Artist Motivation with Ira Cross

Quitting is easy. You just decide, “I don’t want to do this anymore”. Then you don’t. What’s even harder for me is living with the fact that I quit.I will admit that quitting while you’re ahead in some things is not the same as quitting. If you are in a difficult relationship (difficult because everything you’ve tried isn’t working), that’s different than just quitting a relationship because things got hard. Quitting something because you realize the effort you’re putting in is not being valued makes a lot of sense.However, that’s not what I see in this quote. What I see in this quote is quitting on a dream. I’m sure if you’re reading or listening to this you’ve seen the image of two miners digging for treasure. One realizes that the other has found a diamond and then quits because he thinks there’s no more. He doesn’t realize that he was one or two pick axe swings from more treasure himself!Don’t quit on what you are dreaming of. Make those dreams a reality by being too stubborn to give up on them. Seth Rogen once said, “If you don’t quit, you might make it. If you do quit, you definitely won’t.”If you never stop, you always have room to improve. You always have another chance at it.Quitting happens once, but growth happens every day as long as you work for it. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit iraterrycross.substack.com/subscribe

“Fear can be a passenger, but never let it drive.”I’ve been focused on some other things, but I’m back to motivation! It’s been a good start to my year, not a perfect one, but overall good. I hope the same for everyone else. My hope is that you have stayed true to your goals.Back to our quote!Fear is important.Rational thinking is more important.Fear is a response to potential danger, but should never drive your decisions. Fear is important because it warns us that something new or different is occurring. Something outside the norm is happening and we should be aware. That’s helpful if food being offered to you that you may be allergic to or a strange person approaches you in a menacing way. When you are doing something you haven’t done before you’ll have cautionary signals sent to your brain. That makes sense.However, in situations that can offer growth or just a new experience, fear isn’t helpful. It can be downright harmful.Feel the fear and do it anyway.If you have never ran a 5k, you’ll feel fear or some sense of apprehension. Feel the fear and do it anyway.If you have never done an open mic as a comedian, you’ll feel fear or some sense of apprehension. Feel the fear and do it anyway.If you’ve never done an audition for a big budget movie, you’ll feel fear or some sense of apprehension. Feel the fear and do it anyway.If you have never confronted your family about the way they treat you or others, you’ll feel fear or some sense of apprehension. Feel the fear and do it anyway.Fear is important.Rational thinking is more important. And even more important is giving yourself the chance to lean into new and great things. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit iraterrycross.substack.com/subscribe

“Motivation is great, consistency is better.”Happy New Year! It’s that time of the year when everyone is making resolutions they know they’re going to break. It’s that time of year when people write and talk about how you can make sure you don’t. This is the time when so many people are motivated! Make sure you keep going as it gets harder to stay motivated. Don’t stop until you get there.I have to be honest with you, I despise New Year’s resolutions. I’m firmly against them. However, I love setting goals. So this is all about goals and sticking to them. I hope that you’re motivated this year! Motivation is good, but not the best for accomplishing things. For any accomplishment you need consistency. When motivation wears off, and it will, consistency should take its place. When it doesn’t, that’s when people fail at their goals. Keep going when it sucks, especially when it sucks. That time when the motivation is gone and you have to rely on discipline and consistency is when things really start to sink in. That’s when the skills start to actually become part of you. That’s the part most people don’t get past.If you don’t hit your goals in the time you set, adjust for the next time period. I really feel like there are a lot of people that don’t hit their goals and give up on them. Let me give you some game, your goals are accomplished on your time. You make the rules in your life. The people that are successful don’t have some magic secret. They just don’t quit.Create goals rather than resolutions. Working through the pain of consistency after motivation wears off is worth it. Don’t stop until you achieve your goals. Even if it takes you a little more time than expected. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit iraterrycross.substack.com/subscribe

“All it takes for something extraordinary to happen is one person with enthusiasm.” – Richard CoraineEnthusiasm is often dismissed or even discouraged. People are afraid to take risks. People are afraid of embarrassment. Being embarrassed or wanting to be celebrated is focusing on things outside of your control and ultimately a fruitless venture.We live in a society where passion and enthusiasm sometimes come across to people as “cringe”. I sincerely believe this is because people are afraid to take risks. Taking a risk means there’s a chance you might fail. The focus is heavily on failure and not the chance to do something great.Something I’ve heard in so many iterations is if you knew you couldn’t fail, what would you do? I’d like to offer two of my own versions of that to help those that can’t get by the “cringe”. The first one: if you knew you wouldn’t be embarrassed, what would you do? The second: if you knew you would be celebrated, what would you do?Both of these are much better than focusing on what could go wrong. However, they should not be the end. There should be no end in working toward what you are passionate about. You should consistently move toward working with the energy of someone that knows they can’t fail.Only working with the mindset of thinking you’ll be celebrated or not embarrassed is putting your fate into someone else’s hand, giving up control. Working with the mindset of someone that knows they can’t fail is freedom.As an artist, I firmly believe that you cannot afford to be embarrassed. YOu have to be willing to put your work and yourself out there for others to see. They will judge and they will praise, neither of which is in your control. That’s scary, but what is scary to others is your true enthusiasm for your work. People are afraid of that because they are afraid of what they would feel if they did what you do. They are afraid of falling on their faces if they step out of a ledge and risk it all the way you do. They project their insecurities and fears onto you in the form of critiques and disrespect and cautions.Take some advice from Bruce Lee:“Absorb what is useful, discard what is not, add what is uniquely your own.” This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit iraterrycross.substack.com/subscribe

“You can only believe in what you don’t know.”The following is my first essay written about the quote from last week. I understood it as “you don’t know what you don’t know”. I’m never one to waste much intentionally, so I felt like it was a great idea to keep the following and share it!Expand your understanding of the world. Expand your understanding of the environment you are in. Expand your understanding of your relationships. Expand your understanding of yourself.All of this takes time and effort and it will pay off. If you take the time to understand yourself everything else will be much more believable to you. You’ll have the ability to live much more at peace with what is around you. That doesn’t mean everything is perfect and great, but your ability to deal with what is happening will be much improved.Understanding your relationships will give you the opportunity to see how you relate to others and how others relate to you. Literally what the word relationship is rooted in. The more you know about others, the more you can know about yourself.Understanding your environment gives you the power to know what is around you and how it affects you and those in which you share an environment with. If where you live has a major disaster, you can make some educated guesses based on what you know about where you are. If where you live there is a new restaurant built that everyone loves, you know that the community will be more pleasant for a time. However, you have to know your environment to see this.Understanding the world is a large task. No one understands the world completely and no one ever will. However, taking the time to understand the world will only benefit your environment, your relationships, and yourself. All of it is connected and it makes sense that it is.Taking time to learn and grow will only help you and the world you live in. Selfishly, I want you to go learn more about all of the things I’ve mentioned because when you do you’ll make the world better for me too! This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit iraterrycross.substack.com/subscribe

“You can only believe in what you don’t know.”I’m sure you read that wrong the first time the same way I did. Or maybe it was just me.I first read that quote understanding it as “you can only believe in what you know”. Therefore thinking you have to know something in order to believe it. Therefore, you have to go forth and learn.After reading it again (and after writing a whole essay on it that I’ll release next week) I realize it is addressing the difference between belief and knowledge.If I believe something, it might be true. If I know something, it’s unshakeably true.A clearer way of understanding this is the following list of things people believe in:* Santa Claus* The Tooth Fairy* Stepping on a crack and breaking your mama’s back* Eating carrots gives you super vision* ReligionAll of these things have one thing in common no matter how you feel about them: we don’t have indisputable proof they are 100% for everyone. Some people will say there is plenty of proof for any and all of them. Some people will disagree with some or all of them. Meanwhile, I still eat carrots like a mad man and refuse to step on the spaces in a sidewalk to save the woman that gave birth to me from more pain that she’s already experiencing.Here are some things that people can’t argue and are therefore things we know:* 2+2=4* Open things are not closed.* You are listening to me speak or reading words I wrote* Humans need to eat food and drink water to live* We live on planet Earth* Everyone who is alive will sadly die somedaySee what I mean? I’d love to hear someone argue how any of those things are not true.So back to our quote. Believing in what you don’t know means, you have no certainty in it. If you know something, you cannot believe it.Please don’t misunderstand what I’m saying. I’m not saying that believing in something is, in any way, negative. What I’m doing is helping you understand what belief is not. It is not a truth. However, belief is still very powerful. Having a belief in something means that you have a sense of delusion. Yes, I said it. You have to have a sense of delusion to believe something.You have to be delusional to think you can be the best basketball player in the world. You have to be delusional to think that you can win an Oscar. You have to be delusional to think you can win an election. You have to be delusional to think that you can start a business. You have to be delusional to think you can lose that weight you took years to gain. You have to be delusional to think that the words you write and say will be heard and appreciated by people. Delusion and belief go hand in hand.Without delusion, we wouldn’t have most of what makes this world great. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit iraterrycross.substack.com/subscribe

“Act like you already have the part for an audition, and you’re just there for a rehearsal.”My mom has told me my entire life, “If you want it, claim it.” When I would go out for sports, she would say this. When I would have anxiety about a test, she would say this. When I was applying to colleges, she would say this. This mantra is one of the many reasons I have confidence in myself.As actors, we have to audition. Many actors view auditions as a source of stress. They forget that when they audition they own the room. It doesn’t matter if it’s in person or a self recorded tape. When the audition starts, that is your space. Don’t treat it like you’re working to get it. Treat it like it’s practice, because it is! If you get the part, it’s practice for what’s to come. If you don’t, it was practice for acting in general.For those that are not actors, apply this to your life by looking at every opportunity as a chance to do what you love. Take every opportunity to do what will improve your life. You don’t have time to work out? Park a little further away at the grocery store. You want to be a writer, but don’t have time? Treat every instagram, twitter, and facebook post like a short excerpt for your writing. The point is you feel like you don’t have the time or the opportunity, but you do. You are just looking at it from a perspective that doesn’t allow you to see the opportunity. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit iraterrycross.substack.com/subscribe

​​“Action creates momentum.”Move.Create.Make something!A blank canvas or a blank document screen is only scary because you don’t see the potential in it yet. When I was still teaching elementary school there was an art teacher that told students to just put a mark on their paper. Get started. If you feel like the line is a mistake, you can get a new sheet of paper and start again with your new idea.But did you catch that?The students already had an idea of how to start with the new paper! That’s the momentum. The action was what many would consider a mistake. It’s not a mistake. It’s action. It’s the snowball that starts out small enough to fit into your hand before you roll it down the hill.What this looks like for us outside of art class is taking it one day at a time, one hour at a time, one minute at a time. The first step is always the hardest, but once you take it you can focus on the next one and so on.How can you create your own momentum? What “mistakes” can you make to get your ball rolling? This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit iraterrycross.substack.com/subscribe

“Creativity is not a talent, it’s a way of operating.” – John CleeseMost things in this world that can be learned and/or practiced. Creativity is one of those things. People often have the misconception that being creative is inherent. The truth is, some people come to it easily, but everyone has the ability to harness it.In my own life, I make time daily to sit and work on something creative. This substack and podcast are one of those things. I may not write or record every day, but I spend time cultivating ideas, finding quotes to share, and editing these words you’re reading and hearing.With acting, I take time to practice a monologue, read scripts, and do auditions. I watch interviews from actors, filmmakers, and anyone else in the industry that is giving insight. I intentionally go to the movie theater to watch a movie so my focus is completely on screen. I watch cartoons in languages I don’t know well so I can practice identifying emotions in characters.I do all of these things to keep my creative “muscles” active. I don’t wait for inspiration to hit me, I don’t even go find it. I make sure I’m doing things so that inspiration joins me on my journey.I think people hit a rut or have a dry spell when they continue doing the same things over and over expecting creativity to find them. They may also run into issues when they simply stop working.If you want to be creative, you have to do something. Hoping to be creative will keep you thinking that you aren’t creative. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit iraterrycross.substack.com/subscribe

Stop skipping the intro.What’s a show you’re watching right now? Not right this very second, but a show you’re actively engaged with before you go to sleep for the night. Whatever it is, I’m sure it has your attention for one reason or another. If it’s a seriously engaging show, I’m sure you can’t get enough and binge as many episodes as you can. I bet when one episode ends, you can’t click that next episode button fast enough. Then when the “skip intro” button pops up, you’re already hovering your finger over the button to move into the story!But why? Why do you skip the intro? Is it because you know the intro so well already? Is it because you feel as though the intro doesn’t add any value to the story? Do you feel like the intro is a useless addition to the show?If you’re an artist, you know that every detail you put into your work means something. You relish the opportunity to discuss all the small details you put in knowing that people will miss them. However, when people notice you can’t contain your excitement. Those that create the intro we skip with impatient button mashing are artists as well.Skipping the intro means you rush into the story. Think about it, if you skip the intro you don’t get to ease into the story. You miss out on the most predictable part of the show. Predictability isn’t always sought after, but if you know what’s going to happen, why not just enjoy the simplicity of it? If you watch the intro enough times, you’ll likely see something you didn’t notice the first time.There are times when the intro gives you a hint as to what may happen in the show or the series as a whole. I love seeing that! If it’s a crime show of some kind, every clue matters! If it’s a comedy, I’m wondering why the main character is flying and being chased by a space monster. The intro matters!In your life, how are you skipping the intro? Are you not giving any energy to your morning routine because it’s the same every time? When you drive to work or any familiar place do you go into mental autopilot? Driving on mental autopilot is terrifying if you think about it. You just show up to work having no idea how you got there, but I digress.My point is this, don’t skip the intro, don’t even skip to the next episode, because you’re missing out on details that really do deserve your attention! This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit iraterrycross.substack.com/subscribe

“Don’t let anyone or anything extinguish your enthusiasm.”The flame of your enthusiasm is absolutely necessary. Anyone that acts as an extinguisher to that enthusiasm is toxic. Remove them from your life if they don’t take the correction that you feel is necessary. People will show you who they are in a number of ways. People will show you who they are based on how they treat you. People will show you who they are based on how they support you. People will also show you who they are based on the limits they’ve created for themselves. I believe it was Jay-Z in an interview discussing this very thing. He talked about how people have such limiting views on what they’re capable of and they will sometimes involuntarily sometimes voluntarily put those same limits and inhibitions on you.Don’t. Let. Them!I get passionate when I talk about enthusiasm because I’m a very enthusiastic person. I’m passionate when I talk. I move my hands a lot. I move my body a lot. I get into what I’m sharing when I get excited about something. I also get excited and enthusiastic when I see other people share things that they’re excited about.As long as it’s not hurting somebodyI.Love.When.Others.Get hyped up!If somebody comes up to me and they’re excited about sharing their screenplay, I’m excited about their screenplay. If somebody comes up to me and they have a clothing line that they’re sharing and they’re passionate about, I’m excited about hearing about that clothing line. If somebody is excited about a new job offer, they just got, I’m excited about that new job offer for them. If I see somebody in the car by themselves jamming, singing, dancing, I’m excited to jam and sing, and dance with them. As a matter of fact, I’m probably gonna turn my music down so I can hear what they are jamming and listening to as well.I don’t know where our society started to go in this direction of shaming other people for being excited about anything. What I can say is I am firmly against that. I am 100% behind getting excited for people having passion and enthusiasm.I match people’s excitement or give them more. Anything less than that is inhumane. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit iraterrycross.substack.com/subscribe

“Laser not a flashlight.” - Mark KerrI had the chance to see the movie The Smashing Machine with Dwayne The Rock Johnson. Within the first 10 minutes of the movie this quote came about. I was sitting in the movie theater, literally by myself so I pulled my phone out and I wrote down this quote.For those who don’t know what the movie is about. It is highlighting a three year span of the life of Mark Kerr, a pioneer MMA fighter. At this point in the movie and in his life, Marc had not lost an MMA fight so he had a very high energy and supreme focus on winning. When Marc says I’m gonna be a laser not a flashlight, the journalist that he’s speaking with asks him to explain that further. Mark let him know how a laser’s energy is focused on one specific point. Whereas a flashlight has a broad focus, illuminating a larger area.Both of these light emitting objects have the ability to illuminate whatever they’re showing. However, the laser is used for things that the flashlight is not and vice versa. In your work as a creative there are times where you need to be the laser and there will be times where you need to be the flashlight.Be the laser when you need to get into your flow state. When you need to hone in on exactly what you’re doing at exactly that moment, that’s when you need to be the laser be the flashlight when you need to gather information, when you need to gain an understanding of something you don’t understand, when you need to be open to new and exciting things. Be the flashlight when you are going through a frustrating time or a dry spell.Marc was focused on being the laser because he needed to be the laser in that moment, right before a huge fight for him. In Marc‘s life now I’m making an assumption, but I would bet you he’s more focused on being the flashlight to take all the wonderful things in his life.Figuring out when you need to be the laser and when you need to be, the flashlight is simply living life. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit iraterrycross.substack.com/subscribe

“If you’re doing anything creative, empower other people in that creative process.”Sometimes all that is needed to empower others is to exist completely and unapologetically as yourself. Having a conversation with somebody that needs verbal validation is wonderful. However, sometimes you just need to be you and do your thing and people will notice.There are so many people in this world that serve as a positive example and don’t realize all of the people they are inspiring. When a little Black girl sees Mae Jemison, she knows that she can be a scientist too. When a person fighting addiction sees how Samuel L. Jackson not only beat addiction, but used it to catapult his career, they can see inspiration and hope. When a son sees his mother fighting through life to make a way for him, he knows there’s no struggle in his life that he can’t beat.Create with intention. Create knowing that people are watching and wanting you to succeed. Because when you succeed they see themselves succeeding. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit iraterrycross.substack.com/subscribe

“I am what I am and that’s all I am.” – PopeyePopeye is a character of grit, determination, and clean eating, even if it’s from a can. For those that may not know, Popeye is a cartoon sailor and the hero of his show. Popeye is always getting into fights, usually in defense of his love Olive Oyl. He often starts out getting beat up at the beginning of those fights. That is, until he gets out of a can of spinach and consumes it ultimately gaining superpowers. He is able to do inhuman things that only a cartoon character can do after eating an entire can of spinach in one swallow. I can honestly say I love spinach because of Popeye.Popeye’s body is oddly shaped. His forearms are bigger than his biceps. His face is constantly in a grimace. He dates a clumsy person that always gets herself into trouble. He eats spinach (and I sincerely don’t know what else.) He speaks with a lack of intelligence.With all of that, Popeye is still unapologetically himself. He knows who he is and owns it. He doesn’t care what others think.This quote also reminds me of an Eminem song, almost of the same wording. The Way I Am is a song about how Eminem refuses to change who he is even though so many other people pressure him to be different. In the song you hear him dealing with the frustration and the pressure to do more than he wants to and be like other people. He lashes out in the song saying “No” in a lot of amazing lyrics.What can you take from these two men? Be yourself. Be unapologetically you. Expect that others will want you to change and be what you want instead. If you aren’t sure who you are, that’s fine. Take the time to discover that person. Take no shame in going on this journey to find yourself. The journey will reveal who you are in your own time. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit iraterrycross.substack.com/subscribe

“You’re not going to get anywhere you didn’t work to be.”Stop doubting yourself. Stop doubting your abilities. Stop doubting your potential. Start.Start realizing you’re exactly where you’re supposed to be. That may mean that you still have a long journey, that’s alright. However, you need to stop telling yourself that you’re not where you’re supposed to be in a negative way. Lift yourself up. Look at the words that I’m saying as encouragement that comes from within you.I can’t convince you, no one can convince you to get up and do something great, amazing, or creative. All I’m doing is sharing words that resonate within you. I’m just sharing words that will get you to get up and go do something.You may not realize it, but you’ve put the work in to be where you are. You don’t need permission from other people to feel the acceptance of your current situation. Own the space you’re in. Imagine where you are in your life is a stage. If this is the beginning of your story or the first act, go into the rest of it knowing that you’re going to succeed, knowing that your story has a long way to go. You control it.If your story is in the third act or in some kind of struggle, hold your head high. Know that you’re exactly where you’re supposed to be because you worked for it. Continue to make your way through to get to your wonderful ending.Here’s the great thing about real life though, your wonderful ending is the beginning of even more great things to come for you.Do the work to get where you want to be and don’t let anyone, including yourself, tell you that you don’t belong. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit iraterrycross.substack.com/subscribe

“Artists are the people that tune into the future and bring it into the present.”I originally saw this quote and thought about so many bright and wonderful things! So many things that have been created that have brought joy to so many. I pictured in my mind the paintings from Archibald Motley. His works constantly show the motion and vibrancy of the Black community. I heard the swinging style of Duke Ellington. The poetic excellence of Langston Hughes. All of these artists and so many more come to mind.All of these artists and the artists of their time were doing their best to show the present in a beautiful light. Even when those moments were difficult. They weren’t always the best of circumstances and these artists didn’t shy away from that. They leaned into it without blinking. However, they also made sure to show the joy which then inspired more joy to come in later generations.But what about now? What are we getting from our artists now?I have been seeing a bit of both joy and despair.I think part of that is because we brought this current reality onto ourselves. We made movies, books, and TV shows about a time when society relied more on machines and AI than its own understanding. We saw a time when the government was less afraid of its people than it should be. Sadly, so many have not learned from this. They took it as only entertainment and not as a fable to learn from.If we want to bring a wonderful future into our present, we have to create it. The dope part is that we can! We have the ability to do so. We can make the future look how we want it to. We can write stories that tell of a future where we have the lives that we want. And not just the lives that we want, the lives that everyone can enjoy and feel content in. Lives that give everyone around them the ability to grow and thrive. You can literally create the life you want.For me, that’s encouraging and uplifting. For me that’s the spark to get me through all of this unwanted frustration and feeling of helplessness.If you want that sense of freedom back, go create! This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit iraterrycross.substack.com/subscribe

“Easier said than done. But only done with practice.” When I hear someone say “easier said than done", it frustrates me and annoys me because they feel that whatever that thing is, it is not possible or it is very difficult to the point of their own frustration. It makes me want to prove them wrong and frankly to stop talking to them.Someone saying easier said than done means that they see the limits of a task versus the accomplishment of the task.Of course, there are ways to hear this in a different tone. Someone can say, easier said than done, knowing that the task is going to be difficult, but still possible. In those situations, the person understands that the task may be difficult, but completely doable through effort, practice, and consistency.All of these things combined make any task that is seemingly insurmountable entirely possible. To those that have the mentality of looking at an entire task as so large that it’s difficult and daunting, I would say start with putting one foot in front of the other. Doing this consistently with effort will help make any task so much more easy to deal with and do. Tracking your progress from where you started is an amazing strategy. Tracking your progress toward a goal is absolutely necessary to accomplish anything.  This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit iraterrycross.substack.com/subscribe

2% is not a majority but still gets its say. I had a great conversation with my dad about 2%. My partner also was able to chime in, and it’s always great to have her influence on the things I write and share. 2% feels and seems like such a small amount. In retrospect, it is.But 2% is still part of 100%.In the conversation that I had with my dad and my partner, we were talking about how we are all very positive people, but negative thoughts do come to mind from time to time. We talked about how those negative thoughts are the 2% (and sometimes more).Sometimes 2% isn’t necessarily negative. It just goes against what normally would be. It’s always necessary to listen to the 2% and acknowledge it. However, it’s important to not allow the 2% to overrule the 98%.The 98% should always take into account what the 2% is saying, thinking, and feeling.It’s kind of like a board meeting. In a board meeting there are people having a conversation discussing different topics and there’s usually some kind of descent. That said, there's a discussion. During that discussion somebody might say something absolutely wild. Out of respect you hear them out and listen. However, you make sure that you remind them that what they’re saying is absolutely wild.Sometimes that wild thing actually could be a good idea. So this is when the 2% isn’t always negative, but is sometimes contrary to what everyone else and everything else is saying.When it comes to the creative process or just being a creative in general, you will hear that 2% sometimes louder than the 98%. In life sometimes that 2% will tell you that you can’t do something or that you should be doing something else that’s safer or easier. In life that 2% may be telling you to be a different type of person than you are. Maybe you’re a kind, loving, caring person, but that 2% is telling you to be vindictive and disrespectful and rude. In this conversation that I was having with my partner and my dad, my 2% was telling me to be vindictive and disrespectful and rude. I told my partner and my dad that I wanted to talk to them to remind me that I am who I am. I wanted them to help drown out the 2% with the 98%. I wanted them to be a combined 2% for me. Another interesting thought that goes with this 2% thought process is that 2% is also two cents when we discuss money and a dollar.So I guess this is just me giving my two cents. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit iraterrycross.substack.com/subscribe

“Will it make the boat go faster?”I need to admit something right out of the gate. I’m not an expert on boats. This is not advice on how to be better at boating. I’m speaking directly from a basic understanding of science and connecting that to everyday life in this analogy. That said, there are a few factors that affect a boat's speed. The boat engine, hull shape, and the weight of the boat. The more streamline the hull or body shape of the boat, the faster it has the ability to be. The heavier the boat, the lower it will sit in the water, meaning that it will need a more powerful engine to push it out of and on top of the water. The more powerful the engine, the faster the boat has the capability to go. However, not all boats have or require an engine. If you have a boat that has a huge engine, a super streamline body, and weighs next to nothing, it can still get beat by a racing yacht that is powered only by sails. You need to be strategic in what you put in and on your boat to make it faster. You have to know your boat and what potential types of water and weather you’re going to get it into. Just because you add an amazing engine doesn’t mean it’s the best tool to make your boat faster.Similar to real life, just because you add a new routine or a brand new workout bike or you get the new cool amazing shelf organizer doesn’t mean that it will be the best thing for you. You need to make sure that whatever tools you’re implementing actually help you to improve whatever it is you’re trying to improve.Too often that new routine gets broken after a few days. That new workout bike turns into a clothing rack. That shelf organizer doesn’t even get taken out of the package.There’s nothing wrong with implementing new things for yourself to improve. However, always have a plan for what you’re implementing. If you don’t have a plan, you can’t execute the plan. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit iraterrycross.substack.com/subscribe

​​"I am human, and nothing that is human is alien to me.”When we look at the wonders of the world, we often contemplate how humans could make such things with such simple tools. When we see athletes, elite athletes, competing at the highest level we are amazed at how they’re able to accomplish such amazing feats. When we see an artist's work that leaves us wondering how they could capture our imagination without ever meeting us, we are astonished. When we watch an actor, give performance and connect with us without ever, knowing us we are exhilarated, excited, and enthralledHuman beings can do amazing things. Literally awesome things and I mean awesome in the sense that it fills us with awe. However, the key part of everything I just said is that everyone doing those things is human.Therefore, if you are human, you also have the ability today to do any of those things. The difference between people doing ordinary, regular things is the EXTRA effort.Whether you want to call it cliché, corny, or cringe as people say nowadays, ordinary and extraordinary only have one thing that makes them different. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit iraterrycross.substack.com/subscribe

“You can’t use up creativity. The more you use, the more you have."  — Maya AngelouHaving a lack of creativity comes from a scarcity mindset. When you have a scarcity mindset, you feel as though there’s never enough. Feeling this way puts you in desperation mode. Working from desperation mode in any endeavor that you are a part of is inherently harmful. Scarcity creates unnecessary competition. It creates a competition that is destructive rather than constructive. Creativity really cannot thrive in a negatively competitive environment. Going back to the quote, the more you use your creativity, the more creativity that you will have. To add to that, the more you work with other creatives collaboratively, the more creativity that you will have.When you work on creativity, you find more reasons to create, and you find more reasons to express yourself.This Substack is reader-supported. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit iraterrycross.substack.com/subscribe

Going outside of the normal format for a moment. I’m frustrated. I get really tired of seeing Black people and specifically black men because that’s my experience, having to be portrayed as gangster or drug dealer or thug number two.I’m frustrated not just for myself, but for any person that is an actor that sees that you have to do certain horrible roles to then push yourself to the next level. And I don’t even mean, push yourself in terms of grow and make yourself better, what I mean is that it’s like there are certain roles that you have to do in order to get to the roles that you want to do. I think that is ridiculous. And saying it’s ridiculous is the nice way of putting it.If you feel the way that I feel about something in your life do. Not. Settle. If there is something that you feel like you should be doing, go do it. If you feel like you’re being given something that is beneath you or doesn’t tell your story accurately, don’t settle.That doesn’t mean that you don’t have to do the hard work or the grunt work. No, what I’m saying is if somebody is giving you scraps don’t take them. Scraps don’t feed you and taking scraps shows them that you’re willing to take more scraps. Work for what you deserve and go take it.This Substack is reader-supported. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit iraterrycross.substack.com/subscribe

“As an actor, your job is to connect the moments.”Capturing and holding onto people’s focus is. A. Skill.As an actor, I work on doing my best to keep the interest of those considered my audience for 10 seconds to then get to the next 10 seconds to then get to the next 10 seconds and so on. If I can connect those moments, I have created something wonderful and amazing and probably funny that will make you cry. That will give you all of these amazing feelings.That’s my job.One problem that I’ve seen in some creatives or in creatives that gets stuck is that their focused on too big of a picture all at once. Another quote that I really like is “eat the elephant one bite at a time”. Obviously, I’m not asking you to eat an elephant, that's ridiculous. But what we’re saying is elephants are humongous. So if we were to fictitiously, hypothetically eat an elephant we couldn’t do it all in one bite or even one sitting. The task at hand is too great.The best thing that you can do as a creative or even just a human is connect. Those. Moments. If you haven’t caught on yet, connecting the moments is about being present. As an actor being present, makes your performance authentic. As a human, being present creates connections between you and other people. Think about this for a moment, the people that you would say care about you the most are present with you in every moment that you can think of when you say that they’ve shown they care.Make sure you do the same thing for others and connect those moments so that you can connect with everyone you care for. Make sure you connect those moments so you can ensure you have a life that is filled with moments you’ve lived rather than moments that just happened.  This Substack is reader-supported. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit iraterrycross.substack.com/subscribe

​​“Perfectionism is the worst. But it is powerful.” Take the power away from it. 8Striving for excellence is not the same as being perfect. Many people have this notion that if you are striving for excellence and greatness, you have to be perfect. When it comes to creating something, perfection should never be the goal, the goals should be authenticity.If something that you create, work on, or develop is exactly how you want it then it is authentic, not perfect. Anything that is authentic is unique, is never perfect in anyone’s eyes and that is precisely the point. Flaws are often looked at as a negative, but flaws are powerful. They are powerful because they show that effort and compassion have been put forth.This Substack is reader-supported. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber.Feed the power in authenticity by embracing the flaws in your creations. Starve perfectionism.When you’re creating something you want it to be, it's very best. I’m not a parent, but I know that parents want the very best for their children. Sometimes the best thing that parents can do for their children is let them go and figure things out on their own. Parents will have to watch their children make mistakes, get hurt, and do things they as parents would not do. However, the parents that I would say are those exemplary examples realize that this is the only way that their child will truly be the best version of themselves. Those parents put all of the life lessons, and love into their child. After that, they release them, knowing that there is nothing more that they can do because they’ve done their best.How does this relate to anything you create? When you are creating something no matter what it is, you have to get to a point that you let it go into the world. The longer you hold onto it the longer it isn’t in the world. If you’re constantly nitpicking at it and working to make it “the best“ then it will never be finished, and it will never be able to give the expression that you intend for it to give.It is important to get your work and your creations out into the world. However, it is also important not to rush your work out into the world. There is a difference between rushing your work out into the world and working effectively to create something unique. Take the power away from perfectionism by focusing your energy on creating things that are authentic to you and who you are. This Substack is reader-supported. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit iraterrycross.substack.com/subscribe

“The time you spend during an audition, you have the part.” As actors, auditions can be a source of stress. We think, “I have to do my best to get this job!“ We think we aren’t working actors if we are not on set. However, if you are getting auditions and getting callbacks, then you ARE a working actor. I’ve heard this so many times, but I truly believe it’s true.When you have an audition, whether in person, a Zoom call, or a taped submission: This Substack is reader-supported. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber.You. Own. That. Room.So act like it! Act like you’re actually on set, because you are. Set is where you’re performing. It doesn’t mean that you have to have payment and make up artists and hair and wardrobe and contracts. If you need all of that, then your worth is tied to things outside of your control.When you focus on the audition as a performance, even if it’s just for you to see, then you realize how much of an actor you truly are. Don’t misunderstand, this doesn’t mean that you should dismiss the learning that can come with the audition process, far from it. However, you lose that learning opportunity when you focus on it as a job interview rather than a job task.How does this thinking apply to everyday people that are not actors?When you live with the expectation that you have to prove yourself to other people, then your worth is tied to how other people feel about you. It doesn’t matter what aspect of your life that comes to mind when these challenges arise. If your self worth is tied to other people and their opinions or thoughts of you, you hold yourself to a lower standard and in someone else’s control. I think that is absolutely preposterous.I may not know you, but what I do know is you are worth so much more than what other people think you are. What’s even more astounding is that most people don’t realize that those outside of their close knit circle aren’t even focused on them. What I mean by not even focused on you is that they’re so focused on themselves that they don’t have time or the capacity to look at you.Back to my actors for just a moment, you are not going to get the validation that you’re expecting from casting, agents, and others involved in the audition process most of the time. Even if you’re relatively new, you may understand this already. You’re not going to be able to guess what casting wants from you. So do what you think is best for whatever the role is. Your agents are typically busy and can’t always get you feedback on why you did or did not get a part. So move like the part was either meant for someone else if you didn’t get it or what you did was exactly what you were supposed to do because you got it.I want to conclude this by saying whatever space you step into whether you’re an actor doing an audition or you’re a person trying something for the first time, have the confidence that you’ve already accomplished what is needed.This Substack is reader-supported. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit iraterrycross.substack.com/subscribe

“Weak people confuse arrogance for confidence.”When I hear weak people in this quote, I don’t think of those that are physically weak. Therefore, confidence also doesn’t come from physical strength. However, if you build your physical strength, you can gain some confidence.People that are weak emotionally, mentally, or within their own maturity, will always see confidence in others as arrogance.This Substack is reader-supported. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber.Emotional weakness comes in the form of not being willing to understand others. Those that are emotionally weak, choose to be selfish. They are not good at regulating their emotions nor are they good at understanding the emotions of others.As an artist, you must be emotionally strong. You need to be able to connect to other people and their emotions to create something that they themselves can connect to. An artist that is not emotionally strong cannot truly create authentic art.Mental weakness comes from a lack of struggle and understanding struggle. If you don’t understand struggle and have not been through struggle, then you will not have the mental fortitude to work through a variety of challenges. Mental strength isn’t just intelligence. Mental strength is understanding not to give up on a problem.As an artist, you must be mentally strong. You will have moments where you have to fight through criticism from others as well as criticism from yourself. Being mentally strong also means you’re mentally flexible; you’re open to more than those that are not mentally strong. Open-mindedness is a strength.People that are not mature, cannot fully embrace those things that are around them and of course, don’t have the emotional or mental capacity to embrace all that that’s around them.As an artist, maturity is important. But that doesn’t mean that you lose the creativity of a child. The imagination that is necessary to be an artist is also so important and it comes from the immaturity that children may have. But don’t misconstrued that immaturity of children with the immaturity that an adult can have.Arrogance is a mixture of insecurity, low emotional intelligence, and mental weakness, all combined with adult immaturity.Confidence, however, is a combination of knowing one’s self, emotional intelligence, mental fortitude, and maturity.Arrogance is loud.Confidence let’s others speak for it.This Substack is reader-supported. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit iraterrycross.substack.com/subscribe

This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit iraterrycross.substack.com/subscribe

“Control what you can control.”Today is a tough day. As I write this I don’t feel very much in control of what is happening around me. I’m doing my best to focus on the positives, but I’m really struggling with it.When I have moments like this, I tell myself. Control what you can control.This Substack is reader-supported. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber.So what can I control? My attitude and my effort.What kind of attitude will I have? A positive one. I am constantly on the look out for what is going well or what can go well.How much effort will I give? As much as I can. That might be 100%. It also might be 10%. I’ll give as much as I have to give.Today, control what you can control.“Control what you can control.”This Substack is reader-supported. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit iraterrycross.substack.com/subscribe

“I would rather give my energy to my dream, not my nightmare.” – Will I AmI’ve witnessed people upset that they don’t have their dream job.I know that someone can’t just wiggle their nose and make that happen. (Yes, that was a Bewitched reference for those that know.)This Substack is reader-supported. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber.I also know there are some things that make things harder for some people than others.However, harder doesn’t mean impossible. Harder means you have to work for it. Harder means once you get it, it feels so much more gratifying.Focusing on the negativity will only bring negativity. Focusing on the positivity will bring positivity, even if it’s hard to see.The initial quote comes from Will I Am being told very early in his career by his mom to get a job. He responded this way because he felt he had a job, however, he wasn’t being paid for it yet.He knew he was in the nightmare, but was focused on the dream. His nightmare was that he had to do something else for money until he could make enough from his dream. Some people lose sight of this mentality. They allow the job they are doing distract them from their dream. They don’t work to make the dream a reality.Will I Am’s energy flowed toward what he felt was serving him the best. Other people didn’t need to see what he saw. He saw it and that was more than enough for him. Thanks to that mentality we have so many great things from him to enjoy (and not just his music).What do you need to do to tune out the negativity and see what others don’t?This Substack is reader-supported. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit iraterrycross.substack.com/subscribe

"My advice, don't waste so much time worrying about your skin or your weight. Develop what you do, what you put your hands on in the world." – Meryl StreepIs what you’re focused on helping you to grow in your craft or is it helping you LOOK like you’re growing in your craft?We live in a society that is driven by outward appearances and fake success.This Substack is reader-supported. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber.The biggest problem I see with that is that there’s no substance in that. There’s nothing of value to it. There’s nothing there to be proud of.I know this is nothing new being said, but the fact that I can say it and it’s still relevant says a lot about where we are.If more people focused on what they are doing, instead of how others perceived, we’d have a much better place.If more people focused on improving themselves, their skills, and their own lives without hurting others, we’d have a much better place.If more people realized that everyone else is so focused on what they are doing and not how you look, we’d have a much better place.If you focus on developing what you do and what you put your hands on in the world you inherently develop a desirable look and true success. It won’t be desirable in a sexy way, per se, but more in a magnetic way.People recognize when people are doing dope stuff and want to be around it.Go be dope and and inspire others to do the same!This Substack is reader-supported. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit iraterrycross.substack.com/subscribe

“Acting is all about honesty. If you can fake that, you've got it made.” - George BurnsOn I agree with this quote, but I also disagree with it.Acting is all about honesty. To be believable in your performance you have to be real in your performance.This Substack is reader-supported. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber.It has to come from somewhere that you as the actor, as the performer connect to some way.What I disagree with is that you can fake it. If you fake it, people can tell. In any of your art, if it doesn’t come from a genuine place, people won’t feel it. If people don’t feel it, it’s not art, it’s content.If you’re making art just to make it or just to make money, you’re not making art, you’re making content. Shoutout to a Father Bronques for that gem.Content isn’t art.Content is like the word the, an, or a.We need these words, but if a sentence was made of only these words, nothing is really being said.Content is like driving to a place you go so often that you don’t even notice the streets and buildings and other cars as you drive. You just arrive at your location.Of course you’re happy you got where you were going, but you didn’t even enjoy the trip.Think of when a kid is on a plane. They love to open the window to look out at the other planes on the tarmac. They love to see the plane start to roll away from the gate. They get so excited when the plane starts to speed up! And when that plane gets its wheels off the ground is like a weightless roller coaster. And it doesn’t end there! They’re so in awe of seeing the clouds and so many buildings, roads, and people so small down there!The reason they get so excited and the reason you were so into what you just read was because you were focused on the feelings.Content isn’t a journey. It’s informational at best and at worst it’s destructive.Art is felt. Art is transformative. Art is creative.This Substack is reader-supported. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit iraterrycross.substack.com/subscribe

“Sometimes your puzzle piece doesn’t fit for a reason.”Do you really wanna be like everyone else? And if you do why do you want to? What do you gain from being like everyone else?When I was a teacher, I used to start the year off telling my students they’re weird AND to be proud of it. If a kid tells you you’re weird at recess, smile, say thank you and keep it moving.This Substack is reader-supported. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber.That translates so well to being an artist.Someone says your work is too different, tell them thank you! You shouldn’t be trying to be like everyone else. That does nothing for the world. You shouldn’t be playing it small. Marianne Williamson said your light will give others persmission to shine their own. What will we lose if you decide to be like everyone else?If you are trying to be like others in your art, what’s the point? Show us something we haven’t seen. There is a difference in being inspired by others versus being just like them. Influences in your work are great!As an actor, we are often told to make a bold choice. Weird people make bold choices. And what do you gain from making a bold choice? You stand out. You stand out for being what only you can do. Even if you aren’t accepted, at least you are true to you! That is all an artist needs to make more great things. Not everyone needs to like your work, just those that like your work, need to like your work.Most importantly, be proud of your weird.Embarrassment in your craft will get you no where.Go Be a Weirdo!Sometimes your puzzle piece doesn’t fit for a reason.This Substack is reader-supported. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit iraterrycross.substack.com/subscribe

“Expectations aren’t a burden, they’re a privilege.” – Lebron JamesWhether you create the expectations for yourself or the expectations are placed upon you, they are there for a reason. Embrace them with open arms.This Substack is reader-supported. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber.I know that there are unfair expectations thrust upon people. But I don’t look at that as expectation. I look at that as a burden.Expectations in a positive sense get you uncomfortable in ways that challenge you to improve upon yourself and what you do. You should feel pushed or pulled in the right direction.A burden means that you are bogged down by something. It’s a heavy load, some sort of despair. It’s something you HAVE to do.A privilege on the other hand is something you get to do. You feel joy in doing it even if others may not. You feel grateful for the opportunity to do it, almost lucky. It lifts you and others up.What’s intriguing is that a privilege to some, could be a burden to others.Look towards your expectations as a privilege and you’ll always find something to be grateful for.This Substack is reader-supported. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit iraterrycross.substack.com/subscribe

"It is not the most brilliant who excel, but the most patient." – Martin ScorsesePatience is a virtue, but not in the moral sense. What I mean is in the sense that it is a very good thing. What this means is that patience has the ability to help you create great things. Don’t misunderstand, this doesn’t mean wait and stand by to do the work and create. It just means that you need to work through the process and not rush it. Step by step. Day by day.If you don’t see what you’re hoping to see in a creation, good! That only means you’re early in the process. It can be a daunting feeling to know you have more work to do and more time to put in. However, that time is always worth it when you focus on the process.This Substack is reader-supported. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber.Keep going and be patient with yourself and what you’re doing.Rushing TO create is great! Rushing through the process will only hurt it.Be patient. Work through those obstacles.You’ll see others accomplishing things and doing dope stuff. Applaud them. Don’t think they’re better. Don’t think you’re better.But refocus on your stuff and keep at it.Little things make big things happen.This Substack is reader-supported. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit iraterrycross.substack.com/subscribe

“If not you for you, then who for you?” – Rebekah Sherman-MynttiIf you want to see something different, go make it. Go do it.If you aren’t seeing what you think should be out there, go make it. Go do it.This Substack is reader-supported. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber.These things won’t be there if YOU don’t make them or do them.Everything you see and feel around you was once an idea of another person.If you want something for you and the people around you, YOU have to put it out there.If you just expect other people to do it, believe wholeheartedly that they won’t.Creating an expectation that others will do things you feel are necessary is what creates resentment.To me, that’s like searching for the negative.And y’all know I don’t roll like that.Create what you want for you, therefore creating your own positivity.This Substack is reader-supported. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit iraterrycross.substack.com/subscribe

“Enjoy the plateau while you’re on it.”Life has its ups and downs. So does your art.There are also plateaus.We often look at these moments as a negative.But they aren’t.You never think of a plateau as a negative thing when it happens on the way from a “down”.Plateaus in your art are actually neutral points. They are there for resting.A reset.A pause.You may need to let the dust settle.When people say they need a vacation, it’s because they feel like they need to stop and reset.After that vacation they feel refreshed and energized for the next thing.That’s how you should feel during a plateau. It’s a rest mode that allows you to launch in the next thing when you're done with your plateau. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit iraterrycross.substack.com/subscribe

“Quantity creates quality.”In order to create, you have to create.Sounds simple but I swear so many people make it complicated.There’s a story I heard about two people creating.They were both told to create the dopest most amazing clay pot they could make in one week.One person was told to create only one pot.The other was told they could make as many as they wanted to.Who made the best pot?You might think it’s the person that only made one, but we find out that the person that could make as many as they want had the highest quality pot.This is because they gained experience over that week. They took the time to figure out so many ways to NOT make a wonderful pot.Meanwhile the other person only made one. So their experience is limited to just that ONE pot.Go create! Go do it as much as possible. Don’t limit yourself to making one pot. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit iraterrycross.substack.com/subscribe

“Work-life balance is a term society uses to control people who don't know what they want.”When you don’t know what you want but you still need to earn a living, it’s hard to be passionate about your work.As an artist, everything we do is related to our work.I’m not expecting someone that works an office job to be passionate about making sure Stan from accounting gets the necessary paperwork by 2:30pm.I am expecting an artist to be passionate about their work.As an artist, inspiration should strike you while you’re working.So if you feel like stopping at 5pm but you get an amazing idea or you just start “feeling it” right at that time, you’re doing a disservice to yourself, your art, and anyone that would consume it if you stop.When you know what you want, you don’t need to worry about the balance of it consuming your life in a negative way.You just go after it. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit iraterrycross.substack.com/subscribe

“If you want to invent the lightbulb, you can’t try to make a different candle.”You’re doing the same thing as everyone else.You’re following the trend videos, instead of making that video you think is weird but you.You’re auditioning without making any bold choices to set you apart.You keep doing the same things from before thinking it will be different because it’s a different time.Now don’t get me wrong, there’s a time for repetition, but that’s not the same as following a trend or uniformity.If you want to do something totally different, you have to do something totally different.You will meet frustrations and people telling you that you can’t do it.Or that you can’t do it the way you’re trying to do it.Do it anyway.For Understanding Communicate Knowledge This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit iraterrycross.substack.com/subscribe

“We’re all going to die someday. But not right away.”Something I’ve heard is that everyone has a birth date and death date.What’s important is the dash between.What are you doing between those two dates?I know I personally don’t want to live a life where I have any regrets.I want to live a life knowing I put everything I could into being me and sharing it with the world.George Bernard Shaw said, “I want to be thoroughly used up when I die…”And I couldn’t agree more.As an athlete, I learned the mentality of leaving it all on the field.No matter the outcome of the game, there’s nothing I would change because I did my best and gave it my all.Do the same with whatever you create.One of my favorite quotes from the movie Starship Troopers is“Warm it up, everything you've got. C'mon you apes, you wanna live forever?“ This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit iraterrycross.substack.com/subscribe

“You can’t be conservative and consider yourself an artist.”Being an artist is constantly moving forward.You can’t think small or make gentle decisions about what you do.Even when things you do seem small, they aren’t.Being an artist is an exclamation.You are creating.Creating in and of itself is an act of progress.Making something for the benefit of others.You can’t create something and consider yourself to be conservative.You can’t be positively imaginative and consider yourself to be conservative.If you consider yourself an artist, you are one that moves against what is considered normal or the status quo.You think differently and therefore move differently. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit iraterrycross.substack.com/subscribe

“Why are you already telling yourself that something that you haven't even created might not be good?”When you do this, you’re telling yourself no before you get started.Let them tell you no.And then go do your own thing.If you’re auditioning for a role,let them tell you this part isn’t right for you.If you’re writing a script,let them tell you it’s not relatable to others.If you’re starting a clothing brand,let them tell you no one will understand your style.If we as creatives waited for other people to give us permission, we would be waiting forever and never make anything. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit iraterrycross.substack.com/subscribe

This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit iraterrycross.substack.com/subscribe

“Humans don’t create. We find connections between things that others don’t see.”Inspiration comes from any and everywhere. Case in point, a lot of people may or may not know the musical artist Dido. She’s a singer from the UK and personally I know her but mostly from a song collaboration that she did with an American artist. Let's put a pin in that for a second and we’ll come back to it.The song Thank You may or may not be a song you know. However, if I started to play it for you, I strongly believe that you would recognize it within the first 30 seconds. Thank You is a song that Eminem’s huge hit Stan samples from directly. The songs share the same chorus. Eminem has said that he’s gotten inspiration from that song to write Stan. He viewed the song Thank You as the story of an obsessive fan. In contrast, if you listen to Dido’s original song, it’s actually a very sweet song. Why am I bringing up the connection between these two songs. Aside from the fact that I’m a pretty big Eminem fan, I want to acknowledge that inspiration in creativity can come from anywhere. Run to it. Search for it. It’s always there. We are all able to see creative things in this world, but those deemed creatives are just able to find it in places that others would typically gloss over. Think of anything you’ve ever made that started with you having a stroke of inspiration. It wasn’t random! This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit iraterrycross.substack.com/subscribe

“The role of the artist is to save some of the people some of the time.”If you make art for everyone you will fail.Not all art is meant for every person.There are people that think Picasso’s paintings are bad.There are people that feel like Beyoncé was better when she was with Destiny’s Child.Some people find Jim Carrey to be insufferable.There are people that think most photography all looks the same to them.Imagine if Maya Angelou wrote with the intention to save every single person.She wrote “I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings” for those that felt a very specific way.And those people continue to find it and connect to it.Your art is meant for those that it’s meant for.Sometimes you can choose exactly who those people are.But most times the art you create chooses for you.Let the art do its job. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit iraterrycross.substack.com/subscribe

“Perfection isn’t real. Perfectionism is a disguise for your fear of what people will think.”As an artist, you should never be striving for perfection.It’s not attainable. To be real, it isn’t appealing.“Faults” in things make them unique. If you were to go into a “cookie cutter” neighborhood, you’d get bored with the house design. Personally, I get lost easily in them because everything looks the same. Nothing stands out and it’s kind of creepy.Perfection feels a lot like uniformity.Things are made rare by their lack of “perfection”. When I was younger, I remember hearing about this albino alligator. I didn’t think much of it until I saw it. It was really cool to see. Usually an alligator is, of course, green and scaly looking. This one was white with pink eyes. It was wholly different from any alligator that I had ever seen. To this day I still remember it because it was so different.Speaking as an actor for a moment. We sometimes want that perfect take or that perfect audition.The perfect take can feel stale or devoid of the necessary emotion. It doesn’t stand out in any way. The perfect audition can look like the hundreds of other auditions being submitted.So in your audition, you might “accidentally” scratch your nose. Leave it in. Humans scratch their nose on occasion.If you’re writing a rough draft, you might misspell something or put the wrong punctuation. Maybe that actually highlights part of the story.If you’re painting, you might “accidentally” drop paint in the wrong spot. Maybe that’s inspiration for the next brush stroke.So why be perfect, when you can be you?Which is much better anyway. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit iraterrycross.substack.com/subscribe

“Sometimes the solution of the problem is better than the original idea.” – Tyler the CreatorWhen I was in college writing a paper sometimes I’d get so into writing that I’d forget to save.Yes there was a time before autosave.Wild. I know.But I would forget to save and then my paper would be gone forever.I had two options in this situation.Say screw it, I’m not writing it again.OrWrite it again.I always wrote it again.But I would always do my best to make it just like it was before. Or as close as I could.I can confidently say, it always came out better.Here’s how I know.I had just done it.So I had the experience to know what to do.I knew how it wanted the paper to feel when the reader read it. I knew how I wanted to start and end the paper. I knew how each section would feed into the next.And I knew how to make the whole thing better.That would never have happened if I only wrote it once.Too often as artists and as people in general, we find problems within our problems. Instead, I would encourage you to find solutions within your problems. This only happens if you stop looking for the negative. I’ve seen people going through the best of times. Things are going well and they are living up to their potential.However, they are waiting for something to go wrong. They are assuming the worst will happen simply because all is going well. They are so used to things going badly, that they assume the good times will end. That all good is followed by bad.I’m here to say that you will always find what you are looking for. So look for the positive. Even when the positive is already there. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit iraterrycross.substack.com/subscribe

“There’s no certainty only opportunity.”If everything was a sure thing, nothing would be worth the risk.Taking a risk means the thing you’re trying to do or create will be worth it in the end.And if you fail, you will have attempted something you’ve never done. With that, you will have created another opportunity. One of my favorite types of opportunities.A learning opportunity.This is where growth truly occurs, in “failure”. Failure is only ever final when you quit. So there’s never really any failure, only learning.Going for it and not getting there is just the best way to inch closer to it. If you attempted to go after a goal and only got 50% there, you know what 50% looks like and how it feels. Knowing that prepares you for the next attempt.One thing IS for certain, opportunities are always there. If you take the time and energy to look for opportunities, you’ll always find them. If you are always looking for an excuse as to why you don’t have any opportunities, you’ll never find them.You have to get up and go do the work to find them. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit iraterrycross.substack.com/subscribe

“The answer is no to every question you don’t ask.”Fear and rejection are definitely two strong things in our brains.However, fear isn’t real.Fear is the illusion of danger that works to keep us from moving confidently.Rejection actually isn’t even a bad thing. Rejection is just being told no.The ironic thing about that is that we often tell ourselves no before we even try.We often tell ourselves no before we ask the question to do something great.We are confronted with the potential that they’ll say no.What’s amazing about this concept is that there’s also the potential that they’ll say yes. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit iraterrycross.substack.com/subscribe

"Without commitment, you'll never start. Without consistency, you'll never finish."Starting is so very important to accomplishing any task. Without the first step there is no final one.The first step can be terrifying, but it is not without its rewards. The first step always leads to many more. What is just as important, if not more important, is consistency.I’ve found myself hyped up on motivation only to find myself fall short because of a lack of consistency.Consistency isn’t a “rah rah” hype event. Consistency is boring. That’s why most don’t have it. Consistency is shooting before practice and after practice. Consistency is getting up at the same time everyday. Consistency is going to sleep at the same time every day. Consistency is making art everyday even when you don’t think it’s good or you don’t feel like it. Consistency is what you see in the movie montage, but it takes longer than the thirty seconds you see.Consistency is boring, but it always leads to the “rah rah” moments.However, if you love what you do and are passionate about making dope things, consistency is more exciting than the “rah rah” moments. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit iraterrycross.substack.com/subscribe