Start Your Own Artists' Colony

“Mobilize a group of people around a set of values and mission that drives the enterprise to new levels – to make ordinary people do extraordinary things. To give them the tools to build a great team.”

It's Easier Than It Sounds

Forming a meet-up group is easy but you want to make sure you cultivate an environment of like-mindedness, positivity, and support.  

Each member should be equally committed to the overall team objectives, and display a willingness to collaborate.  An ambivalent and uncompromising person can be toxic to the group’s dynamic.  

As a result, you may spend most of your time putting out fires rather than focusing on the important stuff.

A Few Simple Steps for Getting a Crew Together:

1. Ask people who you think will bring out your greatest potential and push you to be a better artist

2. Set a time and location and stick to it!

3. Make sure everyone is one the same page about the group's overall mission

4. Create a safe space where people can be vulnerable without being judged or ridiculed

5. Be consistent

5 Things I Learned from Volunteering

I've been fortunate enough to teach in South Africa, build a home in Haiti, and prepare meals for hungry kids in Nepal.   

The people I met from all my travels became a compass steering me towards a life of purpose. 

In the process, I redefined what was important to me and tried to live in accordance with my core values.  

Along the way I discovered five things that have served me to this day:

• There will always be someone in the world worse off then you.
• Where ever you go there will always be people who need help. 
• Your quality of service to others informs the quality of your life.
• The human condition is the universal link that binds us together.  
• The only true and indispensable currency is love.  

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   What You Can Do
    
    Find ways you can be of service to someone else. Remember, it doesn't have to be on a grand scale. 

Perhaps you can tutor for an hour a week, volunteer at a soup kitchen, or teach someone a skill that you already possess.

    When we lift each other up attainment of our goals become much more about impact rather than self-importance. Service to others gives integrity to our ambition.

    It's about BECOMING more rather than simply gaining more.

Vincent van Gogh and the Importance of Having Someone in Your Corner

The Man Behind the Brush

He is widely considered the greatest Dutch painter after Rembrandt. In just under 9 years he produced some 800 works of art. And in 2015, his painting L'Allée des Alyscamps sold for $66 million. 

But the man the world would come to know as Van Gogh was shunned from society for most of his life. He struggled with mental illness, had a strained relationship with his parents, and would die of a self-inflicted gun wound at the age of 37. 

What makes his story so remarkable was his ability to find ways to re-invent himself. He was absolutely determined to be of value to the world even if it didn't align with the vision others had for him.

Van Gogh's father was the son of a minister. And in 1877, the family sent Van Gogh to stay with a man named Johannes Stricker, a well-known theologian living in Amsterdam.

Van Gogh's goal was to attend the University of Amsterdam and study theology but he failed the exam and left Amsterdam just a year later.

He then failed yet another course at a Protestant missionary school situated just outside Brussels. 

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vincent_van_Gogh

Life looked quite bleak for Van Gogh. He'd exhausted the patience of his austere father, whom he often quarreled with. He had no promising prospects for work and perhaps more discouraging, no one seemed to be in his corner.

Except for one man.

Theo van Gogh

The special bond between Vincent and his brother Theo is well-documented. Theo is often credited with nudging Vincent to become an artist in the first place.

Not everyone is going to get what you're trying to do and that's okay.

The two wrote each other regularly and even lived together briefly in Paris. Their correspondence to one another is open, honest, and profoundly heartfelt. Vincent once wrote Theo saying:

"I don't really have any friends except for you, and when I'm ill you're always in my thoughts."

The relationship between the two is not only inspiring but a reminder you don't need droves of people to support your aspirations. No matter what you do there will never be universal consensus it's an endeavor worth pursuing. 

Not everyone is going to get what you're trying to do and that's okay.

It's not your job to be a molder of consensus or a seeker of validation but rather your responsibility to share you unique gifts with those who need them most.

But we all need someone in our corner. Once you find that person honor the relationship while being of value to them as well.

All you need is one.

The Key is to Keep Moving

What do you do when you're not feeling yourself but still have lots to do? 

Maybe the holidays have you singing the blues or there's been a setback in your personal life that makes striving towards your goals a herculean feat. 

We've all experienced times where everything just felt like a grind. So how do you work through your feelings while attending to your responsibilities?

It starts with being honest about where you're at. This requires taking some personal inventory and allowing yourself to be where you are. 

The next step is to write down a few things you can do for that day. It could be something as simple as taking a 10-minute walk around the block, or making your bed. 

The important thing is to just keep moving. Two things happen as a result:

1. You start to build momentum

2. It become progressively harder to ruminate on what's troubling you when you place your focus on a task

Next, be consistent in your actions. Keep going for that morning stroll and making that bed. You'll start to re-establish a routine and in time you can begin to add more complicated and pressing tasks. Start small and work your way up.

Finally, one of the best ways to get your mind off yourself is to do something for someone else. 

When I graduated from drama school I was in a complete daze. I was so focused on my own needs I got tired of hearing my own voice. The trivial things in my life started to masquerade as crisis.

But the minute I began volunteering I literally didn't have time to worry about myself. I felt a profound sense of meaning in helping someone navigate through their own obstacles, which gave me some much-needed perspective on my own.

The important thing is to take one small step a day and to not quit.

How to Move Forward When You're Feeling Discouraged

1. First, confront the reality of the situation. It takes courage to be brutally honest about what' troubling you. But it is only from this place that we can begin to maximize future opportunities. 

2. Develop a plan. When you know what the barriers are you can begin finding ways to get through, over, or around them. This requires a flexibility in your current approach and thinking, which are both attributes of an open-mind. When I conveyed my frustrations about the lack of roles and opportunities available to me as an actor, my friends suggested I write and create my own material. How can you honor the artist inside of you while facing adversity? Keep exploring with an open heart, bold mind, and devoid of self-judgment. 

3. Create a community.  Remember, you are not alone. You are part of a movement of people facing their own struggles within a highly competitive industry. Successful people know the importance of leaning on friends and family. Surrounding yourself with an army of individuals who love and support you is the most indispensable force imaginable. A strong personal foundation is crucial to lasting and meaningful achievements. 

4. Don’t quit. It’s tricky to talk about the importance of not quitting without falling into some type of cliché, or platitude. Still, it is perhaps the most important component of any type of success in life, especially amidst the great challenges you will undoubtedly face. If it's important enough to you, you'll find  a way to carry on. 

The Beautiful, Alluring, Imaginative, Unpredictable, and Whimsical World of Dominic

In the neighborhood that I grew up in I had everything a kid could possibly want.  The grade school I went to was a mile down the road.  Each weekend I would play soccer games coached by a family friend at a field a mere 5-minute walk away from our house.  

There was also a community pool and a field where all the neighborhood kids would gather in the summers for endless games of baseball.  

But without question, the best part of growing up was living 5 houses away from my best friend Dominic.

For 7 years each afternoon of my young life started with me running at full speed to the house at the bottom of the street. I would burst through the door that led to the kitchen, never once knocking, and would always be greeted by Dominic’s mom Patty.  She beamed as I entered with my spikey mousse filled hair. 

“Hi Nicky!  How are you?  I think Dom’s in his room,” she would say.

 Dominic’s family became my family.  I envied their loving dynamic, the fun they had together, and the freedom their parents gave each child to be who they were.  One of the things that I admired most was Dominic’s imagination.  He saw the world in a completely different way.  His take on life was always unique and imaginative, even for a kid. 

Little Miss Sunshine

His family would often invite me to their grandparents’ ranch in Paso Robles, a wonderland of horses, creeks, and endless hills.  It was about a 4-hour drive from Oakland in the family’s big blue van.  To a boy, a trip this long seemed like a voyage to the moon.  

Still, what made the time go by fast was listening to Dominic ask his dad the most imaginative questions.  “Dad, what would happen if you jumped off a 10,000 foot bridge without a parachute, but right before you were about to hit the water a giant pterodactyl swooped in and bumped you with his wing?  Could you survive? 

Or, what if you were falling in an elevator from the 200^th floor of a building in Nova Scotia and right before the elevator reached the basement you jumped up, but only using your left foot?  What would happen?” 

It took me a long time to appreciate the relationship between Dominic’s curiosity about the world and his love of books.  If I ever arrived at Dom’s house and he was buried in a book, I knew I’d have a better chance of parting the sea than prying the book from his hands.  He read like he breathed.  

Dominic's world was a place of questions, wonder, and possibilities unlocked by the pages of good books.  His passion for literature never ceased, enabling him to go to good schools, engage in important debates, and build his understanding of himself. 

How I Learned the Importance of Emotional Intelligence

During my last year of drama school my class was paid a visit by a gentleman asked to speak about the business of acting. I remember all 17 of us sitting at full attention, furiously jotting notes in an effort to soak up as much as we could on how to break into the fiercely competitive world of storytelling. And though I appreciated what the seasoned casting director had to say, there was a part of me that thought it all a bit silly.

For three years all I cared about was improving my craft as an actor. The notion of having to network or invest in business cards wasn’t even on my radar. My concerns rarely went beyond memorizing a Shakespeare sonnet or scrounging for rehearsal space. 

All I wanted to do was act, and if possible, get paid to do so. I figured talent and hard work were enough to thrive in this industry. I believed with the right focus and preparation I could simply will my way to the top.

But just two years after that workshop I found myself sitting on a park bench in a complete daze. I felt like I’d been sucker punched.

“We’ve decided to no longer represent you,” the voice on the other end said. “But good luck.”

If there’s anything I’ve learned in pursuing an extraordinarily difficult dream and now entrepreneurship, it’s that your “why” must be sound, your “how” flexible, and your sense of self-awareness heightened.

I later realized one of the reasons I’d been let go was because I had failed to cultivate a business mindset. Sitting by the phone for the perfect part to magically land in my lap apparently wasn’t enough. I needed to up my game.

Opportunity comes to those who mobilize

Much as changed since that spring afternoon. Today, I no longer wait for opportunities but mobilize to create them. I also understand the importance of diversifying one’s knowledge in their chosen field. I have learned to leverage my strengths while being a shrewd judge of my shortcomings. And in the process, I’ve even grown to appreciate those weaknesses.

In other words, my understanding of the value of emotional intelligence has liberated me while making the work more enjoyable.

You don’t have to be great at everything

The truth is you’re not going to be good at everything, and that’s okay. I once asked by an exasperated supervisor if I was “sent by the enemy,” when I failed yet again to grasp the system at the homeless shelter he ran. 

Being moved by rousing speeches and fascinated by the world of foreign policy didn’t mean I was cut out for politics, as I learned during an internship in my mid-30s. 

And you can bet the cost of a ballpark beer that I’ll never hit a baseball out of the Oakland Coliseum.

Today I’m okay with those realities, while just a few years ago any talk of limitations would have compelled me to work harder. I choose to focus on my strengths, while learning the skills needed to grow both personally and professionally. 

As a result, my efforts have become more deliberate and focused.

Today, it’s so tempting to believe our trajectories must be congruent with the ones getting all the headlines. Spend a few minutes on any social media platform and it’s nearly impossible to sidestep news of the next billion-dollar start-up or rocket launch, which seem designed to make you feel like you aren’t working hard enough.

But wanting to emulate someone’s journey because of the notoriety it draws isn’t enough. If there’s anything I’ve learned in pursuing an extraordinarily difficult dream and now entrepreneurship, it’s that your “why” must be sound, your “how” flexible, and your sense of self-awareness heightened.   

Unfortunately, it’s not hip to admit we’re not brilliant at everything. We’re led to believe failure should be avoided at all costs and that if we can’t be great at something it’s not worth pursuing. But the truth is there is profound courage in vulnerability. 

The ability to look within and assess how we can best make an impact requires a rare kind of honest introspection. And knowing ourselves helps us better understand how to leverage our gifts to create more value for others. The tricky part is trying to figure out just how to do that.

Failure is wisdom masquerading as discouragement

In an interview with Larry King, serial entrepreneur and speaker Gary Vaynerchuk was asked how one learns self-awareness. “I don’t know,” he said. “But I know it’s damn important.” So, if one can’t be taught how to best assess their strengths and take ownership of their weaknesses, what do we do?

In my experience, the key has been learning to fall in love with failure. What I learned in an industry where you’re told “No” virtually 99% of the time is that not getting what you want is not a testament to your self-worth or even your talent. It’s merely feedback; another tool to assess where you are and where you need to be.

If you can hone the ability to not take failure personally, it can work in your favor. First, it can be a stepping-stone to building resilience and in the process a singular type of character. One learns to not take exclusion as a character flaw, or worse, let it inhibit forward progress.

Second, massive failure can help clarify a new path you may have never considered or even realized you were equipped to take. My acting career might not have panned out exactly as planned, but being trained in the art of storytelling has supplied me with the tools to share my message through writing, speaking, and consulting. 

But I would have never made the shift if my thinking had been inflexible or if I hadn’t been attentive to my sense of self.  

Allow your curiosity to be constantly piqued, particularly when it comes to your self. And though it would take several lifetimes to simply scratch the surface of what makes us whole, it is still a noble and worthy pursuit. Recognizing our limitations is key, but through trial and error we may even discover that we’re not as limited as we thought, especially in arenas we have yet to consider. 

We all have something of value to contribute, and no matter how long it takes to find, it’s worth striving for.        

* This article was previously published on Goalcast.com on November 21, 2017

23 Ways to Express Gratitude this Thanksgiving

Happy Thanksgiving! Here are 23 ways to express gratitude:

1. Send a message to someone you haven't spoken to in a while and let them how much they mean to you.

2. Volunteer

3. Jot down 5 things you are grateful for in a journal each night before bed

4. Say, thank you. A LOT.

5. Focus on "being more" rather than simply "gaining more."

6. Help someone out without needing to be asked

7. Make an anonymous donation

8. Listen more than you speak

9. Take inventory of ways you can improve yourself

10. Serve others before yourself

11. Promote a cause you believe in

12. Take care of yourself so you can do the same for someone else

13. Recommend a great book

14. Give someone a compliment

15. Exercise patience

16. Call and wish someone a happy holiday

17. Take time to consider those who aren't as fortunate

18. Show kindness

19. Avoid waste

20. Avoid gossip

21. Be present

22. Given someone your undivided attention

23. Share laughter

And I'm extremely grateful to ALL OF YOU for supporting my daily message.

Much love,

Nick