The Vs. Studio Blog

“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.

Admitting “this might not work” isn’t self-defeating or letting yourself off the hook.

Au contraire, mon frère.

Admitting this takes humility and courage.

Humility in that even though you’re lit up and clearly “see it”, (a) you understand you might not be able to execute the thing in your head.  And (b) even if you do execute, you understand it doesn’t mean anyone else will come along for the ride.

Courage in that to admit this might not work…and still do it anyway…wow…that’s massive. You are one courageous motherf-cker.

You’re my hero.

Now go make your art.

And remember, yes with great power comes great responsibility. But the converse is just as true. With great responsibility comes great power.

Got get ’em web-slinger.

Space, the final frontier
These are the voyages of the Starship Enterprise
Its five year mission
To explore strange new worlds
To seek out new life
And new civilizations
To boldly go where no man has gone before -Star Trek opening lyrics

Sometimes, to go where you wanna go, you gotta give up what you already have. (“Have” includes rigid, dogmatic thinking and beliefs that don’t serve you or anyone else.)

Sunk costs will sink you.

Beginners mind will save you.

Remember…open, open, open.

First you see it.  “Whoa…Does anyone else this too?”

Then you declare it (to yourself and perhaps a few trusted collaborators).  “This might not work.”

Then you decide to do it.  “I’m lit up by this thing. So much so that even though it might not work, I must do it anyway.” 

Then you go make it.

Then you release it. “Here you go world. Have at it.”

“The first mistake is never the one that ruins you. It is the spiral of repeated mistakes that follows. Missing once is an accident. Missing twice is the start of a new habit.” -James Clear, Atomic Habits

“The best time to plant a tree was 20 years ago. The second best time is now.” – Chinese Proverb

On the road to building a new habit, it’s highly likely you’re gonna miss a day.

When that happens, forgive yourself.

But then resolve, by any means necessary, to not miss again tomorrow. Whatever you have to do, don’t miss two in a row.

P.S. – “Utah, get me two!”

For the actor…

If you’re struggling to raise the stakes or find a good obstacle for your character, here’s one that never fails:

Give your character the driving and desperate need to survive. Literally and metaphorically. To fight for their life in a world that’s not allowing them to do so.

Life and death. Survival. No higher stakes than that.

“What gets measured, gets managed.” -Peter Drucker

“If you fail to plan, you are planning to fail!” -Benjamin Franklin

“Progress equals happiness. Even if you’re not where you want to be yet. If you’re on the road, if you’re improving, if you’re making progress, you’re gonna love it. You’re gonna feel alive.” – Tony Robbins

“Action may not always bring happiness, but there is no happiness without action.” -Benjamin Disraeli

In the service of doing what you love, you often have to do some things you don’t like. (Memorizing lines comes to mind.)

The secret to getting these things done?

SCHEDULE and take consistent action.

MEASURE and celebrate your progress.

You might find what you didn’t like at first, you now love too. Or at least like.

“Art is hard. It never just comes to you. The idea of effortless inspiration is another romantic myth. For amateurs, making art may be a form of recreation, but no one, amateur or professional, who has tried to do it with any degree of seriousness is under the illusion that it’s easy. “A writer,” said Thomas Mann, “is someone for whom writing is more difficult than it is for other people.” More difficult, because there is more for you to do, more that you know how to do, and because you hold yourself to higher standards.” – William Deresiewicz, book The Death Of The Artist

“The endless cycle of improvement means that every innovation that raises the average creates the conditions for a new sort of excellence. Using these tools, a new standard setter can find a different way forward and create a different way to raise the bar, one that seems obvious after the fact.” -Seth Godin

If you want to be the exception–the rare person who makes a decent living doing what they love–then strive to only make exceptional work. Especially if what you love is in the arts. (And unfortunately that’s no guarantee, as artistic and commercial success are rarely correlated.)

Even if you could make a living doing mediocre to good work, would you want to?

“Finding a rhythm with people is important, especially if you’re performing or brainstorming or looking for good conversation.

And what’s a great way to get a rhythm going? The golden rule of improv is to always say “yes, and…” to accept and build upon the ideas presented. This creates a positive and collaborative environment, whether you like or agree with what’s been said or not! So, no matter what the other person on stage says, the response must always be “yes, and…”

Isn’t that true?

Yes, and…

The same rule can also be applied to our daily lives, especially when it comes to the people we surround ourselves with. For example, imagine you’re brainstorming with your team on a new project. Someone suggests an idea that you’re not entirely sold on, but instead of shutting it down, you say “yes, and…” to build up from the bad idea. By doing this, you’re able to turn a mediocre idea into something great that the entire team can get behind. And that person doesn’t feel personally shamed or attacked.

Still tracking?

Yes, and…

When we surround ourselves with successful, positive people who embody the “yes, and…” mentality, we create an environment that encourages growth, inspiration, and innovation. Being around people who are always open to new ideas and who embrace challenges can help us adopt a similar mindset and push ourselves to achieve our goals. On the other hand, when we surround ourselves with negative people who shut down our ideas and discourage us, we create a toxic environment that can hinder our progress and stifle our potential. Take note of how these people and their responses affect you… it’s draining!

Instead, seek out people who are enthusiastic, supportive, and excited about your crazy ideas, and who are always looking for ways to grow and improve.

Does that make sense?

Yes, and…” -Jesse Itzler

“The spiritual gift of discernment shows how seemingly good things can be recognized as sometimes bad things, and seemingly bad things can also be seen to bear some good fruit. Darn it! This kind of discernment invites people into yes/and thinking, rather than simplistic either/or thinking. This is the difference between merely having correct information and the true spiritual gift of wisdom. Once we have learned to discern the real and disguised nature of both good and evil, we recognize that everything is broken and fallen, weak and poor—while still being the dwelling place of God: you and me, our countries, our children, our marriages, and even our churches, mosques, and synagogues. That is not a put-down of anybody or anything, but actually creates the freedom to love imperfect things.” -Richard Rohr

Everywhere you can, substitute “Either, Or” thinking with “Yes, And…”thinking.

See how much your art, your relationships and your entire life will change.

I’ve always said the best training I’ve ever had as an actor was improvisation. (Regardless if you’re in the arts or not, everyone should take an improv class. It’s a lot of fun!) It forces you to drop your ego, your fears, your pre-conceived ideas, whatever’s in your head, etc…and instead, be present, listen to the other person, and go with whatever just happened.

If you don’t, the scene will die.

If you do, the scene can soar.

P.S. – The long quote above was taken from Jesse Itzler’s Free Swim weekly newsletter. Some great personal stories and gems in there. You can check it out Here.

“Instead of asking, ‘what do I feel like doing?’, substitute ‘what is my purpose now?’ -Patricia Ryan Madson

“What’s the ONE Thing I can do, such that by doing it, everything else will be easier or unnecessary?” -Gary Keller

“We can easily do two things at the same time…What we can’t do is concentrate on two things at the same time. When I talk about being present, I’m not talking about doing only one thing at a time. I’m talking about being focused on one thing at a time. Multitasking itself is not the enemy of Essentialism; pretending we can ‘multi focus’ is.” -Greg McKeown, book Essentialism

“Suppose you are drinking a cup of tea. When you hold your cup, you may like to breathe in, to bring your mind back to your body, and you become fully present. And when you are truly there, something else is also there–life represented by the cup of tea. In that moment, you are real, and the cup of tea is real. You are not lost in the past, the future, in your projects, in your worries. You are free from all of these afflictions. And in that state of being free, you enjoy your tea. That is the moment of happiness, and of peace.” -Thich Nhat Hanh

How do you win the minute, the hour, the day?

You continuously ask yourself and then FOCUS like a laser beam on…

What’s

Important

Now.