The Vs. Studio Blog

“Self-actualized people…live more in the real world of nature than in the man-made mass of concepts, abstractions, expectations, beliefs and stereotypes that most people confuse with the world.” -Abraham Maslow, Hierarchy of Needs: A Theory of Human Motivation

“In the 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.

True mastery can be gained
by letting things go their own way.
It can’t be gained by interfering.” -Verse 48, Tao Te Ching by Lao-Tzu (Translation by Stephen Mitchell)

“The fish in the water that is thirsty needs serious professional counseling.” -Kabir, 15th-century Indian mystic poet and saint

While the world screams “MORE! MORE!! MORE!!!”, you politely respond, “No, thank you. I choose less, less, less.”

That choice leads to you having…

less needs.

less desires.

less obligations.

less distractions.

less stuff.

Because less is actually more.

More peace of mind, more energy and more freedom to find and do what it is you truly love to do.

Less, less, less.

“A turtle step is the least I can do, divided in half. It’s also the only way I’ve ever achieved anything.” -Martha Beck

May you have the courage to listen to the voice of desire
That disturbs you when you have settled for something safe. -John O’Donohue, book “To Bless The Space Between Us: A Book Of Blessings”

Do you have a plan or strategy to get things done when you’re “not feeling it” or the events of the day seem to conspire against you?

If not, best make one.

We make our big dreams and plans when we’re feeling good, have some free time, got a good night’s sleep, are lit up by the muse or that inspiring cup of coffee with an encouraging friend.

And then it’s back to life, back to reality.

The dishwasher breaks, your car battery dies, your child is sick, work ran late, traffic was abominable, etc.

Yet it is precisely on those days (which come up often), when you’re not feeling it, when you’re up against it, when you wanna do absolutely nothing but veg out on the couch and watch tv…that if you can manage to still just get one small thing done towards your dream…those are the days that will define you and your project’s ultimate success.

One tip…know in advance something that will only take a few minutes to complete and that when you do it, you feel good about yourself. Before going to bed, you can think, “well, at least I did that.” Or what Martha Beck calls a turtle step.

P.S. – This excellent article on “Why 10 Minutes A Day Is All You Need.”

Numero uno, top of the pantheon, biggest life hack there is. Ready for it?

Are you sure?

Are you really, really sure?

Okay.

Here we go…

You are not your thoughts.

You are the one WATCHING your thoughts.

Say it with me.

Once more with feeling…

You are not your thoughts.

You are the one WATCHING your thoughts.

Bravo! Bravissimo!!

“To love at all is to be vulnerable. Love anything and your heart will be wrung and possibly broken. If you want to make sure of keeping it intact you must give it to no one, not even an animal. Wrap it carefully round with hobbies and little luxuries; avoid all entanglements. Lock it up safe in the casket or coffin of your selfishness. But in that casket, safe, dark, motionless, airless, it will change. It will not be broken; it will become unbreakable, impenetrable, irredeemable. To love is to be vulnerable.” -C.S. Lewis

Love is not a feeling. It’s an action.

And any time you take an action, you take a risk. You risk that this action might not work out.

If you love nothing, then do nothing.

If you love something, then gotta DO something. The first step is to open your heart and be vulnerable. Consequences be damned.

“If genius is the creative intelligence of an individual, Scenius is the creative intelligence of a group.” -Brian Eno

“You are the average of the five people you hang around the most.” -Jim Rohn

“Associate with people who are likely to improve you. Welcome those who you are capable of improving. The process is a mutual one: [People] learn as they teach.” -Seneca

Instead of figuring out your genius, why not find your Scenius?

So many of the greatest scientific discoveries, works of art, even businesses, have sprung from a community of people each inspiring and pushing each other to do their very best work.

Author Ryan Holiday talks about this in a recent blog post below…

There are very few solitary geniuses. There are very few artists, philosophers, or creators who do great work in isolation. Think of The Transcendental Club, the scene that coalesced (and was funded by) Emerson in Concord in 1836: Thoreau, Nathaniel Hawthorne, Margaret Fuller, Louisa May Alcott, and Elizabeth Peabody. Think Lost Generation, the social cohort of expat writers—Ernest Hemingway, Gertrude Stein, F. Scott Fitzgerald, T.S. Eliot, Ezra Pound, among others—that came of age together in Paris after World War I. Think of the Bloomsbury Group of the 20th century, which included Virginia Woolf, E.M. Forster, and John Maynard Keyes. Think of the Paypal Mafia—Peter Thiel, Reid Hoffman, and Elon Musk. Think of the students that hung around with Socrates, Xenophon and Alciabiades and Plato. Think of the Scipionic Circle, which met at the house of Scipio— one of Rome’s greatest generals—to discuss philosophy, share ideas and explore Stoicism.

No one does it alone. Find the others.

When you’re at the very beginning, in creation mode, besides admitting “this might not work”, it might also be useful to ask the question, “Is this a thing?”

After asking yourself and feeling satisfied that it is in fact a thing or could be a thing, you might then ask a few trusted collaborators the same question.

Not only can they affirm that it’s a thing, but they might also be able to provide advice on what might be the best form for your thing to take shape and flourish.

If you’ve created a piece of art and are seeking honest, effective feedback, one simple and phenomenal question to ask is…

“Where did you lean in and where did you lean out?”

The question certainly applies to watching theatre or film. But also with reading any piece of material. Listening to a song. Pretty much any art form.

Another way to think about the question is…

“Where were you engaged and where were you bored?”

As the creator, all you need to hear are those spots, good and bad. You don’t need to hear possible fixes or solutions to the problem. Trust that you and your subconscious will work that out later.

At our old Vs. theatre space, one thing I really loved is that the audience sat in old, wooden, straight-backed chairs. It was only 28 seats (Grotowski famously said he never trusted theatre over 30 seats) and very intimate. If you started hearing a lot of squeaky chairs, you knew the audience was restless. They were leaning out. If you heard quiet, they were still. On the edge of their seats. Leaning in.

No better feedback than that.

“Even circus clowns get bored at work.” -Seth Godin

“When you fall in love with the process rather than the product, you don’t have to wait to give yourself permission to be happy. You can be satisfied anytime your system is running. And a system can be successful in many different forms, not just the one you first envision.” -James Clear

“The process is the product.” -Paul Shirley

One of the biggest life hacks you can give yourself (and your kids) is to figure out as early as possible (though it’s never too late), what you love to do, and then translate that love of doing into meaningful work.

Notice I said “love to do.” Not “love to be.”

Because you will spend your life DOING stuff. Not being or having stuff.

Learn the process behind any profession. Don’t read or believe puff pieces. Find someone who’s doing what you think you want to do and ask them specific questions about their day to day. Get super granular. Think of it like a ride along.

See if the process (the actual doing), not the dream, still excites you.

For example, a person decides they want to be a film or television actor. (Or both.) Great!…Are they okay with spending a majority of a 12-16 hour day (that is, if they’re fortunate to book the job) just standing around and waiting to shoot a scene? They better be. Because that’s a large part of the process.

The process is the product.

The dream, the awards, the accolades, the money, the recognition, etc…those are just by-products of the process.

P.S. – This amazing Seth Godin post today.

“When you say ‘Yes’ to others, make sure you are not saying ‘No’ to yourself.” -Paulo Coelho

“People think focusing is about saying yes to the thing you’ve got to focus on. But that’s not what it means at all. It means saying no to the hundred other good ideas that there are. You have to pick carefully. I’m actually as proud of the things we haven’t done as the things I have done. Innovation is saying no to 1,000 things.” -Steve Jobs

“You have to decide what your highest priorities are and have the courage—pleasantly, smilingly, non apologetically — to say “no” to other things. And the way you do that is by having a bigger “yes” burning inside.” -Stephen R. Covey

“A ‘no’ uttered from the deepest conviction is better than a ‘yes’ uttered merely to please – or worse; to avoid trouble.” -Mahatma Gandhi

“If you don’t prioritize your life, someone else will.” -Greg McKeown

“You should do this.”

“What?..Why would you want to do that?”

“I don’t know…If I were you, I would do this.”

People mean well, but…

No.

No.

No.

YOU decide what you want to do. That’s it. End of story.

But…you have to know what exactly that is (takes time and discernment), and then go for it with everything you got (laser focus).

Otherwise…the world, the prevailing culture, other people, etc…will decide for you.

“Sorry! I don’t want any adventures, thank you. Not Today. Good morning! But please come to tea – any time you like! Why not tomorrow? Good bye!” –The Hobbit by J.R.R. Tolkien

“Go back?” he thought. “No good at all! Go sideways? Impossible! Go forward? Only thing to do! On we go!” So up he got, and trotted along with his little sword held in front of him and one hand feeling the wall, and his heart all of a patter and a pitter.” –The Hobbit by J.R.R. Tolkien

Making art isn’t for everyone.  It’s scary. Like entering a dark and deep forest late at night.

But if you are that person?…well, sometimes, you just gotta do it anyway.

Bilbo (and later Frodo) didn’t want to leave the Shire either…But he did.