In my entire life I’ve only done one drawing that I’m anywhere near proud of. But that was enough to change the way I thought about “talent”… Forever. Everything else I’ve ever drawn or painted has been rubbish. I just assumed that I didn’t have the talent for it. When I was growing up I’d … Read more

When you’re creative, you want the iron rule of discipline at your back. We picture the great creatives as people who wandered around at their own whim. Working when they felt like it and frittering away the time doing god knows whatever else if they didn’t. Long periods of aimless drifting followed by manic periods … Read more

It’s amazing how a small shift in perspective can have huge consequences. Sometimes it can transform your thoughts, your feelings and your actions all at once. And those, in turn, have the power to transform your future – maybe even have an impact on a much wider scale. Here’s one of the most useful perspective … Read more

To produce great creative work, move at pace. Abandon any desire for quality and simply focus on churning out quantity instead. This holds true at every step of the way — the initial glimmer of an idea; a rough first draft; any edits and revisions; and even the final polishing. Of course, this is easy … Read more

No matter how impressive an achievement looks from the outside, it feels hollow if it came too easily. We value what we work to achieve. The satisfaction comes from a recognition that our effort was required. And that it has been well-spent. When you enjoy something that seems easy it’s usually a sign that you … Read more

A river valley doesn’t appear overnight. It’s formed through geological processes that take millions of years. And it goes through several distinct stages in this time. At the start, the river is at the mercy of the environment. It owes its very existence to quirks of geography.  The terrain is master of it’s motion and nature. … Read more

In his book, Outlive, Peter Attia avoids discussing the trendy “wonder drugs” that excited influencers are claiming can add years to your life. Instead, he focuses way more on identifying the bad things that are most likely to kill you — then thinking about simple, boring behaviours that can reduce these risks. This is not … Read more

Artists sometimes give us a much stronger sense of what an image is by showing clearly what it’s not. Rather than fill in the detail of what’s there, they focus on clearly delineating the spaces where there’s nothing. This concept of negative space wants to inform how all of us live. It can be hard … Read more

When you look at a painting… Or watch a film… Or listen to some music… Your attention is grabbed by what’s there. But your experience is shaped just as much by what’s not there. A master creator spends at least as much time deciding what to leave out as what to add in. Deliberately leaving … Read more

Forget inspiration. Forget technical skill. Throw all those things to one side for the moment. Sure, they’re important — but they’re also totally subservient to what really matters. The most powerful ingredient of your creativity is not something you’re born with. It’s a habit you develop… An identity you choose to adopt… You need to … Read more