Fridays From the Studio: Practice is Every Day.
A lesson in leadership.
Welcome to Fridays from the Studio, a weekly format from A PASSION THING creative studio. We’re here to unfold strong narratives for brands through strategy, design, and communication. And we’re here to share our knowledge, experience, and observations with you.
More than 20 years ago, I read Twyla Tharp’s The Creative Habit — a book about her way of developing choreography, offering tools and processes to break down creative work. I enjoyed it and forgot about it.
Recently, I stumbled upon an episode of The Huberman Lab podcast hosting Twyla Tharp. Listening to a woman aged 84 talk about her morning routine — in the gym from 5 to 7, every day — and the many things she has collected over the span of her life impressed me deeply. Her clarity is the kind that has no time for pleasantries. Not impolite, but unambiguous. Some of her quotes stayed with me. I wrote them down. They’re worth keeping.
In April, I went to see Visionary Dances at the Vienna State Opera. A triptych of three pieces, each by a different choreographer. The last of the three was choreographed by Twyla Tharp. It was the most demanding piece of the evening — for the dancers and for the audience. Modern, precise, uncompromising. All of this reflected in the costumes, the choice of music (Philip Glass), the set design, and the movements the dancers were asked to perform. For the triptych of that night, it meant ending on a high note — and an audience exploding in applause.
Twyla Tharp’s personality is formed by a life of challenging herself. Weekends don’t exist. She works every day. Eating is a necessity, but nothing to spend hours on. She says about herself that she was not the best dancer, but had the best technique, which naturally led to teaching. Later in life, when she realized her speed and agility were declining, she picked up boxing. And when resistance training was recommended to stay strong and safe, she went all in herself — lifting in the gym with the heavy guys.
In her piece, she asked a great deal from the artists. For me, this is an honest approach to leadership. Leading from the front means knowing you can only ask for what you’re willing to invest in yourself.
We had our yearly conversations with our team members recently — a good moment to reflect on what leadership actually means. Watching Twyla Tharp’s piece being performed was nothing short of the result of a life lived with intention. How she carries herself. How she leads with clarity. How decades of small and large decisions have shaped the work she makes and the standard she holds.
There lies an important lesson in all of this: Practice is every day. Life is a practice. And the way I live my life — the decisions I make, small ones and big ones — determines who I become. The way I carry myself is the root of how I will show up at the studio, at client meetings, and for family and friends.