a space to think together—on creativity, attention, and work that matters.
“If you show up every day and fill the box with something, you’re going to get all this stuff. Small efforts build into something big over time.”
—Austin Kleon
(Podcast: Art of the possible #9: Austin Kleon by Dave Gray)
You’ll find dozens of more inspiring advice and creative insights.
Watch the full podcast here.
Do you know that feeling of excitement when a new idea strikes?
Maybe you stumbled upon an inspiring post, came up with the perfect plot for a novel, or finally found your dream business idea.
It’s something that immediately feels right—and you just can’t wait to dive in.
Except… you don’t.
You carry it around for days.
Weeks.
Sometimes years.
And suddenly, the idea that once filled you with energy starts to haunt you.
Even worse—it begins to dictate your inner peace, your confidence, your life.
Guilt creeps in. Bitterness follows…
I’ve been there. Dozens of times.
And it taught me one thing:
The good news is: we can easily avoid that downfall.
All we have to do is bring the idea out of our heads.
So here’s a challenge:
Take two minutes.
Throw that idea on paper, and see if it swims or if it drowns.
Maybe the initial spark revives—maybe not.
If it does, consider coming back to it tomorrow.
If not? Good. Let it go and clear space for the one that will.
Either way, these two minutes aren’t wasted.
In fact, they might just be the best investment of your life.
Dare it.
Screen off.
Mind on.
Now.
Thanks for your valuable Attention.
See you tomorrow.
Sergio
…
…
…
Hey, you still here?
No worries.
Maybe this approach can give you the last push.
Imagine this:
What if you didn’t find the idea?
What if the idea found you?
What if that flash of enthusiasm is the universe‘s way of nudging you?
Perhaps it’s trying to tell that the time for that idea has come.
The only question is:
Are you the one who will bring it to life?
You might be okay with disappointing yourself.
But do you really want to disappoint the universe?
Do you suffer from Halitosis?
In the 1920s, Listerine faced a problem.
Originally invented in 1879 as a surgical antiseptic and later sold as a mouthwash, sales had stagnated at around $100,000 a year—respectable and established, but far from mass success.
That changed when Listerine launched one of the most influential ad campaigns in marketing history, which impacted not only sales but also society to this day.
“HALITOSIS makes you unpopular”
This is the headline of the ad that showed sad women and rejected men. The reason for their loneliness?
Halitosis—a fancy and medical-sounding word for bad breath.
The term has been used only in clinical contexts before, but the campaign turned it into a national anxiety.
The sales skyrocketed fortyfold within a few years, and the message was clear:
Use our product, or die alone.
Continue reading “The Faces of Emotional Selling”
“Earn on what you know, spend on what you don’t.”
—Naval Ravikant
When you feel stuck, it might be time to disappear.
To recalibrate and grow in the absence of resonance.
When the noise gets too loud, seek solitude.
Tune into the inner signals.
No need to explain.
Your run-up may look like a step back to others—and that’s okay.
Return only when you’re ready.
Take your time to dig. To explore.
When the time comes, share your findings.
Surprise yourself first.
Then come back and surprise us.
Determination:
[de- = “completely” + terminare = “to limit, end” (from terminus = “boundary, limit”)]
= “bringing something to an end”
Ideas end where determination stops.
Creativity isn’t about our ideas, the outcome, or any tangible result.
It’s about who we become along the way.
The joy of the creative act comes with a bill of commitment and initiative.
It asks us
to show up—even when inspiration fades and doubt creeps in.
To experiment in the unfamiliar.
To face our fears of failure.
To break through comfort zones and expectations.
To question our views and even our values.
To keep going—especially when distraction is tempting.
And push through resistance.
The result is like a trophy—just proof of our participation.
The real reward is meeting our most creative and courageous selves.
And the more we persist, the more we stand out.
“Discipline is doing what you hate to do, but doing it like you love it.”
—Mike Tyson
Creativity is not a destination—it’s a lifelong journey.
Dedicating our time and attention to the creative act is one of the most promising, fruitful, satisfying, and courageous investments we can make in ourselves.
Once unleashed, it multiplies infinitely—each realized idea holds seeds for the next, just like fruit.
The art and challenge is to cultivate it in our lives with patience and faith.
In 2011, I visited a design conference in Singapore.
Leading creatives and artists were sharing their works, stories, and wisdom.
At that time, I was working on my final thesis. It was also a time when I felt completely lost.
I couldn’t think of what to do after my studies.
Should I go back to my job as a fashion graphic designer?
Should I apply to an ad agency?
Apply to an ad agency?
No way felt right.
Continue reading “Do What you Love”
Create choices before you make choices.
Divergent thinking is the ability to generate as many different ideas, options, or solutions as possible from a single starting challenge—such as a problem, task, question, or constraint.
In this early stage of the creative process, it’s all about quantity—not quality.
It’s about exploring and expanding possibilities—pushing approaches and directions. Especially the weird ones.
This is not the time for rules, restrictions, concerns, evaluations, judgments, or criticism.
Accept that, and the process begins to feel like play—twisting, turning, and transforming ideas in any way you can imagine.
Divergent thinking is the mental expansion before creative decisions are made.
The key is to let every single bit of mental data breathe.
No thought is trivial.
We’ll see which of them survives throughout the process.
Only then will a decision be made—and chances are high that it might be the best one.
Mr. Miyagi:
“Are you ready?
Daniel:
“Yeah, I guess so.”
Mr. Miyagi:
“I guess I must talk.
Walk on road.
Walk right side—safe.
Walk left side—safe.
Walk middle—sooner or later, get squish just like grape.
Karate, same thing.
Either you karate do ‘yes,’ or karate do ‘no.’
You karate do ‘guess so’—squish like grape.”
It took me three decades to truly understand this valuable message from one of my favorite childhood movies, Karate Kid (1984).
In this scene, Mr. Miyagi appeals to Daniel’s self-awareness by demanding a decision.
Not a lighthearted decision.
Not one made out of youthful naivety.
He demands a conscious and honest one.
The question is:
Do or don’t.
Both decisions are valid.
He is not saying “don’t ever quit.”
He is saying, “Whatever your decision is—do it like you mean it.”
He warns that hesitation, indecision, or half-hearted effort is where danger lives.
The “middle of the road” is where unfinished projects, excuses, blaming, and shattered dreams lie.
Mr. Miyagi talks about 100% commitment—the kind that will inevitably lead to clarity and growth.
I can see why it took me so long to understand. It takes maturity.
And the appreciation of time that young people simply cannot have.
In their perception, time seems to be infinite.
Adults become conscious of their values and limitations.
That’s when we realize:
Every “yes” means saying “no” to something else—and vice versa.
The sooner we understand this trade, the sooner we learn to prioritize and dedicate our attention to what truly matters to us.
At some point, I knew what I wanted to do—become a freelance illustrator. That was my dream, and I decided to turn it into my goal.
I was determined to achieve it.
Yet starting your own business comes with fears and doubts.
While working on my illustration portfolio, those insecurities led me to invest time in a plan B—just in case I didn’t succeed.
Plan B was to fall back on the things I used to do in the past—the kind that worked but didn’t fulfill me.
It slowed everything down.
The moment I stepped fully to one side of the road and declined all not-goal-related requests, everything changed—because now I no longer had to trade my time, focus, and determination.
I feel that I made that 100%, non-negotiable commitment Mr. Miyagi talks about.
And after a few months, I started receiving the kind of commissions I had dreamed of.
Starting any life-changing endeavor with commitment is a constant, decision-demanding adventure.
And that‘s the secret to daily excitement and fulfillment.
Consume or create—it’s that simple.
Spend time or invest it.
Be inspired or ignite.
Stay passive or get active.
Click or craft.
Spectate or play.
Browse or build.
In between lies boredom and serenity.
Every day begins with this switch.
The choice is yours.
If you are persistent you will get it. If you are consistent you will keep it.“
—Beeple
A simple boost to your productivity:
Deliberately created time pressure can be a mighty productivity tool.
For example, the next time you work outside in your favorite café or university, use the pressure of the declining battery power of your laptop or device to boost your focus.
“We live in an outcome-focused culture,” Seth Godin writes in his book The Practice.
During industrialization, this made sense—outcomes needed to be fast and predictable.
But we’re entering an era of automated results and democratized, open-source knowledge
—all just a tab away.
In the face of peak efficiency, one thing remains inimitable:
The process.
Not the generated one — the experienced one.
The unique, lived journey to the result.
That’s the place of personal growth, meaning, and creative confidence.
Continue reading “Creative Confidence”