Welcome to my
creative studio.

What is the identity you're happy to carry for the rest of your life? The one that naturally leads to the results you want. Start there. Then look at what that identity does to reinforce itself. Also look at the opposite. What identity don't you want? What behaviours feed that version instead?

Once you see both clearly, you know which actions pull you toward who you want to be and which ones drag you back. This comes before goals, before systems, before anything else. Because behaviour follows identity, not the other way around.

This covers the full arc from first spark to published product. While you're in it, you journal, reflect, pivot, change direction, break your own rules, follow whims. Nobody sees. Nobody shapes it but you.

When it's done and out in the world, then you talk about it. Then you share the story, the process, what you learned. The silence protects authenticity. The sharing afterwards comes from a place of completion, not seeking permission.

You begin with a very narrow problem. Not bread making. Not even sourdough. Something like pumpkin and feta hybrid sourdough using a no-knead method for someone who struggles with gluten but isn't ready for gluten-free. That level of specific.

The person looking at it knows immediately whether it's for them or not. Inside the product you can include broader sections, other flour types, other mix-ins, but the promise on the outside stays narrow.

This is also how you know when you're finished. Have you solved for that specific person with that specific need? If yes, you're done. If there's still general talk that doesn't serve that person, you go back and narrow again.

You follow your energy for a project. If you're in the flow, you keep going. If you get stuck, you have a break and come back when you want. Some things get finished quickly. Some sit half-done for months or a year before you return. Some run alongside others constantly.

Challenge is necessary. Stagnation is what actually makes you unhappy, not difficulty. The gentleness is in approaching challenge in a way that keeps it flexible so it can stay enjoyable. Sometimes the gentle approach is knowing that a project needs to be dropped because it doesn't align anymore.

Between activities, you need boredom. Thirty seconds to two minutes of no stimulation. Staring out the window. Watching a candle flame. If you want something to do with your hands, repeat something you already know, the same chord over and over, the same word in cursive, nothing new, nothing interesting. Only when you're genuinely bored are you ready for the next thing. This lets your dopamine reset so you're climbing again when you start.

Also consider the rhythm of your day. Alternate between higher energy activities and lower, more restful ones. But still take that silent, unstimulated gap between each.