone else’s deadline (school, work, etc.) “better late than never” is good advice.

However, when it comes to your art it should be “better live up to my own standard of excellence or never.”

This is not a defense of perfectionism, which is just another way of hiding.

It’s about having your own sense of taste, tenacity and standards that you live by. As well as knowing who your art is far and why you want to make it for them.

If you don’t have or know these things yet, then never is better.

“Be tolerant with others and strict with yourself.” -Marcus Aurelius

If you expect and desire the credit for your successes, then do you also take the blame for your failures?

Or when misfortune strikes, do you put the blame elsewhere?

Remember, with great responsibility comes great power.

First level understanding: The cavalry isn’t coming.

Second level understanding: There is no cavalry. There never was a cavalry.

Jedi level understanding: YOU are the cavalry.

Go make your art.

P.S. – I try to watch Mark Duplass’ “The Cavalry Isn’t Coming” 2015 SWSW Keynote speech once a year. It’s even more relevant now as it was then. Everything you need to know about why you must produce your own work is in this speech.

“Be so good they can’t ignore you.” -Steve Martin

Great advice from Steve Matin above. Become a master at your craft.

However, I’d amend it to this:

“Be so good they can’t ignore you. All the while produce your own work so you don’t care if they ignore you. Because you’re too busy making things happen for yourself, your fellow artists and the audience you seek to serve.”

“Whether you think you can or think you can’t, you’re right”, -Henry Ford

“Argue for your limitations and you get to keep them.” -Richard Bach

“It’s a wonderful thing to be optimistic. It keeps you healthy and it keeps you resilient.” -Daniel Kahneman

Belief is a choice. And once you choose your belief, you will inevitably find and favor evidence that supports your belief while ignoring evidence that counters it. This is confirmation bias at work. And like any cognitive bias, the key is awareness.

But if you had to choose, why not choose optimism?

Once you choose, then find evidence to support your optimism.

Or better yet, create your own evidence for others to find and be optimistic.

“There is no normal life, there’s just life. You live it.” -Val Kilmer

“The trick to being a good actor is getting so involved in your character that the camera disappears, the 50 bored guys eating doughnuts disappear, friends disappear. To get to that point when you don’t have to think about it, you’re just acting and reacting in those circumstances.” -Val Kilmer

“That’s the joy of art – it should be dangerous and challenging but it’s just art – it’s safe.” -Val Kilmer

Sadly, Val Kilmer passed away yesterday. He was 65.

I’ve written about Val twice prior on this blog. Here and Here. Not because he was a movie star (though he was that), but about his approach to art and life. He left it all out there and was unafraid to take massive risks in service of his craft. In some cases, just to audition for a part! I deeply respected this quality.

For all the indelible performances he gave on film, quite possibly his greatest triumph, was on the stage. As Mark Twain in a one person show which was of the greatest performances I’ve ever seen. It was hilarious and heartbreaking and absolutely mesmerizing. A total passion project.

Click Here to watch a clip from it.

Thank you Val Kilmer for all the great performances and your inspiring work.

We will miss you Iceman.

P.S. – If you haven’t seen, definitely watch the documentary “Val” on Amazon Prime. It’s incredible.

“It takes inordinate courage to introspect, to confront oneself, to accept one’s limitations—scientists are seeing more and more evidence that we are specifically designed by mother nature to fool ourselves.” -Nassim Taleb

“The first principle is that you must not fool yourself and you are the easiest person to fool.” -Richard P. Feynman

“Stay hungry. Stay foolish. Never let go of your appetite to go after new ideas, new experiences, and new adventures.” -Steve Jobs

“The fool doth think he is wise, but the wise man knows himself to be a fool.” -William Shakespeare, As You Like It

I’ll tip my hat to the new Constitution
Take a bow for the new revolution
Smile and grin at the change all around
Pick up my guitar and play
Just like yesterday
Then I’ll get on my knees and pray
We don’t get fooled again
Don’t get fooled again, no, no -song, “Won’t Get Fooled Again” by The Who

“I think it’s my job to risk looking foolish. One of the things I’ve learned from the actors I’ve worked with is you don’t get something for nothing. If you don’t risk looking foolish, you’ll never do anything special.” -Ethan Hawke

Don’t fool yourself or other people.

But to do anything great and lasting and worthwhile, you do need to stay foolish.

“Aye, there’s the rub.”

P.S. – This Ethan Hawke TED Talk. “Give yourself permission to play the fool.” Try to revisit this video at least once per year. Perhaps every April 1st.