In a culture built on speed, persona, and constant output, rising above the noise has become the central challenge of creative life. Over the past few weeks, across both of our campuses, we invited some of the most influential creative voices to speak as part of our latest talk series, (IN) FOCUS.
From Steven Pressfield (author of The War of Art), to Patti Smith & Steven Sebring and more, each conversation brought an artistic lens, cultural perspective and provocations to the our campus creator collective. Creative inputs to inspire creators on their journey.
Even with careers spanning disciplines and decades, the same truths kept surfacing .. endurance .. trust .. the pressure to perform .. ultimately the work, and doing it well.
Here is what we heard.
1) MAKE ENDURING WORK, NOT ONLY VISIBLE WORK
Patti Smith put this most plainly: “You can chase wealth and fame, or you can commit yourself to work that lasts.”
Her advice to the room was not nostalgic or abstract. It was practical. Focus on enduring work. Let the work matter more than the persona, the brand, or the ego built around it.
That lands with force right now, in a culture that often tells creatives to build the self first, build the mythology first, build the market first; and then worry about the work. Patti offered a different path, one rooted in devotion to the craft itself.
2) THE REAL SUPERPOWER IS SHOWING UP
Steven Pressfield gave the Venice campus a version of the same truth. Talent, in his view, is “bullsh*t.” Consistency is the real X factor of successful creatives. The real advantage is the ability to sit down and work, over and over again, whether you feel inspired or not.
Put plainly, his message is this: keep going. Keep practicing. Keep iterating.
Most people do not fail because they lack talent. They fail because they stop.
3) STOP CONFUSING VALIDATION WITH A PATH
Across this month’s (IN) FOCUS conversations, one pressure point kept returning. Prestige has become a weak substitute for strategy.
Independent filmmakers spoke directly about the need to move past the validation industrial complex, the belief that entry into Sundance, Cannes, or any other elite system is the only proof that a creative life is real or viable.
Platforms, distributors, and gatekeepers all have their place, but they are not foundations to build a lasting career on. They are borrowed ground. Brand deals can matter, but they can be fleeting. The stronger move is to build a direct relationship with your audience, a destination you own, and a model that does not collapse the moment an algorithm shifts, a sponsor disappears, or a festival jury moves on.
Validation is unstable. Ownership is scalable.
4) LET THE FORMAT SERVE THE IDEA
One of the sharpest notes to come out of these conversations was a rejection of format snobbery. Film, screenwriting, music, and live performance are not the only serious forms. Nor is a traditional rollout always the smartest one. Increasingly, the strongest creative work moves across formats, using whatever structure best carries the idea forward and meets the audience where they are.
That might mean a graphic novel that helps develop a television project. A podcast version of a TV show built with blind audiences in mind. A mobile-first strategy for a political story meant to reach fans where they already scroll.
In each case, accessibility and hybridity are not compromises. They are part of the method. The question is not which format looks most prestigious. It is which format lets the work travel furthest and land most honestly.
5) TRUST STILL SHAPES THE BEST WORK
This came through most clearly in the exchange between Patti Smith and Steven Sebring. Their collaboration is not built on novelty or distance. It is built on years of proximity, curiosity, reciprocity, and the kind of understanding that only comes with time.
Sebring spoke about capturing Patti with little more than a camera and trust. Patti, in turn, spoke about the details he notices, even the way her hands move when she is singing or speaking from the heart. It was a reminder that sustained attention can shape what a work becomes.
Great work is not always the product of instant access or endless exposure. Often, it grows through long collaboration, close seeing, and rooms where people can stay with one another long enough for something real to emerge. Find the people who sharpen your practice, and stay in relationship long enough to make something real together.
We are grateful to Patti Smith, Steven Sebring, Steven Pressfield, Elise Hu, Karen Chien, Jenny Stojkovic, Allison Yazdian, and Set Hernandez for joining us for (IN) FOCUS this March. There is more to come.
Find Your Place.
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