De-do-do-do, de-da-da-da
Is all I want to say to you -song “De Do Do Do, De Da Da Da” by The Police
“Imperfect action is better than perfect inaction.” -Harry S. Truman
“The most effective way to do it, is to do it.” -Amelia Earhart
Do.
Do.
Do.
Action.
Action.
Action.
The more you do, the more you do.
When in doubt, do.
Do.
Do.
Do.
De-Do-Do-Do.
Is all I want to say to you.
P.S. – Speaking of Harry S. Truman…
“All we have to decide is what to do with the time that is given us.” ― Gandalf to Frodo in J.R.R. Tolkien’s novel, The Fellowship of the Ring
“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”
“…things do happen. Terrible things. The only thing any of us get to do is decide whether they happen to us or if, at least in part, they happen for us.” -Meg Mason, novel Sorrow And Bliss
“I was once a fortunate man but at some point fortune abandoned me…True good fortune is what you make for yourself. Good fortune: good character, good intentions and good actions.” -Marcus Aurelius, Meditations
You can wish this event didn’t happen.
But the fact of the matter remains, it did happen.
The question is, “Now what?”
The power comes from knowing you get to decide. To decide what this event means and what you’re gonna do about it.
(Frodo didn’t want to leave the Shire either. But he did.)
“Everybody has a plan until they get punched in the mouth.” -Mike Tyson
“Vulnerability is not winning or losing; it’s having the courage to show up and be seen when we have no control over the outcome. Vulnerability is not weakness; it’s our greatest measure of courage. People who wade into discomfort and vulnerability and tell the truth about their stories are the real badasses.” -Brene Brown
“Roger Ebert calls snarking ‘cultural vandalism.’ He’s right. Snark makes culture impossible, or rather, it makes the conditions that make culture possible impossible. Earnestness, honesty, vulnerability: These are the targets of snark. ‘Snark functions as a device to punish human spontaneity, eccentricity, nonconformity, and simple error. Everyone is being snarked into line,’ he wrote.”
— Ryan Holiday
“The most revolutionary act one can engage in is to tell the truth.” -Howard Zinn
Mama always told me not to look into the eyes of the sun
But mama, that’s where the fun is -song “Blinded By The Light” by Bruce Springsteen
vulnerable (adj.): c. 1600, from Late Latin vulnerabilis “wounding,” from Latin vulnerare “to wound, hurt, injure, maim,” from vulnus (genitive vulneris) “wound,” perhaps related to vellere “pluck, to tear”
Vulnerability sucks.
It’s hard. It’s scary. It’s not instinctual.
But it’s necessary for great art. And for great relationships.
We want to hide.
But we need to expose.
We want to run.
But we need to stick.
We want to bluff.
But we need to tell the truth.
Like a boxer who drops their hands and opens themselves to get punched.
Why would anyone in their right mind do that?
Because that’s where the magic happens. The best art comes from the painful and the personal.
Vulnerability sucks.
But choose it anyway.
Every day I get in the queue (Too much, Magic Bus)
To get on the bus that takes me to you (Too much, Magic Bus)
I’m so nervous, I just sit and smile (Too much, Magic Bus)
You house is only another mile (Too much, Magic Bus) -“Magic Bus”, song by The Who
“Strong ideas. Loosely held.” -John Gruber
Ideas are like buses. Don’t worry if you miss one. Cuz another one’s coming by in 15 minutes.
The talent is knowing and deciding which bus to get on.
And having the discipline to stay on, to execute, all the way to the destination.
(And sometimes, you’ll need the awareness to know you got on the wrong one. That’s okay. Hit the bell. Get off here. And find the next magic bus.)
I wish everybody knew
What’s so great about you…
This is the last time
This is the last time (The National, song “This Is The Last Time”)
“Deliberate practice requires working where challenges exceed skill.” -Angela Duckworth, book Grit
“When people are placed in positions slightly above what they expect, they are apt to excel.” -Richard Branson
“I can’t tell you the feeling I get when I plant a birch tree and I see it grow up and sprout leaves, I…I mean, I fill up with pride, I…But then again…It’s time for me to go. Maybe I’m just crazy. Good-bye.” -Astrov in Uncle Vanya by Anton Chekhov (Annie Baker adaptation)
When’s the last time you…
…had your mind blown; were gobsmacked by life’s beauty and stood in awe?
…changed your mind; changed your previously held convictions?
…dreamed big, really big, and then told someone your dream?
…learned a new skill?
…attempted to do something difficult; something that was slightly beyond your belief about your own capability?
…put yourself out there; took a risk, a real risk?
…desired something deeply and went after it with all your heart knowing that if you didn’t get it, you’d be heartbroken?
If it’s been a while or never, you’re in a rut. Time to explode out of it.
P.S. – This NYT article on the benefits of awe and wonder.
“The time is always right to do the right thing.” -Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.
If you know in your heart that what you’re doing is right, then rest assured that…
…it’s the right time.
…you’re in the right place.
…you have all the right skills.
…you know or will meet all the right people.
…the next step is the right one. So take it.
Go make it happen. Serve and love others. Make the world a little bit better. With your art. With your passion. With your hopes. With your dreams.
Right reasons. Right actions. Can’t lose.
“Every event has two handles – one by which it can be carried, and one by which it can’t. If your brother does you wrong, don’t grab it by his wronging, because this is the handle incapable of lifting it. Instead, use the other – that he is your brother, that you were raised together, and then you will have hold of the handle that carries.” -Epictetus
When you face a setback on the road towards achieving your goal or manifesting your passion project, you can think “it just wasn’t meant to be.” You can give up. Quit. Do something else. (By the way, sometimes quitting is the right choice. See Seth Godin’s book The Dip and Annie Duke’s book Quit: The Power Of Knowing When To Walk Away for more on this.)
But more often than not, setbacks are just…setbacks. Nothing more. Nothing less. They’re information. Stuff that happens on the road towards doing anything. Don’t ascribe any more meaning on it it then you have to.
If you drive to the grocery store because you need groceries and then get a flat tire on the way, you don’t suddenly think, “I guess it wasn’t meant to be. I shouldn’t have needed groceries. I shouldn’t have gotten in my car and driven to the store.”
No.
Shit happens. Deal with it. Move on. And keep on, keepin’ on.
“Everybody has a plan until they get punched in the mouth.” -Mike Tyson
“Fall down seven times, get back up eight.” -Japanese proverb
(Thanks to Fr. Pete, aka “DJ McSwish” for inspiring this post)
Hopefully not literally, but definitely figuratively, you can expect life to punch you in the mouth. It’s not a matter of if, but when. (If you’ve lived on Planet Earth since March 2020, you know what I mean.) And it won’t just happen once. It will happen throughout your life. Big roundhouses and small jabs….Job loss. Family illness. Bad weather ruins your vacation. The dog ate your homework, etc.
So if you know a storm is coming, what can you do? Or better yet, how do you get back up?
Think of the below four words and corresponding acronym, B.O.R.A…
Breathe. Remember to breathe. Focus on the inhale. Focus on the exhale. Ground yourself. “Be here now” is a good mantra to repeat.
Observe. Look around. Notice your surroundings. Get outside. Observe nature. You’re alive. Be grateful. If for nothing else, that reason alone.
Remember. Remember the good and great times you’ve had. Times when you felt loved. Remind yourself that this too shall pass and better days lie ahead. Life is a flywheel constantly turning.
Act. Once you feel that you’re in a more positive emotional state, write down all the possible action steps you can take from here. When you’re ready, pick one and move forward.
Coincidentally, a Bora is a real thing. As defined by Merriam Webster, it’s “a strong, cold, dry northeast wind blowing in the upper Adriatic.”
Oh, and in the Urban Dictionary, a Bora is defined as “the truth. often known as a waker of dreams. ancient legend speaks of one who walks with insight and sees things for what they are.” Hmmm….
“I used to worry a great deal about the theatre, the arts, where it and they were going. There were panels and there were editorials and there were arguments, and I came to see that the worriers had created a career–a sinecure–for themselves.
Worrying and prognosticating, but never producing. So I stopped worrying and bleating and just showed up at the plays I cared about and wrote the plays that I could. That is really all we can do, anyway. Do what you do, and show up to support what others do. The rest is professional misery.”–Harold Pinter/Interview with James Grissom/From “Come Up A Man: The Hungers of Marlon Brando.”
“Where is theatre going?”
“Is this end of theatre?”
“Will people still want to go to the theatre?”
“Do people still care about theatre?”
“Is theatre just a smaller and smaller niche?”
“Will people still be going to theatre in fifty years?”
I have no idea. And nor do you. Nor should we care.
All that we should care enough to ask is “Do I love theatre?”.
If yes, do whatever you can do to love it back.
See plays.
Read plays.
Write plays.
Act in plays.
Direct plays.
Make plays.
P.S. – Hat tip to my friend Suse for the awesome Pinter quote above.
“The most frustrated actors I know are the ones who are waiting for someone to give them the gig. You must make the gig.” -Jason Alexander
If you’ve been a follower of this blog, you know a central theme of it is urging and inspiring you to make your own art. It’s one of my core values and the reason I started this blog and The Vs. Studio a few years ago. The mission: To help other artists find and manifest their passion projects. And to do so with excellence and generosity for themselves, their fellow artists and the audience they seek to serve.
If you’re willing to lean in and do the work and produce it yourself, you can create unbelievable experiences for yourself and others. Experiences and friendships that will last a lifetime. You can make miracles.
But don’t take my word for it. Listen to Jason Alexander tell you why it’s important to make the gig. (Hat tip to my friend Andy for sending.)
GO MAKE YOUR ART. IT’S THE WAY. THE ONLY WAY. THE CAVALRY ISN’T COMING. YOU ARE THE CAVALRY.
–
The Vs. Studio Blog