Building a one-person creative enterprise often looks simple from the outside — and is frequently presented online as easy.

The promise of creative independence, autonomy, agency, and a professional life free from 9-5 hours, water cooler gossip and endless meetings.

Yet, on the inside, it’s still a world of human affairs (as in the image above on the right): taste, trust, timing, emotion, attention, manipulation, decisions, and so on.

Often, the feedback you receive can be messy, convoluted, and hits dead ends, looping back and retracing steps. Frequently, it rolls on slow proof and long stretches where trusting your work and process matters more than metrics.

I see a lot of people in creative gigs, trying to run things like it’s engineering. They expect linear progress (like the “Technical Matters” image above). They expect and sometimes even demand clean timelines. They hunt for tactics to erase unease and uncertainty. Constantly searching, analyzing and evaluating.

If not managed carefully and mindfully, this pressure becomes a steady form of self-betrayal and feeds a loss of agency. You realize you're trading creativity for performance and sacrificing autonomy and uniqueness to compliance (with whatever you think the environment rewards).

Almost 4 Years Now (As a Soulpreneur)

In the spring of 2022, I walked away from corporate public sector employment. I set out, with no safety net, no big financial reserve, and no lineup of contracts or clients.

My goal? CEO of my time and energy. Creative pursuits and enterprises. Personal agency and autonomy. More time and flexibility for family.

One of the clear pathways I saw in this work (but not the only path)? — The Creator Economy.

Now, over 3 years into projects connected to The Creator Economy, I’ve found the key isn’t “better tactics.” It’s about leveraging effective ways of thinking and observing, specifically in ways keeping your agency intact while results take the time they need.

The Creator Economy tends to amplify status, comparison, envy, and urgency. It also amplifies one of the most expensive questions in the game: How long should this take?

In technical domains, that question is useful. In human affairs, it distorts thinking and decisions.

For example, in The Creator Economy, time gets treated as the evidence (faster the better, is the sense). Slow feedback becomes a verdict. Emotions drive control systems. Decisions start serving relief from anxiety.

Soulpreneurship — especially in The Creator Economy — is the discipline of keeping your agency when incentives (and platforms) want to rent your identity. Soulpreneurship is about building (and practicing) in public without letting public feedback (e.g. claps, likes, followers, etc.) become your only internal compass.

So here’s a practice to try, to keep this approach. Bird-watching.

Bird-Watching (“What?!” You Say)

Observation before analysis. Looking for patterns. Accumulating observations, behaviours and experiences over time.

Almost every day, I walk a gravel section of rural road near where we live. It crosses a wetland area near the lake we live beside. In the spring and summer, it’s busy with birds. On many days, dedicated bird watchers set up on the road. Some with cameras and remotes. Others with binoculars.

We’ve learned that some pretty rare birds frequent this wetland area.

What the heck does bird watching have to do with soulpreneurship or The Creator Economy?

Bird watchers don’t show up expecting a rare bird to appear on demand. They don’t treat an empty hour as a verdict on how good or bad their birdwatching is. They watch, take notes, and come back.

Over time, they learn patterns: where birds tend to be, when they move, and what changes with weather and seasons.

That’s the stance I’m borrowing for The Creator Economy. More observation, less judgment and verdict-making. Sort of like an anthropologist observing and making field notes.

Keeping Field Notes in The Creator Economy

So many people scroll and react. They treat their reactions as “research.” They let what gets rewarded pull their attention and shape their choices. They copy tactics because it feels safer than uncertainty and experimentation.

Bird watching is different. You stay calm. Pay attention and look for patterns. You keep your identity and emotions largely out of it. You’re not there to judge the birds or their behaviours. You’re there to observe and learn what’s happening.

You’re not there to argue with the birds. You’re there to learn what birds are around and how birds behave.

It’s challenging to be both an actor and an observer at the same time. It’s really tough to engage in thinking about something while also observing the style of that thinking or its patterns.

In the time I’ve spent in The Creator Economy—building in public, running idea labs, and slowly assembling my own creative infrastructure—I’ve noticed something consistently.

Most people don’t study and observe platforms — they analyze and judge them. They ask questions like:

• Is Medium dead?

• Is it worth posting anymore?

• Where is the “best” place to build?

• Should I focus on LinkedIn or Substack?

Those questions are fair. The problem is how people try to answer them. A lot of the answers are verdicts. Hot takes. Pronouncements.

Lately, I’ve seen more posts and articles like:

“After 10 years on LinkedIn, I’m leaving.”

Then a list of reasons follows: AI slop, low-quality content, spam, fake engagement, declining reach, etc.

Some of those reasons might be real. That’s not the point. The point is the stance taken, and how.

Most of these posts are written as judgments and land as conclusions. They invite agreement vs. non-agreement — not learning. They highlight the writer/poster's emotions and also trigger emotions in the reader: urgency, cynicism, relief, envy, and fear of being late.

That is a terrible basis for strategy in a one-person business. Here’s why.

Platforms are human systems

Human systems shape your thinking while you use them. If you take in platform commentary as verdicts, you end up making decisions to calm your state—copying what feels safe, quitting in a wave, pivoting for relief.

That’s how the systems affect you. Box Cutter Co. is built on a different move: clear (often slower) thinking before action. So the question is not “Is LinkedIn good or bad?”

The question is: What’s going on over there? What patterns are showing up, what do they reward, and what do they do to me?

That’s observation. And observation helps you keep your agency and autonomy. It turns “platform mood” into observations and information instead. It helps you choose your relationship with a platform rather than getting pulled into someone else’s verdict, emotions and decisions.

That’s the reason for the bird-watching approach.

Using Field Notes in Creative Enterprises

Pick one platform for the week: LinkedIn, Medium, Substack, X, Instagram, YouTube. You are not trying to decide if the platform is “good” or “bad.” You are simply observing to see what is happening and how it affects you.

1. Collect five online “specimens”

Save five items from that platform. Examples:

• a popular post

• a comment thread

• a “here’s why I’m leaving” post

• a piece of advice about growth

• a piece of content that looks like AI-filler

Pick items that pull your attention or change your mood.

2. Write one sentence: “What is this?”

For each specimen, write one plain sentence describing it. Look to facts. Examples:

• “A post warning people to leave LinkedIn because of AI content.”

• “A personal story with a lesson and a call to action.”

• “A thread promising growth if you post daily.”

No opinions. No rating. Just the facts.

3. Write one sentence: “What is this post trying to do?”

For each specimen, write one sentence about its purpose. Here are some examples:

• “It’s trying to sell a course.”

• “It’s trying to get agreement.”

• “It’s trying to trigger urgency.”

• “It’s trying to signal expertise.”

  ---

4. Write one line: “What did it do to me?”

Name the effect on your state, such as:

• “I feel behind.”

• “I started feeling cynical.”

• “Now, I want to post right away.”

• “Made me want to copy the format.”

• “I felt angry and wanted to leave the platform.”

This is important. It’s where you regain agency.

5. Answer three questions

For each specimen, write short notes:

• What pattern does it rely on?

  (certainty, outrage, fear, status, identity, confession, “one trick,” etc.)

• What does it reward?

  (attention, agreement, followers, sales, praise, belonging)

• What does it skip?

  (tradeoffs, time, risk, context, prerequisites)

6. See if you can name one pattern you saw across the five

Sometimes these are hard to identify, but try to find just one. For example:

• “Doom posts travel fast.”

• “Certainty gets rewarded.”

• “People use numbers to sound credible.”

• “AI content is changing what gets seen.”

7. Make one decision for the next 7 days

Choose a move, such as:

• Refuse: “I won’t build around this pattern.”

• Borrow: “I’ll use the useful part in my own voice.”

• Redesign: “I’ll make a cleaner version for my work.”

Write one sentence: This week, my rule is: ________.

Examples such as:

• “I don’t post to calm anxiety.”

• “I don’t copy certainty. I share what I can stand behind.”

• “I use LinkedIn for reach and my newsletter for depth.”

8. Ship one small thing

One sentence. One paragraph. One short post. One email. One note. The point is to stay in the work, in your way. Field Notes are not another reason to delay. It’s a way of thinking differently about what you’re doing.

Why this fits Soulpreneurship (and other parts of your life)

Soulpreneurship builds some quiet skills, like staying open to learning without being pushed around. This matters online. It also matters in other parts of your life. So many modern environments run on fast judgments:

• workplace politics

• family tension

• social media

• news cycles

• group chats

• markets

The common mistake is the same: you treat your first reaction as the truth. You treat the first week of data as the whole story. You rush to a conclusion so you can feel settled again.

Taking a bird-watching approach trains a different habit. You can:

• notice what is happening.

• notice what it does to you.

• extend your timeframes.

• decide from a steadier place.

And, that’s agency.

It’s also expectation management. You stop demanding fast proof from systems that may need to move slowly. You stop turning normal slowness into a verdict on your talent, or progress, or creativity.

Over time, your Field Notes become an asset. You build your own field guide:

• what pulls you off your path

• what gets rewarded

• what gets ignored

• what supports your work

Doing something like this can reduce panic, comparison envy, constant pivots, or frustration-driven quits. It helps you choose how you use each platform. It helps you keep your voice. It helps keep you… you (and that’s the soul part).

So many people are writing and posting for approval, recognition, or applause.

But your soul doesn’t need public approval or anyone’s permission — to flourish.

We’re all trained early:

• Wait your turn.

• Raise your hand.

• Get permission first.

It’s baked into schools. Into jobs. Into social norms. We hesitate before we create, waiting for someone to nod, smile, and say, “Yes, that’s okay.”

But here’s a key shift underway in The Creator Economy, and sub-sector The Business Creator Economy (B2B).

• 👉 Creativity (and creative businesses of one) don’t require permission.

They run on clarity. On courage. And on quiet alignment with your purpose (on purpose) and in line with your unique calling.

In this issue, how to build a permission-less creative practice. And, how to stop waiting for validation and listen to something deeper.

Permission-Seeking Keeps You Stuck

It happens everywhere:

• Asking employers if you can post

• Polling peers before launching your project.

• Asking course creators if it’s okay to try something new.

• Pausing ideas because no one else seems to do things that way.

Permission-seeking doesn’t just slow you down—it keeps your soul’s unique calling trapped and shrunk.

You might be thinking:

• “That’s nice in theory. But I can’t just quit my job and start creating.”

I get it. Permissionless doesn’t mean reckless. It means beginning a shift—subtly, steadily—toward listening to yourself more than you listen to others.

It can start in 10 minutes daily, and level up from there.

Waiting for permission is often status quo comfort disguised as caution. It feels safer to follow (the rules, others, the ‘successful’ ones). Easier to blend in and “not rock the boat.”

But your best creative work—your soul’s authentic work—never comes from imitation. It comes from trust. It comes in the quiet pull, not always explaining itself, but never really leaving.

It’s who you are when no one’s watching, applauding, or supervising. It’s when you continue to build even when no one’s clapping or re-posting.

It comes from action without approval, permission, or someone else’s deadline.

Moving from Permission to Practice

I left corporate public sector employment three years ago. Since then, I’ve been writing every day. Some of this is in private Learning Journals. A lot of it is posted openly and publicly online.

Writing daily, quietly and consistently, is an excellent practice for connecting (and reconnecting) to your inner authority. Authoring your unique, personal authenticity.

Your creative voice strengthens as you shift from:

• Approval to… authenticity

• Validation to… experimentation

• Seeking permission to… giving yourself permission

The quiet practice of writing regularly builds something deeper than an audience. It builds discernment. Then clarity. Then direction, belonging to you.

I know this can sound fru-fru. Impractical. But permissionless practice isn’t vague or soft.

It’s a system—a daily rhythm of reflection, testing, and creating—without waiting for someone’s green light.

Strategy isn’t always spreadsheets — sometimes, it starts with listening.

I was very clear when I left secure employment to launch a creative enterprise… that creativity, writing, and permissionless building would be my business's core creative infrastructure and long-term foundation.

Writing as a Soulpreneur isn’t about being seen. It’s about seeing clearly.

• Not writing to be seen, but so I could see better.

• Not creating to be followed, but so I could follow through.

So many people are waiting for approval and permission. Writing is a quiet defiance and an escape from those psychological drags.

Soul-aligned Businesses are Permission-less By Design

Permission is often a shaky concept. It relies on consensus, applause, and someone else saying, “You’re ready now.” Or, “Yes, you can do that.”

And yes—feedback matters. But not before clarity. The trap is outsourcing direction before you define what you want. Soul-aligned work welcomes feedback—but it doesn’t depend on it to begin (or to continue).

Clarity doesn’t have to come from consensus. Or from someone else. It comes from listening inward—persistently, quietly, stubbornly.

And thus, Soul-aligned Businesses of One flip the dynamic entirely:

• You don’t chase the trend. You build from the inside out.

• You don’t wait to be certified. You validate through processes.

• You don’t crowdsource your confidence. You cultivate it through rhythm.

• You don’t ask if your content is “permitted” — You experiment and observe.

Permissionless creation is quietly rebellious. It resists the need to be impressive. It bypasses digital dogma.

And, it reconnects you with your internal compass—where strategy meets soul, and clarity becomes your creative fuel.

I consistently find, the most resonant work doesn’t come from following all the rules. It often comes from remembering what I’m here to make, then making it.

Or using writing to put shape and substance to my thoughts, where soul-aligned work can flourish.

• Not louder. But deeper.

• Not with scale. But with substance.

And once you taste that kind of creative autonomy, there’s no going back to waiting rooms (to secure permission).

Writing as a Diagnostic Tool for the Soul

Your soul doesn’t crave engagement metrics. It craves coherence. Alignment. Peace of direction. When you write—without the pressure to perform—you will notice:

• What lights you up versus what drains you

• Which decisions are yours versus borrowed

• Where the deeper voice is trying to get through

Writing becomes a calibration practice. You realign with rhythm. You return to yourself.

Creative Endurance is About Rhythm, not Rush

Quiet creative businesses aren’t built overnight. They’re built persistently over time.

• Rhythmically

• Steadily

Without seeking constant reassurance from outside voices. Permission-less soulpreneurs measure progress differently:

• Not by hustle, but by rhythm.

• Not by virality, but by authenticity.

• Not by permission, but by personal alignment.

This doesn’t mean growth, revenue, or reach don’t matter. It means they’re downstream of clarity, not substitutes for it.

Soulpreneurs can make great money. But the approach to business honours energy, integrity, and creative rhythm. (Keep in mind: Many people can bring their soul to work in their employment, too.)

The most powerful creative businesses quietly sustain themselves by honouring this deeper truth: Your soul already knows the way.

Permissionless Principles for Quieter Creatives

To move away from permission and toward more soul-aligned creation, try these principles:

• Build quietly. Noise distracts; silence guides.

• Think clearly. Clarity leads; applause follows.

• Move steadily. The soul values rhythm, not frenetic fuss

• Repeat relentlessly. Persistency creates alignment and inner trust.

A question to consider:

👉 “Am I creating from approval—or from clarity?”

Sit with this question. Write about it. Let your soul answer honestly. Then build around the quiet clarity that emerges.

Soulpreneurs and creative businesses don’t wait for permission. They build quiet systems and rhythms, sustaining their creativity and supporting their unique calling.

It’s not about being loud. It’s about being clear.

That’s the shift.

Your soul doesn’t need permission or applause to flourish. It simply requires your attention, rhythm, and readiness to begin.

P.S. Box Cutter Co. is expanding.

After two-and-a-half years of weekly publishing, Box Cutter Co. has expanded to Medium and LinkedIn.

I’m evolving this initiative from a newsletter into a full creative strategy practice, focusing on thinking, writing, learning design (& redesign), and permissionless creative work.

• → Follow along on LinkedIn and Medium.

You may not know what you’re chasing—only that something’s off.

Like you’re doing all the right things, but still slightly off-course.

Do you sometimes feel like you are living slightly beside yourself?

• Things get done, but you still feel restless.

• Still waiting, but unsure for what?

We tell ourselves or get told by others on social media, that the answer is simple… It’s just “consistency”!

• Or a clearer Vision.

• Or purpose.

• Or a better system

• Or more cold outreach…

Or, it can be found in six easy modules (for $199).

But our souls don’t move in straight lines— neither does personal meaning. And they certainly don’t care about your productivity, output, or follower count.

More Metrics Myths

The Creator Economy is obsessed with more. The metrics of more.

• More subscribers. More followers. More measurable reach.

Visibility is a virtue, suggests some prolific myths.

Some deeper, peddled illusions?

• If you just post enough, write enough, and show up enough— you’ll eventually build a thriving, successful business.

• That one person—maybe you—can change the whole game. Be the next breakout. The next story people quote in case studies or on CNBC.

We’re sold a story that visibility equals impact, and scaling up is proof of success.

However, most of this is built on several biases.

Focusing Illusion

One of these — psychologists call it the focusing illusion.

When you shine a light on one area of life, it begins to dominate your mental landscape.

You become convinced everything depends on it, that your identity rides on engagement rates.

And that your worth, progress, and success are whatever the internet reflects back to you on any given day (in coloured line graphs and updated counts).

If you are caught in this, shine the light elsewhere. Move your focus elsewhere.

Intentional Stance

There’s also intentional stance, a bias suggesting significant changes occur because one specific individual willed it into existence.

• Without Steve Jobs, no iPhone.

• Without Musk, no SpaceX or Tesla.

• Without you, this whole corner of the internet may collapse!

For many, it’s a comforting thought. But it’s an exaggerated one. And, false.

Most significant events, shifts, and movements aren’t the result of a single visionary. They’re messy. Deeply enmeshed with the past, including the work of others.

Einstein didn’t develop the theory of relativity in a flash of genius. It was built on years of other people’s (and his own) work. While he developed it, he worked in a patent office.

Big events and breakthroughs are interconnected with the past. They’re full of contradictions and interpretations, plus some luck and timing.

Even the stories we tell about them are cleaned up in hindsight.

For example, despite Einstein’s brilliance in several breakthrough theories, he spent the last 30 years of his life trying to devise theories which never came to much…

And yet, this myth of singular, scaled influence (like Einstein, or Benjamin Franklin, or Ghandi-even) still drives many creatives to try and build things unaligned with themselves.

The myth isn’t just that one person changes everything. It’s the glorified myth that everyone should. Which quietly turns meaningful work into a ridiculous performative false destiny.

Biases like the ones above shape perception, as well as how we build and what we believe we must become. But those stories aren’t ours.

The Machine of Perceptions

I’ve done some of this in the past.

For example, taken on work because it “moved the needle.” Agreed to projects because they were visible, not because they were right.

At the time, it felt “strategic.” In hindsight, it was reactive—a way to feed the perception machines.

Somewhere along the way, I must have stopped asking:

• What’s useful? What’s sustainable? What’s mine?

And probably started asking:

• How do I get more eyes?

• How do I match the pace of others?

• How do I not fall behind in a race (I never agreed to participate in)?

The answers to the above are predictable.

Make more. Move faster. Be everywhere.

But that’s how erosion works. Not in a single collapse—but in tiny, almost invisible shifts.

It starts with just one compromise: one project that doesn’t feel right but looks good. One “just this once” agreement to work you don’t believe in—one week where increasing your metrics feels more real than your authentic self.

These sorts of slips don’t break you. They wear you down.

Quietly. Gradually. Strategically.

[We have a cat like this — she’s 13 years old and Relentless when she needs something]

The problem with a business operating this way is it runs on perceptions. False ones. Ones not your own — instead of purpose and meaning (defined and lived by you).

My Creative Enterprises

I don’t run my businesses to scale them. I run them to stay rooted. Translating to fewer projects but ones with deeper meaning.

• It means resisting the pressure to chase what’s trending.

• It means treating my attention like a precious resource.

• It means letting go of certain myths.

Like the myth, I can plan my way to certainty. The myth that scale equals security.

The myth that every worthwhile project must grow an audience, grow more subscribers, grow more impressions.

Yet, much of what sustains a creative business isn’t glamorous. It’s small, habitual, persistent, and quiet.

Like the weekly email or newsletter, you post even when no one replies or gives you a 👍 or ❤️.

The client project you refine for the third time—not because you had to, but because it matters.

The decision to ignore a trend, even though it could boost your visibility.

It’s not just quiet — it’s rebellious.

Because in a world shouting for more, showing up small, true to you, and understanding your “just enough”—is radical.

Clarity in Small Sizes

There’s clarity in being small. You can see your work more plainly.

You know who it’s for. You stop chasing abstraction and tend to reality.

I’ve had posts with zero likes lead to new clients—five-line posts with 10 impressions that opened deep conversations.

I’ve had my quirky illustrations on LinkedIn posts draw in comments from someone on the other side of the globe. (A digital dialogue that continues 2 years later)

I’ve had stories go primarily unnoticed—until someone sent me a note (weeks or months later) saying it was exactly what they needed.

This is the thing about meaning and Soulpreneurship. It doesn’t always arrive on time. And it rarely scales cleanly and immaculately.

Look through history for people who died unknown to most, but their work rose to immense fame and value after passing.

Their work didn’t go viral. It went deep. Passed hand to hand.

Quietly. Persistently.

Until it outlasted the noise.

There are elements to this approach, in how I try to build these days.

No hacks. No hype.

Just keeping the work meaningful to me and shared in small cycles. Relatively quiet, steady, persistent.

Thankfully, it’s grown into revenues more than the corporate sector job I left behind.

Not by chasing scale. But by staying aligned.

Some Things to Try 👇

1. Question the impulse to scale

Before chasing and pursuing bigger—ask, “why?”

• Is it about reach? Or recognition?

• What are you hoping to feel once you get there?

2. Define “enough” (without the algorithms)

What is:

• Enough readers.

• Enough clients.

• Enough revenue to live well (and create freely).

Write your ‘enough’ metrics before the internet and social media write it for you.

3. Build for sustainability, not applause

• What systems support the life you want—not just the business you admire?

• What can you keep doing, even when it’s quiet?

• What do you want to do even when it feels like getting ghosted?

4. Separate cause from illusion

You don’t need to believe you’re changing the world to do meaningful work. You only need to act in alignment, respond with care, and create with integrity plus some level of authenticity.

• What narrative are you telling yourself about why your work matters—and is it your story?

• If your work never went viral, would it still feel meaningful to create?

5. Accept the partial, the slow, the sufficient

Not all good things have to become big.

Not all resonance is measurable.

Not all impacts can be traced.

So What? Now What?

You don’t have to be the hero of a movement.

You don’t need a stage. You probably don’t even need applause.

A life of value and meaning isn’t built by audience size. It’s built by attention (especially yours’) and meaning (also yours).

It’s built by craft. By rhythm.

By the quiet, daily return to work, reflecting who you are.

You don’t find your voice by scaling it.

You find it by listening to what won’t leave you alone.

The soul doesn’t care about reach.

It cares about resonance — the kind lingering, disturbing, healing, and maybe sometimes haunting.

Let your work grow roots, not just branches. And let those roots be tangled, imperfect, and real.

Creativity isn’t luck or “Eureka!” lightning bolts.

It’s intentional choices, decisions, and set directions.

It’s a system you shape—and are shaped by—in equal measure. It’s deciding what pulls you and what doesn’t.

Consider, for a moment, the words traction and distraction.

Both come from the Latin root trahere, meaning “to draw or pull.” Distraction adds the suffix ‘dis-,’ meaning “away.” Thus:

• Traction pulls you in.

• Distraction pulls you out.

You might think traction is good and distraction bad. But it’s not that simple. You need both.

• Traction is focus. Execution. Momentum.

• Distraction is openness. Curiosity. Intuition.

One builds forward motion. The other reveals insights, questions, discoveries.

What is a Strategic Creative?

Strategic creatives—those who build businesses around their creativity—don’t eliminate distractions.

Instead, they learn to lean into them at the right times, balancing open wanderings with structured and boundaried focus.

They create workflows, habits, and systems. Not to cage creativity in but to catch it when it arrives.

And here’s a complicated truth many successful creative folks learn (some the hard way): Ideas aren’t just built from things—they also emerge from spaces between things.

• Words don’t become sentences without spaces.

• Notes don’t become music without silence.

Creativity often results in tangible products and outcomes—courses, articles, strategies, workshops, books—but it also requires stillness, silence, gaps, and distance.

Distraction provides space for fresh meanings to emerge or, more simply, where thoughts, snippets, new learning, and ideas percolate, skip and jump, and (often) result in new theories, products, or systems.

Creativity without systems can become chaotic. And systems without creativity often become hollow, sterile, and robotic.

Creativity as Practice

Creativity isn’t something you passively await, or is it magically granted to a select few at birth. It’s a way of being—one that is cultivated and practiced.

It’s openness to possibilities, sensitivity to intuition, and responsiveness to your surroundings. It’s also getting things done, produced, and published (aka. shipped).

In his excellent book The Creative Act: A Way of Being, Rick Rubin suggests creativity is about presence, noticing subtleties others overlook, and refining awareness.

Similarly, in his mid-1990s book Creativity: Flow and the Psychology of Discovery and Invention, psychologist Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi emphasized creativity isn’t isolated genius—it’s deeply embedded in systems.

The book is based on his almost thirty years of research and interviews with over 100 creative people, including Nobel prize winners and others.

Csikszentmihalyi suggests creativity occurs in interactions between a person’s skills, domains of knowledge they work in, and the field of people who recognize and validate creative contributions.

For example, Einstein’s theory of relativity didn’t develop in isolation. It was based on creative theorizing of those before him, confirmed by those in his knowledge domains at the time and after.

In other words, creativity is not only personal— it’s systemic.

It’s also an intentionally built practice intended to be returned to repeatedly. A practice that takes practice.

For digital entrepreneurs, creative business builders, and Soulpreneurs alike, creativity isn’t just outputs—articles, books, courses, workshops, coaching services, digital products, etc.

It’s also the quality of attention, intention, and rhythm you bring to the work.

The forms may vary, but the practice is universal.

If you want lightning insights, you must practice building and cultivating storms.

3 Years of Creative Practice (Driven by an Anti-Vision)

This month (April) marks three years since I left the corporate public sector and set deep intentions to launch creative enterprises (from scratch).

For those pondering this or in the midst of it, social media is full of advice on developing a clear vision, goals and direction.

Yes, these are important.

However, they simply won’t get you through the days of doubt. (And, those I assure you, come for Soulpreneurs and those establishing and running creative enterprises)

In addition to being intentional about what I wanted to build, I established a piercing Anti-vision to ensure I was abundantly clear on what I never intended to return to (e.g., toxic workplaces and offices).

For over two and a half years, I’ve published almost daily on LinkedIn, written hundreds of articles on Medium, published weekly issues of Box Cutter Co., and established a creative venture in “The Business Creator Economy.”

These activities aren’t random. They are intentional practices designed to cultivate rhythm and flow in my creative process. They are intentional creative practice.

Yes, frequent posting on LinkedIn, Substack, Medium, and other platforms can be effective, as well as free marketing. But it’s also more than that—

…it’s how I practice creativity (privately and publicly), refine and test my thinking, and stay consistently tuned to traction and distraction.

Regular posting, writing, and publishing create structure, accountability, and persistent steps forward. (Screw the ‘be consistent’ advice — be persistent, instead)

Alongside the daily creative movement forward is keeping daily distractions — as a key component of creative practice.

This provides the space between ‘the work’ for openness to new ideas, experimentation, and letting my mind wander through seemingly unrelated topics and thoughts.

These are often walks, which I do almost every day. 👇

However, now that spring has arrived, I also do a lot of bike riding, especially on isolated gravel roads. This was last week 👇

These physical activities and movement are also intentional creativity practices providing critical distractions — leading to unexpected connections, insights, and previously unseen opportunities.

(And damn good for the Soul)

5 Tangible Ways to Balance Traction and Distraction

Here are five tangible ways to balance traction and distraction in your creative endeavours:

1. Define Constraints (Clearly and Often)

Creativity thrives under constraints. Without clear edges, ideas drift.

• Try tight timelines: Can you build your next online course outline in one hour, not ten?

• Set narrow parameters: What if your next post or newsletter could only be 250 words? (I’ve started experimenting a lot more with this)

• Limit inputs: Can you teach one powerful thing in your next video or podcast episode instead of ten?

2. Wander With Purpose (And Intentional Curiosity)

Creative entrepreneurs benefit from deliberate exploration.

• Read at angles. Step outside your usual industry sources. A business consultant might learn unexpected lessons from architecture or poetry.

• Observe relentlessly. Notice what others overlook. For example, a graphic designer might find fresh ideas by observing how baristas organize their workflow. (Designers do this frequently)

• Create ‘wandering time.’ Schedule blocks each week to explore something completely unrelated to your daily work, such as art, travel stories, or historical biographies.

3. Capture Constantly (Nothing Too Small)

Your creative output relies on consistent and persistent input.

• Keep an ideas journal (physical or digital). Write down everything—even incomplete thoughts. (I use the Notes app, Notion, and good ‘ol pen and paper)

• Use voice memos. Capture sparks during walks, commutes, or downtime. (Voice memos can also be put in Notes, as can scanned words or quotes from a book).

• Create a “swipe file.” Collect snippets, quotes, and visuals that inspire you, catch your attention, AND repulse you. A single captured insight might become the heart of your next course, article or consultancy offer.

4. Return to Structure (Refine and Rebuild)

Creative practice and momentum builds on itself. Refine your raw insights into products, services, or content.

• After wandering, return to your established creative systems and practices.

• Turn one small insight into a clear takeaway your audience or clients might use or need.

• Use structured checklists or frameworks like “The Rule of Three,” the “1-3-1” writing framework, or simple mind maps to organize your ideas into published work.

5. Repeat (Rhythm, Not Formula)

The magic of creativity is in rhythm, not necessarily routine.

• Creativity isn’t a linear formula. It’s cyclical—push and pull, forward and away.

• Regularly shift between distraction and traction.

• Learn and lean into your personal creative ebb and flow. The rhythm is a system (and practice) you refine over time.

  • For me, I break up my day into segments, with mornings as generally the time for my own creative practices and posting, then get the work done I need to do for clients (with a walk in between)

Why Does This Matter for Creative Entrepreneurs?

Creativity isn't just a nice thing to have if you’re a creative entrepreneur or even an employee. It’s essential.

You’re turning insights, expertise, and creative intuition into tangible business opportunities, products, and/or revenue.

(Stay tuned for upcoming Box Cutter Co. issues focussing on The Business Creator Economy, as a sub-sector of The Creator Economy — and ripe for opportunities)

This structured-yet-flexible practice of balancing traction and distraction can assist you in:

• Continuing to build and offer quality products and services.

• Staying innovative, relevant, and ahead of stagnation, irrelevance, and boredom.

• Cultivating trust and relationships by consistently delivering value while remaining open to new ideas and insights. (rinse and repeat as necessary)

Hold Tensions, Build Storms

Creativity isn’t waiting—it’s actively building while also patiently waiting.

If you want those lightning moments, practice building storms.

But keep in mind:

• Even storms are still before they break

• Lightning waits in silence before it cracks

• Creativity lives between intentional systems and silences

Your task isn’t to choose one over the other, or practice one over the other, but to hold space for Both/And.

Start small. Carry on with intention.

How About You?

• Where could you benefit from deliberate distraction?

• How can you build practices that give you consistent creative rhythm?

• Where in your creative process might you need more intentional traction?

Drop a comment. Always curious how others navigate this.

A colleague of mine has built a successful creative business from scratch.

• Fast growth. More and more hires. Bigger and more lucrative contracts.

People praising growth and momentum:

• “Look at those revenues!”

• “Look at that scale!”

This is the kind of story that fits beautifully into the masses of online business advice, courses, and posts.

Grow your business! Scale. Monetize. Optimize.

More customers. More revenue. More subscribers. More reach.

The louder the advice, the more it insists:

• “Scale to six figures!”

• “Monetize your passion!”

• “Grow your audience 10x!”

And yet, in any small business — especially a one-person business — the most critical resource isn’t revenue, subscribers, or leads.

It’s you.

It’s the “I” in business.

The one making decisions, creating, adapting, thinking, doing, etc.

Yet, almost no one talks about how to manage and support that.

When We Lose The “I” in Business

Is a successful business actually successful without a content and healthy business owner?

That’s often quite a different story.

For my colleague. As far as I’m aware, behind the scenes, two bouts of shingles and other health challenges. Problem hires. Some frustrated clients.

A constant barrage of securing more work to support the growing churn of overhead, employees, contractors, and expectations (many probably unexamined and maybe even false).

From the outside, it’s easy to call this sort of business growth a win. A thriving, high-growth business with good revenues.

But I’ve navigated burnout before. I know what it looks and feels like. It’s brutal. And it does a fine job of hiding under the surface.

So I can’t help but wonder when I see some ‘successful’ businesses:

• At what cost?

• Why the endless scaling and growth?

• Do they have a clear definition of enough?

Keeping two balance sheets

A business has a balance sheet.

So should its owner.

One for the business. Revenues, expenses, profits.

One for you. Energy, alignment, sustainability.

I track my “enough” just as carefully as I track revenue.

Because I’ve learned the hard way—if I ignore it too long, the work will let me know. My soul will let me know. My body will let me know.

I use Learning Journals daily to track my Self balance sheet.

Keeping the “I” in Creative Business

A business of one is not just a business.

It’s a relationship—with yourself, your energy, your values, your ideas, your Soul.

It’s an ecosystem, and you are at the centre of the network.

The decisions you make—the work you take on, the pace you set, the revenue you pursue (or reject)—all come back to how well you understand yourself.

This is where most people struggle.

Because growth is easy to measure.
Numbers are easy to track.

But self-knowledge? That’s a slower, messier, often uncomfortable process.

The Hidden Cost of Scaling Without Self-Knowledge

Most businesses fail not because they lack strategy—

…but because the person running them burns out, loses interest, or builds something that no longer fits the life they want (or never did).

Consider the following questions:

• Have you ever chased an opportunity that drained you more than it fulfilled you?

• Have you grown something only to realize it wasn’t what you wanted?

• Have you found yourself trapped in commitments that felt misaligned?

For me, the answer is a resounding “Yes” to all of these.

Thankfully, those experiences were all as an employee.

I spent about a decade growing a career in the corporate public sector. Over that time, I almost tripled my annual salary.

I kept moving up the corporate ‘ladder’ to more and more responsibility, managing bigger budgets and running larger teams.

But eventually, the soul-sucking nature of the work, toxic workplaces, and a fake ‘success’ metrics became too much to bear.

I walked away (in April 2022). I began to build a creative one-person business from scratch.

I swore to do it with soul, with intention, and with consistently growing self-knowledge and relationship with self.

A Soulpreneur business isn’t about chasing a number.

It’s about building something that fits—your energy, your rhythms, your reality.

Not a static blueprint.

A living, evolving, intentional system.

Building a Creative Business To Fit You

A sustainable creative business requires balancing:

• Structure and Fluidity. A creative ecosystem needs both.

• Ambition and Enough-ness. Not all growth is good growth.

• Momentum and Patience. Some seasons are for building, others for reflecting.

• Public Presence and Private Reflection. The work behind the work matters (often the most).

The challenge isn’t picking one side.

It’s learning to live in Both/And—then adjusting as needed.

When you are a Business of One (or a small business), you are the engine, the ignition, the batteries and the brakes.

And knowing when to speed up, slow down, or take a new path (maybe even offroad) is the difference between a thriving business and a dying business.

What This Looks Like in Practice

I’m never one to suggest that everyone should quit their job cold turkey and launch into building a creative business from scratch.

Nor do I claim to have all the answers (if any). I simply know what’s worked well for me, and what hasn’t.

I believe The Creator Economy's rapid expansion presents immense opportunities—whether as a side gig or a full-time creative enterprise.

Just be prepared: it will take time, persistence, constant learning, and constant adjustments.

Here are four principles that have been essential for me.

1. Define Your Enough

• What level of revenue and workload sustains you?

• When does “more” become a burden?

Know your floor. Know your ceiling. Track it.

2. Map Your Energy

• Are you best in deep, focused bursts? Or slow, steady consistency?

• What’s your peak creative time?

Design your days accordingly. Be firm. Protect what fuels you.

3. Audit Your Choices

• What commitments, projects, and clients feel aligned?

• Which ones drain you?

Adjust as needed. Be ruthless.

4. Create Cycles, Not Straight Lines

• Build systems that support seasons of growth, rest, and experimentation.

Most optimize for growth. But those who last… optimize for themselves.

The Business of Knowing Yourself

In life, this is the most important business you will ever do.

In business, it’s the most critical work you will ever do.

Your business grows when you do. The best business strategy?

• Know yourself better than anyone else does.

Are you building a business (side gig or full on)?

• What’s one critical thing you’ve learned about yourself while building your business?

Drop a comment—I’d love to hear.

Most people aren’t struggling with change.

They’re struggling by resisting change.

The world moves—fast (literally and metaphorically).

Change is one of the few constants — right along with time.

New industries emerge. Old ones collapse.

Algorithms shift. Business models expire.

Jobs are created. Jobs are lost.

What worked last year is already outdated.

Sometimes, what worked last month, last week… is now outdated.

And yet, most people—and many institutions—cling to the past.

• They follow playbooks written for an old game.

• They wait for permission, validation, certainty.

• They react instead of adapt.

The most valuable skill today isn’t what you know.

It’s often your ability, flexibility, and persistency to move forward without knowing.

Death Clocks (& CEO of My Time)

A powerful anecdote I heard last week is still sitting with me:

Many people die at about 25 years old but don’t get buried until they’re in their 70s.

It’s often attributed to Benjamin Franklin, but no real evidence exists that he wrote it somewhere.

In the past, I’ve written about this similarly — in relation to a powerful website highlighting a “Death Clock.”

Put in some details, and get an estimate of your estimated life span.

• In other words, how much time do I have left?

I find it an immensely motivating concept. However, I'm also in my fifth decade of circling the sun.

This is a big part of why I left a secure, six-figure, decade-plus career in the corporate public sector (in early 2022) to start building my own creative enterprises.

CEO of my time and energy.

Becoming an entrepreneur (as opposed to a wantrepreneur).

When I walked I had no clients lined up. No contracts. No significant financial runway. (I borrowed from my future pension and, for some things, leaned on credit cards.)

I had a deep drive that I’d figure shit out.

And, you know what?

This April will be 3 years independent. I’ve figured shit out this far along.

So much so my wife Lisa made a similar choice in June 2023.

She became CEO of her time and energy — starting and building a private counselling practice and her own creative enterprises.

We both subscribe to The Art of the Figure-out-able

Think. Adapt. Create.

These three skills separate those who thrive from those who don’t.

They aren’t talents. They aren’t gifts.

They are disciplines—trainable, repeatable, essential.

1. Master the Art of the Figure-Out-Able (Adaptation)

Most people assume they need perfect conditions before they can begin.

They wait until they have more knowledge, more money, more time.

They don’t realize clarity comes from action, not just thinking.

• Plans don’t survive reality. Act, adjust, refine—fast.

• Every problem has echoes of a past solution. Look for patterns.

• Stop waiting for instructions. Ask: “How can I solve this with what I have?”

The universe doesn’t reward the best ideas. It opens up possibilities for people who execute before they feel ready.

2. Turn Setbacks into Springboards (Resilience)

Most people treat obstacles as dead ends.

They see failure as proof they should stop.

But resilience is built in the aftermath—not the moment itself. Here’s some shifts to try:

• How can I turn this failure into fuel? Setbacks are tuition. Learn from them.

• What if I measured progress by scars, not streaks? The best lessons don’t show up as wins—yet.

• Where is discomfort pointing me next? Resilience isn’t just about bouncing back — it’s about bouncing forward.

The world is full of opportunity and potential for those who endure, learn, and keep moving forward.

This is why I regularly say “be consistent” is Bullshit.

At its roots, ‘consistent’ means to stand in place. Instead:

Be Persistent!

Per- means forward.

3. Break the Mental Autopilot (Creativity)

Most people assume creativity is a flash of brilliance (but that’s largely Bullshit).

Creativity isn’t magic.

It’s the result of thinking differently. Its root meaning also means “to grow.”

• Want to be more creative?

Then, support and facilitate more space for creative things to grow.

Don’t wait for the perfect conditions — the writing course, the studio, the perfect quiet, etc.

• Teach a flawed version of something first. You’ll understand it better by fixing it in real-time.

• Study what almost worked (and why). Failures at the edge of success reveal a lot. Outright disasters reveal a whole world of opportunity.

• Destroy your best ideas and rebuild them differently. What remains after you strip them down?

Creativity isn’t about inspiration or perfection. It’s about exploration. Persistency.

• Thinking and Unthinking

• Learning and Unlearning

Tangible Ways to Hone These Skills

If you want to thrive in uncertainty, you must train for it.

Here are three ways to try that:

1. The 30-Day Experiment

Yes — these have become cliché. But damn it, they can also work marvellously.

Choose one thing outside your comfort zone and commit to it for 30 days.

It can be a skill, a habit, or a practice.

At the end, reflect:

• What did I learn?

• What surprised me?

• What should I do more of? (the gurus call it: “doubling down”)

For example, I’ve just completed a 30-day walking challenge.

I quietly committed to doing it. Yesterday was day 40 in a row—and over that time, I’ve walked over 200 km.

This included while I was travelling (in St. Louis, MO) and through the coldest weather of the year (one day here at home was -25C 🥶)

One of the best parts of this little challenge?

• The clarity of thought it brings me. The creativity-fuel it provides.

  ---

2. The ‘What If…’ Reframe

The next time you hit a creativity or business challenge, try not to ask: “Why me?”

Try Asking: What if this is happening for me?

How would the challenge look different if it was actually an opportunity?

3. The Reverse Engineer Method

Instead of consuming content passively, break it down.

Pick a book, article, or podcast. Ask:

• Why did the author structure it this way?

• What assumptions are they making?

• How could I improve or challenge their argument or approach?

Most people don’t have a creativity problem.

They have a thinking problem.

They follow the set path instead of questioning the terrain.

They cling to the known instead of exploring the unknown.

But here’s the reality…

Default thinking often leads to a default life.

Challenge. Upgrade. Strengthen. Re-fresh-en

If you want to stay ahead or at least feel more alive… stay fresh.

Train and build these skills daily by:

• Challenging your defaults.

• Upgrading your patterns.

• Strengthening your tolerance for uncertainty.

The reality of today’s world isn’t knowing…

It’s figuring things out—again and again and again. Over and over and over…

Imagine if businesses were built around selling ignorance—not pretending to know.

Or a business built on mastering The Art of Figuring Shit Out.

This is a buildable mindset. It’s also a practice.

And it’s one you can train.

What do you think?

Do you have practices related to The Art of Figuring Shit Out?

Box Cutter Co. | The Soulpreneur Series

A big problem with common advice for creators?

• Focussing on speed, not longevity.

• Chasing trends, not sustainability.

I’m over two years into building my creative one-person business (forecast to generate over $200K in revenue this fiscal).

And I’m confident in saying:

You don’t need more followers or more viral posts.

Instead, focus on building creative infrastructure to support a creative ecosystem.

• Scaling too fast is how creatives burn out, and creativity-based businesses fizzle.

Building creative infrastructure first is how Creatives and Creators thrive (over the long term)

A creative one-person business is not simply a scaled-down version of a larger enterprise. It’s a living, dynamic system.

Some things live and grow, while some things die and decompose (which support the living)

👉 A creative ecosystem, I’ve started calling it.

But ecosystems don’t simply emerge out of nothing fully formed. They need a foundation—creative infrastructure—to support growth, sustainability, and longevity.

As well as let things die and return to where they came from. This will inevitably happen to all of us, too.

This issue highlights 10 Bigger Mistakes I see people making (and I have made). And 6 things I’ve learned (and continue to learn) from these mistakes.

All on the continued journey of building a thriving Soulpreneur creative enterprise.

Building Creative Infrastructure to Support Your Creative Ecosystem

For the past two years, I’ve been building the creative infrastructure for generating and refining ideas, publishing across multiple platforms, and experimenting with ways to engage and grow sustainably.

Persistently. (NOT, consistently)

Part of my infrastructure (and mindset) is that I call social media posting my Creative Voice Lab, my personal R&D department. It’s where I test ideas, iterate, and refine.

And… I let shit die and decompose.

I build my creative infrastructure by writing and posting across multiple platforms (e.g. LinkedIn, X, Medium, Substack, etc.). I also post in niche groups within different platforms (e.g. LinkedIn, X, and a bit more recently on Facebook)

This approach runs counter to much of the advice you’ll find online.

You’ve likely seen posts like:

• “Focus on your niche and stick to it.”

• “Focus and post on one platform first.”

• “Optimize for engagement metrics to grow fast!”

• “Find what works and double down immediately.”

And, how can we forget… “monetize, monetize, monetize…”

These sound appealing—simple even—but they often prioritize visibility over sustainability.

Prioritize fast growth over steady foundation-building, learning, and sustainable levelling up, and maybe even mastery.

Building and sustaining a one-person business isn’t about scaling like a startup or chasing “growth hacks.”

In my two-plus years — since walking away from the corporate sector — I’ve taken a much different approach.

It’s been about crafting and creating systems reflecting my values, protecting my energy, and aligning with my realistic goals.

NOT the goals of an employer, an educational institution, or the flimsy goals that ‘societal pressures’ can promote.

I’ve made mistakes along the way and seen many fizzle out and disappear. Yet, My mistakes have been crucial stepping stones to building systems that work.

I’ve failed over and over — on purpose.

Biggest Mistakes in Creative Enterprises?

In early 2022 when I set out on this path of being CEO of my own time and energy — of having a ‘living in the making’ as opposed to ‘making a living’ — I read some great advice from up-and-coming Creative-types.

and suggest finding someone about two years ahead of where you’re currently at and studying what they’ve done.

It’s darn good advice.

Here I am, a little over two years from my starting point. I’ve watched, studied and learned from many successful creative-types. (I’ve also seen many fizzle and disappear).

Here are some common mistakes I see (or have made myself):

1. Chasing Metrics Instead of Mastery

Focusing on likes, views, and followers rather than depth and meaningful engagement. Metrics are surface-level indicators, not the foundation of a business.

2. Trying to Scale Before Building Foundations

Trying to do too much, too fast—adding platforms, offers, and content—without clear foundations and systems. Instead, start small. Build your infrastructure first. Be persistent (not simply ‘consistent’).

3. Ignoring Energy and Time Management

Treating yourself as an infinite resource, without boundaries or systems for recovery. Burnout will collapse even the best-laid plans.

For example, I’ve made daily walks and exercise a non-negotiable part of my system. In the spring, summer and fall, I’m an active cyclist. I design my systems, goals and boundaries to support this.

4. Assuming an Audience Exists and Must “Be Known”…

Believing your audience is “out there” rather than recognizing it must be discovered and built over time.

The common “know your audience” advice is a relic of university marketing classes and bygone analog eras. It’s intended for much larger companies and organizations.

It’s also intended for a time when sending and distributing ‘print’ media was the main gig — and expensive. That was not a time when an individual (or a company) could post and iterate multiple times per day on multiple platforms.

The early stages of a creative business-of-one start with an audience of one — You. From there, ‘audiences’ get built soul by soul.

5. Treating Work as Transactional, Not as Strategic Systems

Viewing each post or article as a one-off task instead of part of a larger ecosystem. This will lead to frustration and burn-out FAST.

Instead, look to connect your work in webs and build momentum — not exist in isolation or rush blindly into something you regret later.

6. Copying Without Context

Mimicking successful creators without understanding their strategies and alignment with your goals, values, and stages of growth. For example, I watch, study and learn from many Creative-types who are half my age or close to it.

I’ve grown to appreciate the successful digital creators who are transparent about how many years it takes to get to where they are. (It’s often more than five years).

7. Focusing on Short-Term Gains Over Longevity

Chasing quick wins and monetization at the expense of building trust, reputation, and sustainable systems.

8. Underestimating Educational Content

Dismissing the potential of guides, courses, or workshops to build authority and create lasting value. Educational assets can be a critical part of your infrastructure.

9. Neglecting Your Creative Infrastructure

Focusing on client work while ignoring your own systems—or vice versa. Both must grow in tandem.

10. Thinking Small and Short-term Instead of Larger, Strategic, and Long-term

Viewing work as disconnected tasks instead of fluid, adaptable systems for long-term growth and longevity.

Unfortunately, in the two-plus years I have spent building my creative one-person business, I have seen far more aspiring creators fizzle and disappear than maneuver into success and sustainability.

I see many pivot, pivot, pivot. This isn’t necessarily a bad thing. However, sometimes patience and persistence, as well as a clear mindset with realistic expectations, support longevity.

What I’ve Learned From these Mistakes

1. Understand How an Ecosystem Works (and Implement)

An ecosystem is not just a collection of parts—it’s the relationship between them.

For a creative business, this includes:

• Your ideas

• An audience

• Your platforms

• Your energy and time

Each piece depends on the others.

For example, writing endlessly without clear strategies will drain your energy and diminish the impact of your messages. (I’ve hit those edges)

To generate revenues from your creative enterprises, you must have an audience (e.g., folks interested in buying what you create). The audience doesn’t have to be large, but it does need to be engaged (somehow).

The first step is seeing your business as a system—not a series of disconnected tasks. And, as a system connected across timescales.

2. Build Creative Infrastructure

We see words on the surface: posts, newsletters, articles, etc. This is especially the case with successful and prolific creators.

Underneath the surface lies their creative infrastructure—the foundation enabling consistency, persistency, flow, and sustainability. This includes:

• Clear strategies for how and where they intend to publish.

• Systems for generating, refining, and organizing ideas (often built through trial and error, over time)

• Tools to build and maintain consistency and persistency without hitting burnout.

For instance, I use a ‘Learning Journals’ systems to track ideas across platforms. This system combines old-school pen and paper with digital tools like Notion and ChatGPT.

A short-form thought posted on X, may evolve into a longer LinkedIn post, which might then evolve into a Medium article or a Box Cutter Co. issue. Similarly, I engage Substack Notes. I also post meme images on Instagram.

I promote my writing by sharing links for Medium articles and Box Cutter Co. issues across all platforms I’m active on.

Creative infrastructure doesn’t just keep you organized—it ensures your ecosystem stays connected, fed and cohesive — over time.

3. My Creative Ecosystem: A Living Example

Box Cutter Co., this Substack publication, is near the centre of my ecosystem.

It’s where I explore ideas about one-person businesses, creative thinking, and non-obvious strategies and thinking. It’s where I share what I’m learning.

From here, I also play with connected thoughts and ideas in a web (on the web) across platforms. None of these platforms exist in silos. Each can feed and link with the others.

For example, a post on LinkedIn might inspire a deeper investigation on Medium, which could evolve into a Box Cutter Co. issue. And vice versa.

Other times, the topics I explore may be distinct across each platform. For example, I recently shared a LinkedIn post on the ‘death of strategic planning.’

It got under 100 impressions in my general feed (and one reaction) but blew up in a private group focussed on ‘strategic planning in non-profits.’

This adaptive system keeps me creative, feeling connected, and ensures ideas are flowing across platforms.

This element of being my creative self prevents burnout and stagnation.

4. The Role of Educational Content

Courses, guides, and frameworks are more than just products—they’re tools for building authority and connection.

For example:

• A five-day email course can introduce your audience to your philosophy and approach

• A guide can position you as an expert

• A workshop can turn ideas into action for your audience.

Educational content strengthens your infrastructure and adds longevity to your ecosystem. The added benefit is the amount you can learn from building and publishing these.

I have built and launched over 10 Free educational email courses. I’ve learned an immense amount from this process (and built a good size email list)

5. Protect Your Energy

Your energy is the ecosystem’s lifeblood. Without it, nothing survives.

To protect it:

• Set boundaries around work, rest, recuperation, and activity

• Define “enough” and stick to it—endless growth is not the goal.

For example, I was recently encouraged to submit a proposal for an evaluation project. While it could generate more revenue, it would also require time, energy, and commitment, taking away from my current systems, projects, and plans.

6. Build an Evolving and Adapting System

Your creative ecosystem should grow with you. It should adapt to new opportunities, challenges, and insights.

As well as to mistakes, failures and learning

Ask yourself regularly:

• What’s working?

• What’s draining my energy?

• What makes the most sense next?

Flexibility is the hallmark of most sustainable systems.

For example, many have suggested I launch a coaching service.

• Or, scale up my ghostwriting.

• Or launch more paid products.

• Or do more to promote paid subscriptions.

• Or engage in far more cold outreach to secure more Ghostwriting clients

Sometimes, I’ve been tempted to dive into these — but then step back and re-evaluate my goals, principles, and plans. My intentions.

I don’t call myself CEO of my time and energy to give that away to a jam-packed calendar and other people’s schedules and demands.

A Creative Ecosystem Built for Longevity

Sustainability isn’t about doing more, or scaling endlessly, or blindly following expert advice or suggestions.

It’s about building systems supporting your values, grow with your vision, and feel alive. (I often write about my ‘living in the making’ as opposed to the common ‘making a living’)

• Start small.

• Build intentionally.

Let your creative infrastructure evolve into a sustainable ecosystem (full of ideas, energy, and connections)

• What might change if you saw your business not as tasks to complete but as a living system?

• Or, maybe you are actively building a sustainable creative system. What are you learning? What have you learned?

Did you know that January's name comes from Roman times and the two-faced god Janus?

Janus’ two faces represent beginnings and endings (and the tensions between them)

And here we are.

It’s that time of year again with the usual buzz: Resolutions. Goals. Metrics.

There is endless noise and kerfuffle about how we need to do more, be more, and achieve more. It’s a similar script every year:

1. Set resolutions

2. Make them SMART (specific, measurable, achievable, etc.)

3. Chase achievements

4. Measure progress

And so it goes… With most who set them failing… flailing… falling short… moving on to other things. (I’ve been there, too).

More often than not, we set goals not just as destinations but as metrics—yardsticks to measure ourselves against some set of external standards.

Did we lose the weight? Quit the habit? Hit the revenue target? Gain the ‘followers’. Check off boxes on some list?

And what happens internally?

• Hit the goal? Dopamine rush with anticipation. A fleeting sense of success — quickly replaced by the pressure of the next goal (or ‘thing’)

• Miss it? Disappointment. Guilt. Frustration. Cortisol release because of feelings of stress.

It’s not just personal—it’s cultural.

Resolutions are frequently based on assumptions we need fixing and are never quite enough as we are.

They focus on deficits, what is lacking, and what is ‘wrong.’ They often root our sense of worth in outcomes or measures only loosely within our control.

Enough-ness is a powerful mindset and decision.

This is where I find having a strong “Shits to Give” meter is critical. I use this one:

Different Questions

What if we step back and ask different questions, like:

• What is the opposite of a goal?

• What is the opposite of achievement?

Generally, the answer to these questions leans to the negative (like the diagram above on the left side)

• A lack of Goals (or not reaching them) dissolves into aimlessness, obstacles, or feelings of failure.

• A lack of Achievements (or not reaching them) crumbles into losses, misses, or abandonment.

And this is the trap.

We swing between the highs of dopamine when we “win” and the cortisol-induced lows when we “fall short, when we “lose”.

“Progress” and “productivity” can feel like walking a tightrope, and where falling off seems inevitable.

What’s worse, we often tie these swings to things outside of our control:

• The economy

• Our boss or supervisor

• AI, politics, layoffs, or some imagined future crisis

Many folks spend hours scrolling, complaining, worrying about what might happen, or blaming the world for why things haven’t worked out.

Meanwhile, the real power sits unused. In the things we can control and influence.

What Persistence Builds?

Over the past two years, persistence—not perfection or ‘consistency’—has been my focus.

Persistence… I can control and influence. Persistence has facilitated quiet growth, experimentation, and evolution.

For example, in the past year:

• Box Cutter Co. has grown to over 800 subscribers, with an open rate close to 50%, and several paying subscribers (thank you!)

• Almost 100 Free issues published, including the launch of the new Soulpreneur Series.

• Over 100 stories published on Medium (and over $2k in earnings) and almost 8,000 connections

• Over 1,000 new connections on LinkedIn (and almost 1 million impressions)

• A doubling of connections on X (Twitter).

These numbers aren’t something I obsess over. I watch them with curiosity, not pressure. They’re signals, not trophies. Signposts, not goal-posts.

I can influence these, but I can’t control them. They tell me what’s working, what’s resonating, and where I might explore further.

And, sometimes, they tell me little at all.

What I can control is how much I write, post and publish. And what I write and post about. I can’t control algorithms or platform changes.

Focus on things you can control.

What Can We Control?

While we don’t control the economy or the world around us, we control something much more powerful: our Self and our choices.

The roots of the word “control” contain the Latin word contra "against" + rotulus, which is a form of rota "wheel." (Ever tried to push against a rolling wheel?)

One of the central drivers and motivators for me leaving corporate public sector employment was more freedom of choice and control in my life. I felt stuck on a hamster wheel.

I regularly keep notes in my Learning Journals, providing simple, honest reminders of small things I have some control over every single day, like:

• How I interpret situations

• Choices I make (and can make)

• How I treat myself and others

• How to spend my time and energy

• What beliefs I hold—and whether I’m willing to challenge or change them

These aren’t resolutions. They aren’t grand, sweeping changes tied to some distant outcome. They’re manageable, immediate, daily actions and decisions.

They’re ways to live in alignment with what matters — no permission required.

What I’m Focusing On in 2025

This year, I’m focusing on what I can control (and influence):

1. Showing up persistently, even when it’s hard. Persistence isn’t about perfect attendance (e.g. consistency)—it’s about staying committed to the work, even when progress feels slow, moving backward, or sticky.

2. Sharing ideas that feel alive and authentic. Not to hit a metric but to create connection and meaning (for me and others).

3. Building projects aligned with my values. Projects not just “performing” but feel purposeful and soul-aligned.

And here’s a few other things I can control and intend to focus on:

• The curiosity I bring to each day (we only have so many)

• What I choose to create, even when no one is watching

• Whether I reflect, adapt, and try again after setbacks

• How I show up when things don’t go as planned

• The boundaries I set to protect my energy

• The thoughts I challenge and let go of

• The time I give to things that matter

• How I treat others—and myself

I don’t “resolve” to achieve any one thing. I intend to keep exploring, experimenting, and evolving. We only have so much time — I intend to use mine in ways of my design and choice.

Moving Beyond Resolutions

Resolutions often anchor us to rigid outcomes, but life thrives in the in-between spaces:

• Places where we can strive and thrive without obsession.

• Explore with curiosity and wonder (no destination required)

• Grow without measuring every 10,000th step.

Instead of tying ourselves to a resolution, we can focus on building and living systems adapted to uncertainty and aligned with our values and principles (and changing those when needed).

I have found it’s not about chasing anticipatory dopamine-highs of “wins” (small or large) or fearing the cortisol induction following a “loss”—it’s about finding balance in the tensioned rhythms of life.

(Defining ‘wins’ and ‘losses’ in creative work is a silly endeavour, anyways)

Living life with in-tention. In the tensions between beginnings and endings.

How about you?

• Are you rethinking resolutions this year? Maybe abandoned them years ago

• How do you feel about living in tensioned in-between spaces?

• Leaning into some uncertainty and unknowns?

Happy Holidays and New Year.

Most advice for creatives and creators sounds good and reasonable—until it traps you:

• “Be consistent”

• “Find your niche”

• “Stick to what works”

On the surface, it’s harmless—even a little helpful in the early days.

But dig deeper, and it’s the same recycled shit keeping many aspiring (and even seasoned) Creative-types stuck, chasing trends, blending in, and then burning out.

Consider for a moment:

• What happens when the niche you’ve tucked into becomes a creative straitjacket?

• What happens when “consistency” turns into a treadmill of uninspired output?

• What happens when the algorithms change (or platform)—and suddenly, “what worked” — doesn’t anymore?

For example, I’ve seen no shortage of posts and articles from people flipping out about recent changes on Medium. (Most of it wasted time and energy)

Two Years of Box Cutter Co.

This month marks two years since I launched Box Cutter Co.

It didn’t begin as a polished product (and still isn’t). It wasn’t a system—just an idea, half-formed, on a platform I’d never used (e.g. Substack).

There was no neatly defined ‘niche’ (also part of the reason for the name).

No proclamations. No cookie-cutter plans. Just an experiment. An exploration of “What if…?”

And openly sharing what I was doing after walking away from a decade-plus career and leaving a stable salary in the corporate public sector.

Two years later, with about 170 posts and articles and countless Substack Notes, Box Cutter Co. has become more of a system within a larger ecosystem-like approach to building a creative enterprise.

A Creative Voice Lab—where I test ideas by sharing them. Where I “think out loud.” Where I challenge some common myths and fallacies circulating in The Creator Economy.

As says: “Show your work.”

Box Cutter Co. is that and is also a public “Learning Journal.”

The “Obvious” versus “Non-Obvious” Paths

Early on, as I was starting to post regularly online and think about how I wanted to use my new role as CEO of my own time and energy — I came across (the only Substack I have a paid subscription to)

They published an excellent book in July 2022 (three months after I had walked cold turkey from the world of offices, cubicles and toxic workplaces).

• Snow Leopard. How Legendary Writers Create A Category Of One
  (by Pirates Christopher Lochhead, Eddie Yoon, and Nicolas Cole).

On their website and page marketing the book, there’s a great quote from the book: 👇

The distinction between those two questions, which they explain in the book, is if you want to be accepted, produce, publish, and post Obvious content.

But, if you want to make a difference — produce, publish and post Non-obvious content.

When I walked from employment, my goals were clear — and still are — to switch from “making a living” to appreciating and being a “living in the making.”

As they say in the book:

I’ve chosen to play the “thinking game” — as this is much more in line with a “living in the making.”

What’s the difference between “Obvious” and “Non-Obvious”?

Obvious content gives people what they already know they want.

It’s actionable, linear, and safe. It’s the Amazon-like ease of ordering and receiving. It’s convenient. Easy to ‘like’ and ‘re-share.’ We’ve all seen it and see it regularly:

• “10 Ways to Boost Your Productivity Today.”

• “Work smarter, not harder.”

• “Consistency is key.”

It’s not that Obvious content is bad—it serves a purpose. It’s clear, quick, and consumable — like fast food.

But it rarely challenges assumptions, sparks deeper thought, or builds lasting resonance or longevity.

Non-Obvious content, however, challenges assumptions. It asks “why?” — often repeatedly.

It explores ideas that may not have clear answers (or any answer for that fact) and connects unexpected dots. Yet so much of the advice aspiring (and established) Creators are sold promises speed:

• “Write for algorithms”
  (turning your creativity into a commodity designed to please a machine)

• “Repurpose everything”
  (stripping the soul from your ideas in the name of efficiency)

• “Post consistently, no matter what”
  (ignoring the importance of saying something worth hearing)

This kind of advice might make sense and feel productive initially, but it traps creators in cycles of diminishing returns—chasing visibility and shallow engagements (at the expense of meaning)

If you feel a pull to create something different—something lasting and standing out—it may be time to step beyond the many ‘obvious’ myths. Forget playing the usual game — and mimicking some popular Creator because they got 1,034 ‘likes’ on a post and 15,346 Impressions.

Consider building your own systems to expand your learning, sharpen your thinking, spark creativity, and sustain energy and soul investment.

For me, early on, a fundamental mindset shift was seeing social media (including Substack and Medium) as sandboxes to play in. And using them as Research & Development arenas — my Creative Voice Lab as part of a larger ecosystem approach.

Building A Creative Voice Lab

Two years of publishing Box Cutter Co. has taught me this: systems that last aren’t about following trends or playing the algorithm’s game.

They’re about creating spaces—like a Voice Lab—where ideas can be posted and shared with others. Many ideas have taken various shape-shifting forms.

It's no different from R&D departments or labs. Lots of ideas and experiments remain just that… ideas and experiments. They don’t go much further.

However, others continue to grow, evolve, and expand into bigger, more connected ideas and opportunities.

A Creative Voice Lab isn’t about producing for the sake of output or to satisfy algorithms — it’s about curiosity. Reflection. Experimentation.

For me, it’s a space where:

• I question Obvious posts and Obvious answers and sometimes sit with the discomfort and uncertainty of not knowing.

• I post and publish even when ideas are still messy or incomplete.

• I connect unexpected dots, exploring intersections others may not have considered or seen (maybe not Obvious enough)

Platforms like Substack, LinkedIn, X, and Medium are extensions of my Voice Lab. They are tools for testing ideas in public, seeing what resonates, and refining my thinking in real-time.

Every post is an experiment. Every article is testing — a sample. Every interaction is a chance to learn something new.

I watch the data — like any experimenter — but try and stay unattached to the outcome. Getting attached to the outcomes of every post, article or Substack issue — after more than 2 years of posting — wastes time and energy.

I compose… then post!

(Let it go, let it fly, observe what happens, move on to the next one).

This is especially important if you play in the realm of the Non-obvious.

Why the Non-Obvious Matters

One of the biggest lessons I’ve learned over the past two and a half years is that most so-called “overnight success stories” in the Creator Economy aren’t overnight (not even close).

It’s easy to look at someone’s current success and assume they got there quickly. But behind the scenes?

The most successful creators I’ve studied—and connected with—have stories of years spent experimenting, trying things, failing, and learning.

It’s years of trying, experimenting, refining systems, finding their voice, and building something meaningful piece by piece. Probably more importantly? - all the learning and unlearning occurring along the way.

The easy path—creating Obvious content—may feel satisfying in the moment. It generates likes, clicks, and shares. But it’s often forgotten as quickly as it’s consumed.

Non-obvious content is more challenging. It asks more of you—and of any prospective audience. Non-obvious content is ‘thinking’ — and not everyone on social media or online scrolling — wants to “Think” or “Reflect”.

Sometimes, we just want silly kitten or puppy videos (and that’s OK).

But, the Non-Obvious is where meaning lives. It’s where curiosity sets off sparks, where questions linger, and where resonance builds over time into a raging inferno.

The Long Game

In these two years of building Box Cutter Co., I’ve learned meaningful systems take time to build.

No, this isn’t another bullshit Obvious: “This is a marathon, not a sprint” post. Because, in my experience, both are required.

Top marathoners more-or-less sprint at sustained speeds over a distance of 42 km (26 miles). They also have sprinting in their training regiments.

Whether you’re writing, designing, or building a creative business, there’s no shortcut to depth and meaning. For me, it’s been a process of questioning, experimenting, and evolving.

Plus, depth and meaning shift as we age and change. Contexts change… as do our values, principles, and things we care about.

I’ve found you don’t need to “find your niche” (certainly not in the early days) or “post at the right time.”

You don’t need a “content calendar” or productivity apps or fret about procrastination.

Instead, experiment and explore finding and building an ecosystem—including playing with and creating your own Voice Lab—and then committing to it. (A lab is intended for experimenting and trying shit).

“Commit to it” means trying, posting, experimenting, playing, thinking, and iterating.

The best Creators often do not chase trends—they build something sustainable, strong, and lasting. Getting there usually involves years of experimenting, changing direction, and creating other things.

Building a Voice Lab That Lasts

Non-Obvious content generally doesn’t come from chasing trends or following advice like “post consistently” or “find your niche.”

It emerges from systems—spaces where ideas can collide, integrate, evolve, and thrive.

A Voice Lab is where this can begin. It’s not about output or algorithms — granted, these are part of the strategies and outcomes. It’s about exploration. A place to:

• Test ideas that feel messy or risky.

• Question what feels too easy, too Obvious.

• Connect dots no one else is seeing or trying.

But ideas can’t live in isolation. An R&D team or a creative lab still needs somewhere for ideas to move outside the walls — they need ecosystems to grow and scale.

• Platforms where experiments can breathe (e.g., LinkedIn, Substack, X, Medium).

• Formats where ideas evolve (e.g., short posts into essays, essays into systems).

• Patterns connecting ideas and thinking into something deeper and lasting.

Here’s a rough sketch of my creative ecosystem.

Sometimes, I start with short form on X (Twitter), then expand to LinkedIn and then to Medium (or Substack).

Other times, I go in the complete reverse direction. I also cross-pollinate across all these platforms. This isn’t content creation. It’s idea experiment and design.

Tangible Steps to Start

What works for me may not be your cup of tea (or coffee or whiskey). Or, as I’ve done, there may be a couple of aspects of my voice lab and creative ecosystem that you replicate — and other components you drop in the trash can.

Here are some to consider.

1. Redefine Success (Shift Mindsets)

Don’t get tunnel vision on likes and shares — these are not necessarily signs of value. Observe, but don’t evaluate yourself based on these.

Think like a lab worker, not a widget builder on an assembly line. Look for resonance—what sparks conversation or lingers in someone’s mind?

2. Create Feedback Loops

Share your work publicly and privately. Observe what resonates and what may not, but don’t get attached to outcomes.

I publish on multiple platforms because each is different with different people engaging. As shared in an issue earlier this week, I publish in different areas of the same platform (e.g. private and public LinkedIn groups).

These all result in different forms of feedback.

3. Play with Formats

Post a quick idea on LinkedIn. Expand it into a deeper, longer essay or article. Break it down into tweets and post them. Or vice versa, start long form and go shorter and shorter.

Watch how your ideas shift and grow. Watch for what you’re learning. Keep track of it. I use paper and pen Learning Journals, as well as Notes app and Notion.

I also use my posts and Substack issues as public Learning Journals (e.g. show my work)

4. Let Go of Outcomes

The Voice Lab is for testing, not obsessing about perfecting. Every post is a sample, not a conclusion. Each social media platform is a tool in the toolbox — not The Tool.

Watch and observe the data, but don’t use it to self-evaluate your worth as a creative individual.

If you obsess about ‘monetizing’ or how to make a buck — especially in the early days — this will lead to frustration, fizzle and burnout. (I’ve seen it hundreds and hundreds of times in two years alone).

Create, publish, post and move forward to the next.

Systems and Play (Beat Speed)

Non-Obvious content isn’t about quick wins. It’s about systems evolving with you—spaces to experiment, connect ideas, and let them evolve.

A Voice Lab is a place to test and play with ideas. A Creative Ecosystem is where ideas collide, compound, and shift thinking (it’s also where a lot of learning can occur)

The creators who last aren’t chasing trends. They’re designing systems of thought and growing with them.

• What are you experimenting with today?

That’s it for this issue. Thank you to those who have become paid subscribers. You are vital in supporting this work with some energy exchange.

If you are not a paid subscriber, please consider becoming one. The next issue of Box Cutter Co. will be out shortly.

Happy Holidays!

What Does It Mean to Be “Obvious”?

“Obvious” comes from the Latin word obvius—meaning “in the way,” or “presenting itself readily, open, exposed, commonplace.”

Obvious content does just that: it sits in front of you, familiar and easy to grasp. And sometimes, that’s its power—it clarifies, simplifies, and guides.

But what happens when everything you create sits “in the way”—the same regurgitated repetition seen 10,000+ times before?

Depth, originality, and connection fade into the background.

Obviously

Obvious content sits right in front of you.

It’s familiar, recognizable, and easy to grasp. That’s why obviousness is sometimes powerful—it can work.

Obvious content can clarify, simplify, or guide.

We’ve all had those aha moments when someone pointed out something obvious. And we have that “ooohhhhhhh….! Of course!” reaction.

However, not every published piece needs to disrupt, challenge, or counter. Some of my work leans into the obvious.

But something is lost when everything we create sits “in the way”— sits in the open, when every post is a regurgitated repetition of what’s been said before… 10,000+ times.

Depth, originality, and connection fade into the background. Stuff like:

• “Work smarter, not harder.” = Obvious

• “Consistency is key to success.” = Obvious

• “Failure is a stepping stone to success.” = Obvious

• “Follow your passion, and success will follow.” = Obvious

I see this shite every day on social media.

Non-Obvious

For me, Non-obvious writing and posts aren’t about rejecting the obvious—it’s about moving beyond, behind, around, and through it.

Pushing into the Non-obvious asks, for example, “What lies beyond what’s easily found?”

“What’s behind those obvious things sitting in front of me?”

For example, each of the Obvious shit-bits above can be flipped into Non-obvious insights:

• Non-Obvious: “Sometimes working harder is exactly what you need to work smarter later.”

• Non-Obvious: “Inconsistency at the right time leads to breakthroughs.”

• Non-Obvious: “Failure isn’t just a step—it’s an entire purposeful system for refining and defining what comes next.”

• Non-Obvious: “Passion often comes after mastery, not before it.

Obviousness has its place—it resonates because it feels safe, immediate, and easy to digest. But creativity, depth, and originality often live beyond the obvious.

This is where some tension lies. For example:

• How can we balance what’s accessible with what challenges, stretches, and inspires deeper thought?

The Tension Between Obvious and Non-Obvious Work

Some of the most successful creators—James Clear, Marie Kondo, Mark Manson—work in the obvious realm. Their work reframes familiar ideas with clarity and accessibility.

And there’s immense value in this. Obvious work can make complex concepts approachable, serving as a gateway for broader audiences.

For example, during my years designing courses for adult learners with lower literacy, Obvious content was essential. It made abstract concepts tangible for people underserved , marginalized or ostracized by traditional systems.

But Non-obvious work takes a different path. It doesn’t simplify—it expands.

It doesn’t confirm—it challenges. It’s less about answering questions and more about asking new ones.

Non-Obvious

However, Non-obvious work doesn’t confirm what you already know — it challenges you to think differently, or at least deeper and under the surface.

Not everyone wants to do that — especially in societies of convenience and now the rapid expansion of AI. (And that’s fair and just fine).

Non-obvious work is often more challenging to create. In The Creator Economy and across social media channels, it simply does not attract the same levels of engagement and traction.

It takes time, curiosity, and a willingness to push against the grain. It also generally takes more brain power and energy to engage Non-obvious content.

Our brains are hardwired for efficiency and energy conservation.

Box Cutter Co.

For me, Obvious is not where the most meaningful work and creative activity lives and flourishes.

With that comes the reality that my metrics will simply be far from the metrics of an ‘Obvious’ creator. The:

• “Here’s how to start writing on Substack” crowd.

• “Here’s how to get your first 1,000 Followers on X/Twitter” guides

• “Buy my $69 course to start writing on Medium” mavens.

It's just not my schtick.

I don’t write and post about the usual ‘leadership’ stuff, or ‘be consistent,’ or ‘niche down,’ or ‘focus on one platform,’ or “dream big”…. bla bla bla.

For example, posts on LinkedIn this week were about anti-fragility. (e.g. Not Obvious…)

Why Creating Non-Obvious Content Keeps Me Grounded

When I’m thinking about and creating Non-obvious content, like these past issues of Box Cutter Co.: 👇

… the process forces me to slow down, reflect, and stay connected with the deeper reasons behind my work.

It’s not about chasing trends or crafting what certain people might want to hear (as you can see by the title of the August issue above critiquing “Know your audience…”).

My writing and posts are more about exploring honest and aligned ideas—even if they take longer to compose and land (or not land…)

This practice keeps me soul-centred in a world that rewards speed and surface-level engagement. It reminds me that creativity isn’t just a job or a system—it’s a way to think, live, and grow.

Non-Obvious Creation in Practice

Here’s how I approach creating work that goes beyond the obvious:

1. The Art of Seeing Beyond

Start with what’s obvious, then push further. Instead of “Consistency is key,” ask: When might inconsistency drive innovation?

For example, a post exploring when persistence trumps consistency resonated more deeply than yet another “be consistent” platitude.

2. Go Beyond the Surface

Obvious content flattens nuance and complexity. Non-obvious work respects complexity.

For example, exploring “failure as a system” challenges the tired “failure is a stepping stone” trope plastered all over social media.

3. Connect What Might Not Belong

Non-obvious ideas emerge at intersections—those in-between spaces where concepts collide.

For example, my “ecosystem approach” frames creative work across platforms as interconnected currents, rather than siloed efforts.

Yesterday, on LinkedIn, one idea posted across three contexts yielded entirely different responses, amplifying reach and sharpening the insight itself.

I openly posted this on my feed (look at the impressions — bottom L corner of images) 👇

I then shifted the post slightly for a private group called ‘Working Writers’ and this was the result 👇

And, I shifted it again (ever so slightly) for a private LinkedIn-operated group on Career Success… and… well… 🚀

Notice that this one, with almost 20,000 impressions, has been posted for five fewer hours than the first one. 🤷‍♂️

• [Update from today… this last post above is now at almost 30,000 Impressions]

If I followed various digital guru advice and only posted the first open one, it would seem like my ideas and writing would be dead in the water.

But if I look at the last one, I should be 100x my efforts.

Someone on Substack recently commented on my suggestions of an ecosystem approach to posting and publishing, suggesting it equated to “more” and that “more isn’t always better.”

I corrected that sentiment.

An ecosystem approach is about diversity rather than monoculture. And diversity does not = “more”

Just as monoculture does not = “less”

It’s about building in anti-fragility and resilience. If you post Obvious content, you are throwing your obvious thoughts into the vast ocean of other Obvious content.

Social media is FULL of it. A grand sea of sameness

How to Move Beyond the Obvious

Creating Non-obvious work is about some level of originality and authenticity. It’s also about navigating the challenges that come with it — and adjusting one’s mindset accordingly.

Here’s how to move deeper while acknowledging the dangers and realities of the process:

1. Flip the Script on Your Obvious Ideas

Don’t reject the Obvious—but deconstruct it. Ask:

• What’s hiding behind this idea?

• What might be the untold story here?

• What assumptions need to be challenged?

For example, instead of repeating, “Failure is a stepping stone to success,”

Explore the idea that Failure is inevitable—and incredibly useful if you learn how to use it as a deliberate system for growth.

2. Write for Depth, Not Approval

Non-obvious content is more challenging to digest.
It doesn’t get instant applause (or any)

It asks readers to think, which often means fewer likes, shares, and engagement.

• Reality: Your reach might be smaller, but the impact on those who engage will be more significant.

• Tip: Prioritize depth over immediacy. This week, write one piece or post prioritizing a sharp, challenging insight over immediate relatability.

Then… 👇

3. Prepare for Resistance

Non-obvious work disrupts assumptions, which provokes disagreement—or even silence.

• Danger: It might feel like you’re speaking into the void.

• Reality: Silence doesn’t mean failure—it often means your ideas are percolating.

• Tip: Also try sharing your work in smaller, thoughtful, or directed spaces (private groups, niche forums) where it can spark more conversations and engagement.

And! —always keep in mind the majority of people reading on social media are quiet lurkers.

I can’t count the number of times I run into friends, colleagues, former colleagues, etc. who will say:

“Hey, I see your posts on [x] platform — provocative stuff. Nicely done!”

And, I think, “but I’ve never seen you engage a single one”…

Oh well… carry on.

4. Fail (& Try) Like You are in Research & Development (R&D)

Every experiment won’t succeed. The vast vast majority won’t—but every failure is data.

• Danger: You’ll question your instincts and approaches

• Reality: You’ll uncover what resonates — with you and others — and refine your approach.

• Tip: Track what works, what doesn’t, and why. For you, and, for others. Treat your content creation like a lab notebook. And make sure you try multiple channels and platforms.

5. Challenge Yourself First

Non-obvious content demands more of the creator. If it doesn’t challenge your thinking, it’s unlikely to challenge anyone else’s.

• Tip: Revisit one of your past posts or articles and ask, Does this idea push hard enough? If not, rewrite it with a sharper edge or explore its opposite perspective.

The Dangers and Realities of Non-Obvious Content

Non-obvious creation isn’t for everyone.
It’s slower. It’s less predictable.

And it often lives much deeper than what’s popular. It’s rarely the ‘trend’ or “trending.”

• Danger: Non-obvious content will alienate casual audiences.

• Reality: It attracts deeper thinkers and builds lasting trust and engagement.

• Danger: It can feel isolating, especially when engagement is low.

• Reality: The right audiences find non-obvious work over time—it lingers longer and resonates deeper.

I base this on my experience of “Following” very few creators. Here on Substack, for example, I only have one paid subscription:

I have no interested in swimming in the vast sea of sameness that is social media.

The Less Travelled (or Non-existent Path You Build)

Non-obvious work is the path less travelled, but it’s where the most meaningful ideas live.

How about you?

What’s one assumption in your work you’ve yet to challenge?

And how will you push beyond?

That’s it for this issue. Thank you to those who have become paid subscribers. You are vital in supporting this work with some energy exchange.

If you are not a paid subscriber, please consider becoming one. The next issue of Box Cutter Co. will be out shortly.

I once had a boss who said, “I love seeing bums in seats.” It wasn’t about the work—it was about fake appearances.

I left that toxic philosophy behind to build something more intentional and soul-centred.

When I left a decade+ career in 2022, I didn’t just walk away from a paycheque (and a ‘ladder’ I’d climbed some rungs up)—I also walked away from perceived safety nets of structure, predictability, and approval.

I also walked away from many toxic practices and folks in toxic stages of their lives.

And, in its place, I found something far more valuable: the chance to intentionally build and create things aligned with my soul.

Soulpreneurship

Yea, sure, some people will roll their eyes and scoff at the term.

So be it.

The heart of Soulpreneurship—is an intentional blend of values, soul, creativity and entrepreneurship. Doing this work as a business of one (the majority of my ventures these days) means I get to be a Soul Proprietor.

It’s not just about building and creating shit, but also how, why, and where.

While the journey and process are personal, I find some key elements necessary for any soul-centred venture. One of those is added flexibility in choices.

For example, yesterday afternoon, I traded my laptop for fresh snow, crisp mountain air, and the dying light of a short winter day here in western 🇨🇦.

Snowshoeing isn’t just exercise for me—it’s reflection and meditation in motion. It makes me better at what I do.

It’s where I can think deeply or think nothing at all, carried only by the rhythm of snowshoes (“quacker-whackers,” as I call them) and the muted silences of fresh snow in a quiet forest.

Winter is much quieter in the forests where we live. It’s not full of thousands of songbirds and the movement of critters of all shapes and sizes.

Designing Your Days

One of the perks of being self-employed is designing your days. Sometimes, you tackle deadlines, and other times, you step away to recharge. Yesterday was a bit of both for me.

I had a deadline for client work and got that nailed in the morning. So, in the afternoon, I took recharge time.

Yet, you don’t need to be self-employed to bring soul and intention into your career or creative projects.

There are ways to create space and build with intention, even amid career, family and other demands.

3 Systems for the Soul Proprietor

1. Reflective Systems

Building a creative business (even side gigs) starts with knowing yourself — or at least getting to know you better.

Reflection is not an optional luxury — it’s a foundational practice.

I use Learning Journals to map ideas, ponder or look for patterns, and refine and reflect upon decisions (to name a few uses).

My Learning Journals serve as a bit of a long-term compass, pointing toward actions aligned with my values and intentions — or not.

And, sometimes, I have a helper — this is our new kitten Richard 👇. He’s very helpful…

Reflective systems aren’t about perfect plans. They’re about helping you stay anchored in your “why” while navigating the inevitable uncertainties of building something new.

Combined with a world in constant flux.

In Living Between Worlds: Finding Personal Resilience in Changing Times (2020), long-time psychoanalyst and author James Hollis suggests the energy of change be reclaimed and redirected into meaningful action—not scattered in anxiety or busyness.

Having worked in public sector admin (higher education and healthcare), I’ve seen far more than enough wasted busyness and anxiety or worthless shit, flavours of the day, ‘planning’ that wasn’t planning (it was simply meeting to meet).

Engaging or wanting to engage in Soulpreneurship? Start with a simple question:

• What am I building, and why does it matter? Why does it matter to me?

Write out or draw your answer. Revisit it weekly or monthly to see how it evolves. Make sure to date and write some notes when you revisit it.

2. Intentional Authenticity

Authenticity isn’t a buzzword — it’s intentional practice. To build something real, show up as you are.

This doesn’t mean broadcasting every thought—for me, it’s been about aligning work with values and trying to speak and write in my voice.

For me, intentional authenticity is constantly moving, ebbing, and flowing. The word “intend” means stretched and in-tension.

Building creative projects and things in the digital world means constantly balancing, like the pull of ‘comparison envy’ (e.g., seeing others' numbers of ‘likes’, followers, subscribers, etc.) with the grounding force of staying true to your unique voice and purpose.

For me, that means crafting intuitive systems, sharing stories honestly, and rejecting endless tail-chasing for validation through trends or metrics.

It’s trusting the right people will find me when I show up persistently (as consistency is often a bullshit term) as myself—without overexplaining or apologizing for gaps.

Through living an intentional life, I've found authenticity (with one’s self and others) becomes even more critical during significant or increased change.

Authenticity is less about perfection and more about alignment during times of significant change. It’s about finding your rhythm amid external chaos, whether by walking away from a career ladder or simply carving out moments to breathe, by walking.

Getting outside and staying active are critical cogs in those wheels.

Time to simply… be.

How about you?

Look at your current work. Is there one small way it could feel more “you”? Maybe it’s time to soften the edges, break the mould, or make your tone more honest.

Consider starting there and see where it takes you.

3. Building with Soul

Soul-guided ventures are about more than metrics. Yes, income matters, growth matters, and watching for signals in your posts and content is important.

But they’re not the sole measure of success, and definitely not of soul. A soulpreneurship venture is about personal purpose alongside profitability infused with soul and meaning.

Money (e.g. revenues) is simply an exchange of energy. It’s an exchange of one person’s value for another person’s.

For a Soulpreneur, this often means balancing the practical and the intangible: systems for efficiency, strategies for sustainability, and a deep connection to why you’re doing all of this in the first place.

For you?

Consider defining your “enough.”

• What does success look like for you—financially, creatively, and personally? Write it down and revisit it often (leave yourself notes when you do)

Practices for Times of Change

Here are three additional practices I’ve found invaluable for navigating uncertain times:

• Rest fuels creativity. Time away isn’t indulgence — it’s an investment. Stepping back to recharge allows ideas and energy to flow.

• You define your rhythms. Even within rigid roles, finding your personal cadence—when to push and when to pause—can create balance and clarity.

• Perspective shifts matter. Fresh air, new surroundings, or even stepping outside your usual routines can unclutter your mind and sharpen your focus.

Claiming the Language, Re-Mapping the Spaces

Soulpreneurship isn’t just a concept — it’s a movement.

It’s for those who reject shallow hustle and ‘productivity-obsessed’ and wasted ‘bums in seats’ culture and, instead, is about building with intention, in-tension, as well as with reflection and soul.

There is no “6 Simple Steps to Soulpreneurship” or other silly bullshit polluting many social media channels.

If it was ‘simple’ and had easy steps, why aren’t there hundreds of millions of Soulpreneurs or businesses of one?

The paths of Soulpreneurship are not easy, but damn rewarding. It’s about crafting creative lives and businesses reflecting your values, nourishing your soul, and contributing something meaningful to the world.

James Hollis writes and talks about how every transformation demands the collapse of what came before. The old maps are gone, and the new ones aren’t yet drawn.

In this in-between space is a deep need for creativity, resilience, meaning, and purpose.

It’s a fantastic opportunity — to not follow someone else’s path but create and design your own.

Something to Ponder

As you navigate this changing landscape, ask yourself: What will you build in the place of the old map?

Sketch your vision, write your thoughts, and revisit them often—because the map isn’t fixed, and neither are you.

That’s it for this issue. Thank you to those who have become paid subscribers. You are vital in supporting this work with some energy exchange.

If you are not a paid subscriber, please consider becoming one. The next issue of Box Cutter Co. will be out shortly.

Does the work you do to ‘earn a living’ drain your soul?

Are you stuck between the necessity of ‘making a living’ and the yearning to create a life that genuinely feels alive?

This isn’t just about the grind—it’s often about deeper misalignment between how we spend our time and whether our work reflects values and principles that matter to us.

Every creative individual or professional feels the pull of opposing forces: the ego’s hunger for recognition and the soul’s yearning for meaning.

The ego thrives on measurable success: titles, followers, salaries, and applause.

The soul, however, craves something quieter and harder to measure: alignment, purpose, and deeper reality of work that authentically matters.

This tension between ego and soul isn’t a judgment—it’s a balancing act.

For me, the tipping point came when I realized I was succeeding in ways ‘society’ valued but failing in ways my soul couldn’t ignore.

In 2022, I made a choice—a soulful takeover of my time, energy, and purpose. That’s how Box Cutter Co. began: not just as a business but as a philosophy.

The Ego and Soul Fuelling Box Cutter Co.

Many readers know the backstory of Box Cutter Co.

If you don’t (in short), in 2022, I walked away (cold turkey) from a six-figure public sector salary and career. Not because it wasn’t successful but because it was sucking my soul.

I was a senior administrative leader in Canada’s public healthcare system through the COVID pandemic. When global restrictions were lifted, I was exhausted and done with bureaucratic bullshit.

I wanted to be the CEO of my own time, energy, and purpose—not for freedom alone but for meaning and alignment and to be a ‘living in the making’— not ‘making a living.’

I needed to create work that reflected more of who I am, not just what I could do.

Cutting Out of Boxes

For years, I played by the rules of 8-5 corporate career success:

• Climbing leadership ladders in healthcare and higher education.

• Earning my doctorate while balancing side teaching and consulting gigs

• Tripling my salary over a decade.

On paper, and in many colleagues’ eyes, I was thriving. I was mentioned in leadership ‘succession’ planning. I was Succeeding! Succesful!

But my soul?

It was shrinking within bureaucracy, silly politics, and the endless grind. My time and energy weren’t mine—they belonged to someone else’s agenda, aspirations, and plans.

That’s part of why I launched Box Cutter Co. (and other creative initiatives)—a move against burnout, bureaucracy, and being ‘busy’ (for the sake of being ‘busy’) — against being a “bum in seat.”

A move driven by my Anti-vision — not just some aspirational dream or vision of unknown and unpredictable futures — but by knowing exactly what I intend to never return to.

It wasn’t just a business; it was a philosophy. A deliberate choice to carve out a life that honoured money as an exchange and meaning as a necessity.

The Power of Exchange

Money is often misunderstood.

It’s easy to see it as a cold, impersonal necessity—or as something to be feared or chased. But at its core, money is simply an exchange. An exchange of energy, value, or otherwise.

• When you create something meaning-full, you’ve put your energy, skills, and time into it.

• When someone pays for your work, they exchange their energy—often earned through time and effort—for the value you’ve created.

This exchange can be powerful. It can connect people and honour contributions.

I’ve been fortunate in a highly-varied professional career — I’ve rarely taken on ‘work’ that I didn’t see as a meaningful exchange of my time and energy.

Being an educator, working in a public healthcare system, and being a community development professional for decades brings a lot of work with ‘meaning’.

However, eventually, I found the higher I moved in the hierarchical bureaucracy, the less meaningful the work became.

It was a funny paradox: the higher I went, the more it paid, but the less the meaning and intention of why I chose that work in the first place.

I realized a fundamental principle: The energy you give needs to align with the energy you receive.

Energy Exchange

If the balance tips—if the work drains your soul without replenishing it—it’s probably time to recalibrate.

For me, recalibration meant leaving the soul-sucking grind of 8-5, of ego-centric and often manipulative leaders higher in the chain, and returning to building work that allowed me to exchange energy in authentic and fulfilling ways.

Work with soul, intention and meaning.

(It’s also not lost on me that there is privilege in this undertaking)

Soul Metrics, Not Just Ego Metrics

Building and publishing Box Cutter Co. hasn’t been about chasing validation. It has been about creating from a place with more soul-full alignment.

I focus on what I call soul metrics, here’s a few:

• Sustainability: Does my work energize me, not deplete me?

• Alignment: Does my work reflect me and what I value?

• Impact: Is it meaningful to me and those I create for? (and work with)

This doesn’t mean ignoring external metrics.

Ego metrics—followers, income, or recognition—have their place. They’re not inherently bad. They’re tools, just like social media is a tool.

Lessons from a Soul-full Takeover of My Time

Becoming the CEO of my time and energy wasn’t just a shift in how I worked—it was a shift in how I lived (and how we lived in our household).

It meant rethinking and recalibrating what my time was spent on, why, and for whom.

This wasn’t just a career pivot—it was an act of reclamation and reconstruction.

A deliberate and often uncomfortable process of questioning how I spent my time and why I was using it the way I was.

We all only have so much time on the planet.

I’m in my fifth decade, meaning I have less time left than I’ve already lived.

This meant I’d far rather be the CEO of my time, as opposed to someone else (or an institution) telling me what hours I needed to be within their walls, in their ‘meetings,’ and ‘creating’ what they tell me to.

It’s an incredibly powerful driver and motivator to take back one’s time and schedule.

Here are some lessons that have emerged from this recalibration and restructuring of time, energy, and meaning, which continue to shape how I build and live my work and energy exchanges.

1. One’s Time and Energy Are Finite Resources, Not Checklists

When I became CEO of my own time, I realized productivity wasn’t the ultimate goal. Alignment and meaning were.

Now, my schedule and creative output are tools to support my life and purpose—not forces controlling them. I also choose care-fully who I work with.

2. Money Isn’t the Enemy—It’s a Resource

I redefined money not as something to chase but as an exchange, enabling me to create, grow, and support others. When viewed this way, earning becomes a way to sustain and amplify soulful work.

If you look at the etymology (roots) of the word earn, it comes from Old English earnian "deserve, earn, merit, labor for, win, get a reward for labor," which comes from Proto-Germanic *aznon "do harvest work, serve" (Online Etymology Dictionary)

3. Soul Work Evolves

What feels meaning-full today may not tomorrow. I’ve learned, and continue learning, to remain open and flexible, adapting my work as I grow and change.

We are all, always, in times of transition. Second to second, hour to hour.

The Soulpreneur’s Questions

It’s important to remember — neither soul nor ego carries labels of ‘good’ or ‘bad.’

The ego drives ambition and external engagement, while the soul is more about authenticity, meaning, and depth. Both are essential forces —the challenge is not to judge but to balance them in service of a life with meaning and intention.

The journey of building soul-aligned work is full of questions — most aren’t quickly answered (if ever). Here’s a couple:

• 👉 Am I creating for validation, or am I creating for meaning?

• 👉 Does this work honour my soul, or does it simply check the next box?

These questions don’t label ego or soul as good or bad—they’re about balance. They’re about Both/And.

The ego drives ambition and engagement, while soul anchors us in authenticity and depth. Both are vital forces, and the key is finding harmony in their push and pull.

Navigating the Spaces Between Validation and Depth

Money is a tool. Meaning is a foundation.

Together, they form paradoxes any entrepreneur, solopreneur, Soul Proprietor must navigate.

For me, becoming the CEO of My Time and Energy wasn’t a career pivot—it was a soulful takeover.

It has been about reclaiming my energy, realigning and restructuring my work, and creating exchanges honouring money/exchange and meaning.

Authentic freedom is not just leaving the 9-5, and it doesn’t require walking away from it either.

It’s about designing a creative life in which your time, energy, and creativity flow toward what matters most—your soul’s work.

• What about you? How do you navigate this paradox in your work?

That’s it for this issue. Thank you to those who have become paid subscribers. You are vital in keeping this work supported with some energy exchange.

If you are not a paid subscriber, please consider becoming one. The next issue of Box Cutter Co. will be out shortly.

You don’t need to look far to read this oft-spouted mantra: “Be Consistent!” (when it comes to posting and building online).

We hear it everywhere. One of the mantras of the Creator Economy and a supposedly critical tool to success.

• “Post every day”

• “Stick to a schedule”

• “Show up like clockwork”

Know what this sounds like? (A job!)

• What if this ‘be consistent’ mantra is holding you back?

Consistency is comfortable. Certain. It feels safe. It’s the warm shower of routine and (apparent) certainties of knowing what comes next.

• But if you’re always consistent, when do you change?

• When do you make space for those chaotic bursts or required rest?

My experience with “being consistent”?

It often leads to stagnation. It lulls me into a rhythm of repetition—predictable, yes… but growth-limiting, learning-limited, and progress-limiting.

If you want to level up in pretty much anything, you have to be willing to break the rhythm and routines. This means both bursts of overload and bouts of rest.

I see this in coaching youth sports through working with various individuals and organizations. I also see it in my regular creative work.

Growth Comes from Disruption

Think about the times you’ve truly grown and/or changed. The moments when you felt alive stretched beyond what you thought possible.

Were you being consistent?

Or did it arrive like storms, surging through life in bursts—moments of intensity and fear followed by quiet, still hours?

Growth is, at its core, a form of change.

And to change, we must do something different—something beyond the familiar.

In our household, we do this every winter. Two years ago, I took our two teen boys on a 5-day skiing road trip. We skied some scary ♦♦ (double black) terrain.

We ‘forced’ ourselves to ski in challenging and dangerous terrain. But this was not out of ignorance… it was out of years of levelling up.

Change and growth are rarely about showing up the same way every day.

It’s often about moving outside of what’s comfortable and certain. Overloading yourself. Taking on challenges that force you to evolve.

‘Consistency’ doesn’t facilitate that.

Consistency keeps you in a loop, repeating the same actions and thinking in the same way (maybe even the same thoughts). And, in many cases, consistency simply isn’t realistic — and often not very productive.

Authenticity doesn’t thrive there, either.

Authenticity often lives with some disruption. In those moments when you let go of scripts and habits and lean into changes. With the scary thoughts and questions often arising with that and out of it.

Authenticity shows up when you let go of control

When you allow the mess of life to unfold as it will.

I learned this lesson firsthand when I became a parent. And even more so when I found myself raising a double-blended family. Any notions of “be consistent” burst like bubbles.

Life, and especially family life, is anything but ‘consistent.’

Our youngest, now in his mid-teens, didn’t sleep ‘consistently’ through the night until he was almost 10.

The chaos of sleepless nights, shifting demands of children at different stages, and the emotional landscapes of blended households (including through a pandemic).

It all forced me to adapt and let go of illusions such as those suggesting life follows a neat, predictable schedule.

Parenting has taught me that real change and growth come when you learn to flow with life, not against it.

The Myth of Consistency

Have you ever seen the maps made by geologist and cartographer Harold Fisk in the mid-1940s depicting the many meander channels of the Mississippi River over time?

They’re stunning.

Through soil and core samples taken over quite a period of time, Fisk was able to depict how the river channel has moved back and forth over thousands of years.

These maps were produced for the Army Corps of Engineers. Each colour and shading pattern is related to a period of time.

The river’s path has changed a lot over time, twisted and meandered across valley bottoms and centuries. Fisk’s work is an intricate dance of colours and curves, illustrating the river’s constant evolution.

Each bend and loop marks a period when the river broke free from its previous course, reshaping its path.

And that’s the point.

The river doesn’t follow a straight line. It doesn’t conform to a consistent, predictable course. Instead, it adapts, responds, and changes based on forces acting upon it.

There is a common myth in digital circles — specifically, those participating in The Creator Economy — that consistency is some marvellous key to success.

But it’s shallow advice, built on some idea that repeating the same thing over and over will guarantee results. But life doesn’t flow and roll out that way, just as a river doesn’t.

Life is a constant flow of change. We are always in a period of transition, whether we like it or not.

Growth and authenticity, like a river’s path, require flexibility, adaptation, and a willingness to shift and change.

Following the “be consistent” mantra risks turning our lives (especially the creative aspects) into straight, monotonous channels.

All Rivers Change Course (And So Do We)

Finding success isn’t about showing up the same way every day. (Nor is at as simple as “showing up” every day — another shallow mantra in this business).

It’s often about responding to forces at play—sometimes immersing yourself completely, sometimes stepping back.

It’s about knowing when to let intensity take over and when to pause, letting the dust settle, resting up for the next thing.

Sometimes, you must overload yourself with new experiences, ideas, and challenges.

Sometimes, you must disappear, retreat, and find some silence to make sense of it all — or let things percolate and take shape.

Success, change and growth are often in the gaps between bursts of intensity. It’s not in daily repetition but in cycles of action and reflection where the soul finds its depth — or, more clearly, reveals it to you.

Try These 3 Approaches to Disrupt ‘Consistency’ Myths

1. Disrupt Your Routine Intentionally

How to Try It: Choose one consistent habit or routine that feels too comfortable—posting on social media, your daily work schedule, or even a personal ritual.

• Action: Break the pattern for a week.

Replace it with something challenging—take on a new project, switch up your workout, or engage with a different skill.

Notice how changes impact your creativity, energy, and perspective. This will help you practice stepping outside your comfort zone and leaning into the unknown. Some pretty cool things can arise there.

2. Plan Cycles of Intensity and Rest

How to Try It: Growth generally doesn’t come from constant effort but from bursts of focus followed by recovery periods.

• Action: Schedule a focused period (a week or a month) where you dive deep into a new challenge, learning opportunity, or project. Let yourself overload and fully immerse.

Then, follow it with intentional rest—block out time for reflection, journaling, or simply disconnecting. This cyclical approach will allow you to harness intensity and integrate growth during quieter phases.

3. Use a Learning Journal to Track Cycles

How to Try It: Instead of tracking daily habits, start a Learning Journal to observe broader cycles in your life—intensity, rest, growth, and reflection.

• Action: Write about what phase you’re in and what it feels like. Document your thoughts during the first two suggestions above. Make sure to revisit these entries over time.

This will help you see patterns in your growth and remind you life, like a river, isn’t linear but full of meanders and changes.

In many ways, this describes my process with Box Cutter Co. It’s a public Learning Journal where others can learn (and unlearn) with me.

What do you think of this “be consistent” mantra?

Have you used it and experienced something different than described here?

That’s it for this issue. Thank you to those who have become paid subscribers. You are key in keeping this work supported. If you are not a paid subscriber, please consider it.

The next issue of Box Cutter Co. will be out shortly.

There’s no shortage of messages online selling “dreams” and “visions.” Coaches, gurus, influencers—all pushing similar fluffy, bullshitty messages:

“Create a Huge Vision!” “Dream Big!”

And while dreaming and visioning are exciting, there’s a problem with these types of messages:

• We don’t live in someday.

• A vision without experience is never enough.

When life gets messy (and it does) — you don’t and won’t rely on dreams to pull you through. You will rely on lessons and hard-earned experiences that have shaped who you are.

Now.

Too many people promote a future that hasn’t happened yet and might never.

👉 What’s missing?

A grounding in Now.

Visions and dreams are helpful, yes, but they’re not lived. (Often, they never will be). They are often ambiguously “out there…”

What’s real is the person you’ve become based on your past experiences—the challenges, the pain, the growth, the learning.

This person, shaped by real life, is who you bring to every present moment. Not a future self, not a dreamed-up ideal.

Once the dreaming and visioning are done, we all have to return to earth and live in the present moment.

No matter how much you dream, you still live in the present—a present deeply influenced by your past. That’s how we’re wired.

Our brains are hardwired by (and for) experience. Perspectives.

Reality pulls you back to what you’ve lived through, not abstract ideas you haven’t yet encountered (like the frayed, sprayed potential paths in the image above).

When things get tough, it’s your lived experiences, not visions, that your mind and body return to. They are your strongest foundation.

This doesn’t mean we are dictated by or held in place by our past. Not at all. But dreamily, visioning about a future self always comes back to the present to make the next choice.

Living in a World Obsessed with Future Selves

The culture of “dream big” is enticing. It’s fun to dream.

• But how do you avoid getting lost in it?

• How do you avoid floating in a sea of abstract visions and anchor yourself in the real world?

Over the years, I’ve often called this “workshop syndrome.” We can probably all relate. We leave our ‘regular’ lives to attend an inspiring workshop or retreat. We eat well. Feel engaged yacking with others.

As the retreat wraps up, we think, “That’s it! My life is going to be different now!” We commit to staying in touch with all our lovely workshop colleagues. We talk about getting together over the next year.

And then…

…we return to real life.

This doesn’t mean we should lay in stagnation or status quo. It means taking a realistic, incremental approach to change and building toward a future self.

Here are three ways I try to implement this, and have implemented these over the past two-and-a-half years since walking away from a decade-plus career and a good, healthy public sector salary.

1. Trust experiences

They are our strongest guides, especially the ones we refuse to tolerate again—like a toxic workplace or relationships that drain you. These are lessons learned the hard way.

Use them. Draw from them.

2. Live the power of an Anti-Vision

Instead of being driven solely by where you want to go, focus on what you refuse to return to. An anti-vision is built on what you will never accept again. It’s more concrete, more real, and rooted in your past.

3. Balance dreams with lived reality

The present moment is where life is always lived. Period. Choices are made here, and real action happens here. Yes, your future matters, but your past profoundly shapes how you handle the present AND think about the future.

More on putting these into action below.👇

Everything Happens Now

Otherwise, it has already happened (past) or might happen (future). Dreaming is great, but don’t forget where we live: In the present.

Dreaming is like a quick all-inclusive vacation—refreshing while it lasts, but when it’s over and you return home, there’s laundry to fold and meals to make.

The future is fun to ponder and important to plan for, but it’s not real—and never will be until it becomes the present. See, there we are back here, now.

Reflecting Forward (From Now)

Visions can certainly inspire us, but our experiences shape us.

While dreaming big has its place, living with intention now is what moves the needle.

For example, over many years of living and working in western rural and northern Canada, I’ve seen friends and colleagues leave home for treatment or self-improvement retreats—seeking to become a better version of themselves.

But when they returned, their old life was right there, waiting for them.

The hard truth? No matter how transformative the experience is, if your present reality stays the same, you will most likely stay the same (other than one day older, then one day older, and so on…)

It’s one thing to dream about future possibility, even take some steps to create a desired future self — but it’s another to make lasting changes stick — in the ever-present present.

Here are three actionable steps to try. These are intended to integrate past experiences and potentially create meaningful and lasting shifts.

1. Audit Your Life for Actionable Lessons

Reflect on the most pivotal moments in your past. Ask yourself:

• What lessons can I apply to my life today?

• What situations, environments, or behaviours no longer serve me?

• How can I use my past experiences to inform daily actions rather than waiting for change to happen?

Keep a Learning Journal for reflections. Note down specific lessons from past experiences. If possible, at the end of each day, write down one small action you took and one that you can take to implement those lessons immediately.

For me, when I walked away from steady, corporate public sector employment in early 2022, a Learning Journal and auditing life experiences have been critical.

By documenting them, I can return to them regularly and see how far I’ve come and where I can take more steps. This publication is intended as a public Learning Journal.

2. Implement Your Anti-Vision Regularly

An Anti-vision is a clear, unshakable picture of what you refuse to tolerate or return to in your life.

It’s built from experiences—failures, toxic environments, and painful lessons—that shaped you into who you are now.

Your Anti-vision isn’t about striving toward some idealized future — it’s about ensuring you never go back to certain patterns, people, or situations. I have always found this a far stronger motivator for change and steady steps forward — than a ‘vision’ or ‘dreams.’

Because nothing lights a fire under my ass faster and hotter than thoughts of slipping back into a life I worked so hard to leave behind.

Positive thinking and future visions are fine, but the threat of returning to a reality I can’t stand keeps me moving.

• Think about what you don’t want to go back to—what are the habits, jobs, or environments you’ve outgrown?

Use that anti-vision to set boundaries and make intentional choices that keep you from falling back into old patterns.

Create a personal Anti-Vision Checklist of non-negotiables.

Every week, review it and assess whether you’re living up to the boundaries you’ve set. Adjust your actions to keep yourself moving forward, away from what you refuse to accept again.

3. Stop Dreaming, Start Doing (Don’t Rely on Habits Alone)

Dreaming about the future is comforting, but it won’t get you there.

You’ve heard it before: “Break it down into small, daily actions.”

But here’s the twist: habits alone won’t save you. They’re easy to fall back on, but they’re also easy to hide behind—especially when the real work demands messiness, adaptability, and flexibility.

The systems you build matter, yes.

But they can also become a crutch—a way to avoid the real friction that drives progress (e.g. feeds fuel to the fire under your butt)

The danger of obsessing over habits is they can lull you into thinking you’re making progress when really you’re just spinning and making noise.

I called this publication Box Cutter Co. for a reason. It’s about more than just showing up—it’s about shaking things up. Looking at things from many angles.

Don’t let routines turn into comfort zones. Systems are tools, not the endgame.

Pick a practice that scares the shit out of you, something that forces you to grow, to think differently, to be uncomfortable (for many that’s posting perspectives online).

Commit to it for 10, 20, maybe 30 days, not to check a box, but to feel the mess and inconsistency of real progress.

Track how often you fail—how it stings and pisses you off — because that’s where the growth happens. Then rework your approaches to accommodate the real world, not the ideal.

• • •

Right Now is where the real work happens

Daily choices, the commitments you make to yourself, the boundaries you enforce—it’s all grounded in the present.

The future is inspiring, but life is lived in the mess of the now.

So dream big, but take steps today (even little, tiny ones)

So Sure, dream big. But keep in mind: we are our pasts, and we live right here. Right now.

Imagine for a moment you’re a young bull on a traditional ranch. One day, early in your life, you’re rounded up into a fenced pen.

You get roped and tossed to the ground. You smell the dust, something hot, and burning flesh. Then you see the knife…

…Personal branding has some parallels.

To Brand, Burn, and Lose Bits of Yourself

When a young bull gets branded, it’s not just for recognition (e.g., the ranch’s brand) — it also generally gets de-horned and castrated.

It loses something vital—pieces of its identity, its power, and its autonomy—all to serve the needs of the ranch and ranchers.

The word “brand” comes from ancient roots—it means to burn. For centuries, livestock have been marked with red-hot irons. This practice was for recognition, to signal ownership.

But in the digital age, especially among content creators, writers, and influencers, personal branding has become the red-hot iron that many folks suggest is vital for success.

But let’s slow down and explore this with a little more depth.

It’s everywhere.

We’re bombarded with advice to build a personal brand. But this practice has little connection to the original roots of branding—or even its modern meaning in the corporate world.

Back in the Middle Ages, artisans used branding to distinguish their products at the market. And in that context, “market” meant the literal, physical market where people bought goods.

Now, we’re in a world with over 5 billion people online and using social media.

The “market” is often a vague, overwhelming force. It’s no longer a simple physical space, but a relentless, massive, invisible expectation.

In more recent eras — the mass manufacturing era — brands emerged to differentiate products—think logos, slogans, colours, and packaging to make one similar product stand out from another (e.g. shoes, coffee, etc.)

But personal branding in the digital age?

It’s a trap. A lie we’re told to fit into, and one that strips away individuality, authenticity and uniqueness.

The Danger of Conformity (And, How Not to Get Castrated)

In this online era of relentless digital exposure, the idea of personal branding has become a powerful vomitous mantra for many.

From self-help gurus to career consultants, a constant push to craft a polished, marketable persona. But it’s Bullshit.

(And I say this with respect to many colleagues who have sipped this particular flavour of Un-Kool-Aid…)

Just like a young bull is made to conform to the ranch’s needs, personal branding trims away distinct parts of your identity.

It’s not just about standing out—it’s about fitting into neatly labelled boxes designed by societal expectations or an invisible online “market.”

But what is this market, really? With billions of people online, who exactly are we branding ourselves for?

By trying to align ourselves with what’s popular or trendy, we fall into a trap. We lose our unique voice. We dilute our creativity. We limit our potential for real success.

We begin to lose pieces of ourselves—just like that young bull, branded and castrated, losing parts of its power and identity.

Three Ways Personal Branding Hurts You

1. Unnecessary Pressure and Conformity

This bullshit idea of personal branding applies constant pressure to maintain a perfect, curated image. This will lead to stress, anxiety, and burnout.

You start living a double life—the “branded” persona versus your authentic self. In the end, it’s exhausting and will most likely leave you disconnected from your real identity.

I see this regularly in the digital realm. Overly posing photos, the Instagram-perfect family (knowing full well a household is struggling), the bullshit LinkedIn “I’m so proud and humbled” promotion announcements (knowing full well someone is locked into a toxic sick system).

• Why do folks feel they need to post this drivel?

👉 Conforming to some false expectation (that is not their own) — that’s why.

2. Superficial Judgments

When you reduce yourself to a personal brand, you encourage people to judge you superficially. People will focus on your image, not your depth.

Real-life—losses, failures, the messy stuff—gets left out.

You become a false caricature of yourself, and people will not see or will stop seeing the complex, real person with depth and breadth in their lives. Which leads to… 👇

3. Inauthenticity

Personal branding shifts the focus from building real skills and creating meaningful work to simply projecting an image, telling a false bullshit story, and trying to fit into the ranch’s expectations (like a branded bull).

People start to focus on seeming innovative, successful, or knowledgeable — rather than being so.

The result? Mistrust. Tuning out.

People sense when your image doesn’t match your reality. In other words, they smell the bullshit (on the ranch). We all recognize when folks are missing bits of their real selves.

Castrated from reality. Trying to fit into some boxed-in brand. Some identity dictated by forces outside of our Self.

A Solution? Reject Personal Branding

So, how do you avoid the pitfalls of personal branding?

Reject the branding iron altogether. Rather than succumbing to this bullshit concept and getting burn scars — turn your focus inward. Ask yourself:

• Who am I in this work?

• What are my actual, real, true values? (Not the bullshit ones ‘the market’ wants)

• What makes me unique? (And we are all completely unique—live this)

Your authenticity and unique Self are your greatest strengths. It’s about living (and sometimes sharing) the messy, real, and complex parts of yourself — and the things you’re working.

The failures, the scars, the lessons. You don’t need to fit into some BS notion of a brand. Instead, Be You—and let authenticity shine in your work.

Authenticity Over Branding

Personal branding is an illusion. It’s a trap that will result in over-conformity, burnout, and inauthenticity.

Forget about fitting into a mould. Maybe try focussing on solving real problems, sharing your unique story, and letting your work reflect who you truly are.

The world doesn’t need more brands—it needs a unique and authentic you.

👉 How do you navigate this idea of “personal branding”?

👉 How do you feel about it?

I’ve been noticing the term “Impostor Syndrome” circulating like wildfire —especially in what many call The Creator Economy — articles, social media posts, newsletters, and so on.

“I have Impostor Syndrome,” they say.

It’s unfortunate because the term is Total Bullshit.

It’s tossed around far too often by writers, creators, and entrepreneurs trying to carve new paths and projects. It also shows up in career transitions, times of change, and taking on new projects.

But the reality is: it’s both misleading and counterproductive.

Let’s break this down.

Two Core Problems with the Term

1. Calling it a “Syndrome”

A syndrome implies something is broken, a collection of symptoms pointing toward a disease or disorder.

But feeling uncomfortable, uncertain, or even scared isn’t a disease.

It’s natural.

Our bodies are wired to do it. It’s what’s kept us alive as a species.

All three of these — discomfort, uncertainty and fear — are also, frequently, precursors to growth.

When we label natural feelings of self-doubt as a syndrome, we pathologize what is an essential part of life — especially when we take on new things.

The blatant reality here? Every day is a new day that you have not experienced before.

Thus, any entrepreneurial journey, or life change, is experiencing something new, often for the first time. This does not mean you are deceitful or fake.

Discomfort isn’t a signal of something wrong—it’s often a sign of levelling up in life.

2. The Term “Impostor”

This implies deception like you’re faking it or pretending to be someone you’re not. But that’s not the case.

Most of us are simply in the process of learning, of becoming, of unfolding across a life. You’re not an impostor—maybe you’re a beginner, or an early-stage creator, or someone entering uncharted waters.

Remember: every day is a day neither you nor I have ever experienced before.

The feeling of “I’ve never been here before” is a natural response to growth. It is not fraudulence. If anything, it’s evidence.

Maybe even evidence you’re on the right path.

The Myth of the “Impostor” in Writing-centred Businesses

When I made a quick transition into full-time Soulpreneur and began establishing digital writing businesses from scratch — I had many moments of doubt. I didn’t secure my first client until months into the process.

Some days, I still have doubts.

This does make me an impostor.

When I walked away from a good solid salary in the corporate public sector, full benefits, and predictable schedules, days and income — I felt uncertainty, discomfort and some fear.

Still do.

This does not make me a fake, or trying to deceive anyone.

Services, like Ghostwriting, involve stepping into the voices, experiences, and stories of others. It’s a delicate balance—capturing someone else’s voice while using your skills and language weaving to help them communicate effectively.

• Was I an expert Ghostwriter from the beginning?

  No.

• Does providing Ghostwriting services make me deceitful? An Impostor?😱

  No.

From the get-go, and every day going forward, I’m learning, evolving, and potentially improving with each project. I’m not pretending to be someone I wasn’t, or am.

The moment we label this sort of discomfort as Impostor Syndrome, we miss the essential truth: these are not moments of deceit but of growth.

Is Ghostwriting Deceitful? F*** No.

In my first year as a Ghostwriter, I secured over $700K in funding for a non-profit agency through various writing projects.

• Was I an impostor for landing such major deals through writing?

  No!

I was using my skills to assist others while expanding my expertise in the process.

Securing funding for non-profit (and profit) organizations is also a pretty good way to keep yourself receiving new contracts (and offers for new ones).

If I had labelled my early discomfort as Impostor Syndrome, I might have hesitated to take on those projects — as well as stop talking with prospective clients about new ones.

(Which has included two in the past week alone)

I simply don’t call my periodic discomfort “impostor syndrome” because it’s a Bullshit term—and, because it wasn’t about pretending.

It’s been about stretching myself beyond what I knew or experienced before — and I’m growing personally and professionally in the process.

Added to this, if I fell into thinking I was an “impostor” then I may very well have taken on projects not aligned with my values and ethics. (And, I’ve had a few opportunities to do that — yet trusted my gut and instincts).

Those who suggest they feel like an Impostor are most likely to engage in tactics, approaches, and expectations that are not genuine and authentic to themselves.

For example, pursuing ‘growth’ at all costs — thinking this will alleviate this notion of being an “impostor”. (Trust me, it won’t).

Revenue projections for the next year of my various writing and educational projections are over $200k. (Not bad considering, when I started in early 2022 my revenue projections were about $20k in the first year)

Growth Sometimes Hurts (And That’s OK)

If you spend any time online, you’ll hear successful people talking about how they once felt like “impostors.”

You’ll hear folks in the midst of establishing something new saying “I feel like an impostor.” Maybe you’ve said it yourself?

Does this mean you or others are pretending to be experts?

No. It just means you, me and others are simply feeling some discomfort - and this is not deceitful.

In my two years of building a portfolio of writing business, including ghostwriting for executives, non-profits, and academics I’ve realized this uncomfortable feeling isn’t a signal that I’m on the wrong path—it’s a signal you’re evolving.

Starting something new, like a business or a high-stakes project, will often feel uncertain, but that’s not fraudulence—it’s self-development.

Why the Term “Impostor Syndrome” Needs to Go

Using this term holds us back.

It leads to dwelling on self-doubt instead of seeing it as a necessary part of growth and change.

It perpetuates binary thinking: you’re either a legitimate expert or a fraud. But life, especially in business, isn’t that clear-cut.

Expertise exists on a spectrum.

You don’t have to ‘know everything’ to start something new—you simply need to have the willingness to try, to grow, and a little courage to face uncertainty.

Plus, appreciate the failures and the further discomfort they bring.

Throw in a dose of authenticity to admit that you don’t know it all — or, better yet, that you (or I) have a shit tonne to learn (and unlearn).

The Pragmatic Wisdom in Discomfort

Starting digital writing businesses and projects has brought its share of discomfort.

When I walked away from a comfortable salary to build something from nothing, I wasn’t entirely sure where it would lead. But I was OK with that.

Discomfort became a part of my process, not something to avoid. It drove me to be more curious, more resilient, and ultimately more connected to my work.

I also regularly stop and think about, reflect upon, and write out the sheer discomfort I feel about the prospect of being forced to return to a 9-5 office existence in toxic organizations.

That ugly discomfort constantly drives me forward on establishing sustainable and enjoyable writing businesses and projects.

If you expect discomfort as part of building an authentic business, it won’t derail you. In fact, it will propel you forward.

Growth Over Guilt

Feeling uncomfortable, uncertain, or unsure doesn’t mean you’re an impostor. Its probably much more a sign that you’re doing something meaningful and real.

Instead of labelling it as “Impostor Syndrome,” recognize it for what it is: a sign of growth and change.

And if you’re committed to building a soul-driven business, you’ll learn to welcome that discomfort and lean into it.

Next time someone says they have “Impostor Syndrome,” ask them (or yourself) if it’s really impostorism—or simply the fear and excitement that arises with stepping into something new.

Because in the world of digital writing, ghostwriting, and authentic business, discomfort, fear and uncertainty aren’t the enemy—their critical allies.

Consider these:

1. How has discomfort or self-doubt signalled growth in your own life or business journey, rather than deceit?

2. What would shift for you if you saw self-doubt as a natural part of learning, instead of a sign that you don’t belong?

I initially posted a version of this on Medium, with a different approach. That story got a Boost and is quickly becoming one of my biggest $ makers. If you’d like to read it, this image below is hyperlinked with a ‘friend link’ (meaning anyone can read it).

That’s it for this issue. If you missed it, the first “Behind the Scenes” post for paying subscribers went out this week. If you are a Free subscriber feel free to use your free coupon to check things out.

News Flash: Our souls don’t care how many followers we have.

It doesn’t care about likes, shares, or engagement rates.

Your soul has no interest in metrics.

Two+ Years of Building & Writing

Over the past two years, I’ve been creating and writing — posting nearly daily.

I’ve seen aspiring (and eager) creators come and go. (Mainly Go)

I’ve watched others who started near the same time as I did, hit it bigger (on metrics) and go further (on $), rack up more subscribers, and land bigger payouts.

Good on ‘em.

And I’ve seen countless aspiring creators and writers fizzle out. Disappear.

Survivor Bias is alive and well in “The Creator Economy.”

The success stories get the spotlight, but few talk about the creators who vanish. Most certainly, those who vanish, are not sharing their stories and glorious headlines.

You know, the ones who got frustrated, burned out, fizzled out, chased trends, bounced around platforms, then tried to “monetize” and build “lead magnets” too fast, and so on, and so on.

Be wary of what you read about in the “Digital Creator Economy”

Be very wary of unreasonable expectations. Be even more wary when your intuition shouts “This seems a little too easy to be true!”

Be very very wary of being attached to expectations — especially those recommended by others and include either “should” or “must”.

Check your expectations regularly. Often, they will need to be slower.

A Slow, Steady, Winding Path

I’ve made a deep commitment to limit chasing trends,

• to not slip from my intentions

• to not slide from my integrity

I try to remain rooted in what I want to be doing, being, writing, and creating for myself, for my joy and contentment (first).

Being, writing, creating for others (second).

That… and… well, sometimes, through my own painful and frustrating processes can sometimes (maybe often) mean things are “slower”.

But then, “slow” exists in relationship to what is “fast”

And… well… fast isn’t always ‘good’ or ‘better’.

A hummingbird on average lives about 3 to 5 years — an eagle lives 20-40 years.

So then maybe it’s not ‘slow’ per se — But purpose-full. Intentional. Intention-full.

And, in that, more real. More authentic. Genuine. Meaning-full.

Maybe importantly — it’s something sustainable?

Make Your Own Rules

A couple of weekends ago, I came across successful creator Andrew Huang’s new book. I’ve thoroughly enjoyed it — love the title!

Funnily enough, Make Your Own Rules appeared for me at just the right time.

It’s a fantastic reminder, motivator, and partial blueprint.

Huang didn’t — and doesn’t — follow formulas.

Didn’t and Doesn’t chase the crowd.

And, like me, he’s hearing impaired — and, yet, his specialty is music. 🤯

He has created, forged, and struggled on his own path— one built on fun, experimentation, and trusting his instincts (and well outside the ‘norm’).

There are parts of the book wonderfully laid out and shared in what he calls his 'seasons of development’ and growth.

He started creating and sharing music in the 2000s (pre 'smartphone'). His start as a digital creator was making custom songs and music for people. He advertised on eBay.

Over many years he experimented, iterated, and continued to evolve. In the early years, he was largely focussed on providing services (e.g. making music).

Now Huang has over 2 million subscribers on YouTube and employs staff to keep things going.

I highly recommend the book to anyone looking to build, create, and be real. And read a real story about a real person steadily staying real.

Huang’s book reminded me of why I’ve stayed the course. Of slow, steady and intentional.

Why I’ve resisted the pull of chasing trends or focusing on vanity metrics or rushing to “niche down” or chasing the ‘next’ platform.

It’s reminded and reinstilled in me that a slower process, intentional slowness, is not just OK—it’s necessary (at least for me — and clearly for others too).

The Joy of Making Your Own Rules

Creativity isn’t about following someone else’s steps.

It’s not about fitting yourself into a mould.

It’s breaking free from what others expect and creating something uniquely yours.

OR, at least, engage in some deeper thinking about your own thinking. Huang captures this beautifully.

In his work, he’s all about the strange, quirky, and fun.

(ChatGPT would say he’s “embracing” it…)

He’s allowed himself to create outside the lines, to play with form and function —

Not conforming and instead following his instincts, intuition, and pushing boundaries.

And this, he shares, is where his best work happened and continues to unfold.

It reminds me of some of my other favourite digital creators and Christopher 👇

“Everything is the way that it is. Because somebody legendary changed the way that it was.”

Reflect for a moment:

• Have you ever compromised your creativity to meet expectations or trends?

• What would it feel like to create just for yourself, without constantly stressing about the outcome? (Maybe you already are?)

Creative Paths aren’t Straight

One of the most powerful ideas I found in Huang’s Make Your Own Rules is the notion: creative ideas and work don’t follow straight paths.

Sometimes, the best work comes from allowing yourself to be fluid, flexible, and open.

Huang suggests, it’s about living in the space between structure and improvisation.

It’s about creating for yourself, while still being open to others.

It’s about letting inspiration find you (or at least your intuition and soul), instead of chasing it.

This fluidity is key in my own work as a Soulpreneur.

Psychotherapist and author James Hollis frequently says:

I’ve learned building and creating something meaningful (meaning-full) isn’t about sticking to rigid plans or processes.

It’s not about following someone else’s blueprint or ‘best practice’.

If that was the case, I’d still be in a stable 6-figure salary role (while my soul languished and shrivelled further)

One’s own path, I find, is about knowing when to let go, when to shift gears, and when to take unconventional routes.

It’s about trusting the work you create will resonate — if it comes from a real place.

Often the resonating may just lie with you — And that is just fine!

If you’re looking for the resonating to take form in numbers, subscribers, likes, and re-posts… well… that’s the fast path to burnout (and probably boredom).

What does it mean to sustain creativity?

For me, it means appreciating your work will change.

Processes will evolve — and sometimes devolve.

What worked yesterday might not work tomorrow, let alone in an hour.

And that’s okay too.

Andrew Huang’s creator journey is a testament to this.He learned to create by pushing, or maybe even without boundaries.

To experiment constantly, try new things relentlessly without worrying about whether they fit into a pre-made box.

He seems to have found success in a space of play, in a place where rules are not the first consideration. A place of “why not?”

My journey with Box Cutter Co. engages a similar approach.

The work isn’t about sticking to a formula; one way of doing things.

It’s far more about staying curious, remaining playful, and letting the process unfold.

Many, many years of playing many sports have taught me that trying to “force” something — force a new skill — rarely produces satisfactory results.

(And sometimes instigates disastrous results)

For example, learning to carve an alpine ski is a balancing act of speed, finesse, technique, gravity, G-forces, equipment, terrain, and trust.

Similar with ‘powder skiing’.

Our kids have also been perfecting this as they learn to backflip on skis and take on more and more challenging terrain.

When you create from that place—when you sustain the joy and trust your own process—that’s when some magic can happen.

Yet, of course, not lost here… to sustain a ‘creator’ business, a ‘writing’ business — still means one must run a business.

The Numbers Will Follow (but the Soul Leads)

Here’s a few things I’ve discovered:

Your soul doesn’t care about metrics, but the world around you often does.

So how to balance the two?

For me:

• Create first for (and from) soul.

• Let yourself play, experiment, and push boundaries. Ask “why?” relentlessly.

• Work to create what feels right, what feels true to you.

• Trust the numbers, the followers, and the ‘success’ will come—not because you chased them, but because you stayed on your own path.

Try to ensure you have realistic and critically engaged ideas of what ‘success’ looks like for YOU (NOT anyone else).

As Andrew Huang writes in Make Your Own Rules, success isn’t found by following someone else’s script.

It’s often found when you stop trying to fit in and start creating what feels authentic to you.

(Sounds simple, but it can be pretty damn tough to find and remain on that path).

With Box Cutter Co. — I’ve pursued business on that very principle.

A business fuelled by creativity, joy, and freedom to break the “rules” — or at least get outside the norms.

… mixed with a good dose of periodic frustration, lamenting, wondering, head-shaking —

…and then simply getting up again and getting the next bit of work done.

And the numbers?

They are following. Bit by bit. But that’s not why I did it, why I do it.

Plus it depends on which ones you want to track.

Revenues-wise — across our dual Soulpreneur household our incomes are well beyond what we ever made as employees.

(Better yet: I see no toxic bureaucracies in my rear-view mirror)

Upcoming 👉 ‘Behind the Scenes’ pieces will break some of these down.

“Behind the Scenes”: A Teaser for What’s Coming

I’m working on something new.

For paying subscribers, I’m putting together a “Behind the Scenes of Box Cutter Co.” document and series.

I’ve started fielding more questions on my processes, where income comes from, and otherwise.

I’ll share more about how I approach my writing, creative strategy — and the slower —

…more intentional processes I engage in regularly.

I will offer some insights into how I’ve built Box Cutter Co. from scratch and stayed aligned with my vision (struggles and successes).

Including… when the temptation to chase faster growth, more followers, and more reads was strong.

If you’ve ever wondered what goes on behind the scenes or how someone tries to stay aligned with creative purpose and intention — while building a sustainable business, keep an eye out for that exclusive content—it’s coming…

The graphic opening this issue is part of it.

Some parting reflective questions:

• What would change in your creative work if you stopped seeking validation and started trusting your instincts more?

• How might your process and satisfaction shift if you focused on creating for the joy and meaning it brings you, rather than external rewards?

• What truth or untold story is your soul longing to express through your work, and what might happen if you let it come through more freely?

If you’re up for it, leave a comment or post a note answering one (or all) of these.

I recently shifted the paid subscriber to $5 per month — and am very thankful some generous folks have remained on as Founding subscribers. 🙌

The next issue of Box Cutter Co. will be out shortly. Please drop a ♥️, re-post, or otherwise. My soul may not care, but I’ll be thankful. : )

If you’ve ever sat down to start a creative project only to feel paralyzed by invisible forces—doubt, distraction, anxiety—then you’ve met Resistance.

It’s that pesky voice pointing you to procrastinate, wait, plan some more, or, simply dust the shelves, clean the fridge, or death scroll cat videos…

It’s the chorus in your head saying you’re not ready, that what you’re about to create won’t be good enough. It’s an invisible forcefield positioned between you and (potentially) your most important work.

Steven Pressfield, author of The War of Art, Do the Work, and Put your Ass [Where your Heart Wants to Be] (among other titles), has written quite a bit about Resistance.

He nails it in Put Your Ass [where your heart wants to be]:

It's our tendency — yours and mine and everyone's — to yield to procrastination, self-doubt, fear, impatience, self-inflation, self-denigration, distraction, laziness, arrogance, complacency, and perfectionism.

It's our inability to focus, our incapacity to press on through adversity. It's our terror of finishing and exposing our work to the judgment of the marketplace.

It's fear of failure. It's fear of success. Fear of humiliation. Fear of destitution. It's our inability to defer gratification, to acquire and act with self-discipline, self-validation, and self-reinforcement.

Resistance and Fear and Conformity go hand in hand in hand. The Triple Threat:

• To Creativity

• To Authenticity

• To Personal Authority — Personal Agency

And these are not just internal processes. The Triple Threat is also fed by external pressures.

To conform, to play it safe, to meet expectations set by society, by our peers and families, or by industries often rewarding fitting-in over standing out.

Or by advanced schooling systems that enforce ‘objectivity’ and beat the “I” out of any writing. (which, of course then simply results in wrtng, which is gibberish).

If you’ve ever hidden your true creative instincts or buried an innovative idea because you feared judgment or failure, you’ve been in a battle not just with Resistance, but with Conformity.

Each led, pushed, pulled, and supported by Fear.

The Triple Threat: Fear, Resistance, and Conformity

Fear is the root of both Resistance and Conformity.

According to Jungian psychotherapist James Hollis, we live with two primal fears: the fear of being overwhelmed by life and the fear of abandonment by others.

These fears are so deep they dictate much of what we do, or decide to do, or, not do. Driving us to resist our true callings, our authenticity, and our personal agency. This then leads instead to conforming with the expectations of others.

(which ironically, are often more assumed expectations than explicit)

Resistance

That force keeping us from sitting down and doing the work that matters most. It infiltrates, or outright stops, creative processes by arriving as procrastination, self-doubt, and avoidance.

It’s a pretty universal experience, especially for creators, entrepreneurs, and anyone working to carve out their own path, do their own work, to swim against societal currents, or maybe family expectations.

And, yet, wrapped up in this triple threat — often the most rarely discussed is how Conformity can be the most dangerous form of Resistance—because it’s silent, nebulous, and socially reinforced. For some, it becomes part of their identity.

Conformity

Is deeply ingrained in many of us from lifelong interactions within it, such as the conformity-inducing institutions like families, schooling, justice systems, religion, and more.

For many, we conform because it’s easier to go along with the crowd than to stand out.

Conformity can be a form of self-sabotage driven by the same fears that create Resistance: fear of failure, fear of judgment, fear of ridicule, fear of criticism, and fear of abandonment (to name a few). And, the odd one, fear of success (odd, but powerful).

Conformity is often the path of least resistance, and it feels ‘safe’—but it’s also, often, the very thing holding us back from stepping into our authentic authority.

Into our personal agency, powered by independent choices and creativity.

All driven and supported by our Soul.

Authentic Authority and Resisting (or at least reflecting upon) Conformity

Personal authority is often the exact opposite of conformity. Not always, but frequently.

Don’t get me wrong, in societies, communities, families, etc. — there is a role for conformity and periodically conforming. Think of speed limits on busy highways for example. Or, for playing sports or card games, rules and conforming to those is part of the gig.

Where many challenges exist in conformity — is in the personal awareness, self-reflection and recognition of where one may be subject to conformity, participating in conformity, and in engaging in some critical reflection on “why?”

For example, in the last few years, I’ve taken a couple of online courses by popular Creators and successful digital entrepreneurs. I marvelled at how others taking the same course approached it like it was a school classroom.

• “Am I allowed to do this?” some would ask about online activities.

• If someone missed a post in a course designed to encourage posting every day, the list of apologies and excuses would ensue as if they were getting a grade and the dog ate their homework.

• I would often wonder if someone was going to put their hand up on Zoom to ask if they could turn their camera off and go pee…

These sorts of habits and behaviours are generally legacies of over a decade of schooling.

Going a little deeper into our selves we may be able to identify many areas to reclaim personal agency and move away from institutionalized habits.

Giving more awareness to this work can also begin building awareness of our body indicators warning us of inauthenticity, lack of agency, or simply areas of our life that we need to pay heed to.

All part of building, igniting, and supporting personal agency.

Personal Agency

Agency, authority and authenticity are generated through making decisions from a place of internal clarity, internal motivation, and not external expectations.

Or, sometimes there isn’t clarity — there’s simply the power of choice. A decision.

I frequently raise the reality that ‘status quo’ is almost always an option and a decision. To remain in status-quo — for example, not writing and publishing a vulnerable piece — is still a decision.

Many of us live in a world constantly telling us who we ought to be, what to create, what to do, how, and how to measure success. Plus what NOT to do, what NOT to create, and so on.

As a former youth worker, a longtime youth sports coach, and various careers — the external directives (and measuring sticks) are everywhere.

As an individual positioned in an arena and an identity often privileged by the society I currently live in (white, male, heterosexual, educated, etc.), I can only speculate and listen to those who live the ‘external’ expectations different from those pressed down upon me.

For some folks, those ‘external’ expectations are enshrined in and enacted through government legislation. That can be a harsher reality than mine. And, yet, everyone is impacted by government legislation on things like marriage, family definitions, and mandatory schooling (for example).

Reclaiming and Invigorating Authentic Authority

Reinvigorating personal agency and authentic authority doesn’t necessarily need to be some ruckus act of rebellion. A cannon-firing march to epic Hans Zimmer soundtrack, or otherwise.

I thoroughly appreciate the concept of Resistance and how it flows, grows, and goes in many ways.

Resistance (internal) can certainly limit each of our own creative projects and work. It often arrives at my creative endeavours in full regalia and marching band.

• “I can’t draw!” has been with me from a young age.

However, resistance is also the mantra of reclaiming or igniting personal agency and authority. As in — resisting conformity and external expectations. Or, even just dialling down its impact and grip on us.

I appreciate looking at this work from various angles and approaches. Like the metaphor I used in a recent Learning Journals Initiative article — take a look at a problem, or challenge, or project from many windows in the tower of one’s mind — not just one.

There is some common language in these areas, like “reclaim”. I’m not so sure it has to be that dramatic. Sometimes, its more about a gentle feeding, or soft ignition. Or, something completely counter like:

• What about using a non-resistance approach to deal with resistance?

The Power of Internal Motivation

Agency, authority, and authenticity are generated by making decisions based on internal clarity—not external approval or directive.

Engaging deeper with one’s personal agency, facilitates navigating life’s challenges from a place of inner strength, rather than bending to what others expect.

Or, often worse, imagining, speculating and assuming what others expect (e.g., parents, mentors, superiors, etc.).

Non-Resistance and Non-Conformity (As Paths to Authentic Authority)

Here’s a paradox: while Resistance tries to keep you from doing your most important work, Non-resistance offers a way forward.

The word resistance is rooted literally in standing. This goes way back in the history of language and the word. (See ‘stance’ in the word?)

• To resist means to “stand against”.

Thus, in my mind, resisting resistance is sort of like standing against standing. Or, stepping off a 3rd story deck with the belief that one can resist gravity.

We can’t.

Like the image at the beginning of this issue — a river doesn’t meet resistance and tie itself in a knot. It simply continues to do what rivers do — Flow.

Rather than fighting Resistance—pushing back against the voice that says “you can’t” or “you shouldn’t”—what if you just allowed it to exist?

Non-resistance is about flow, much like a river encountering an obstacle. Instead of stopping and tying itself in knots, the river continues to flow, adjusting its course around whatever stands in its way. Or simply backing up and waiting its turn.

[Like recently in Tŝilhqot’in territory (in central British Columbia), when a landslide blocked an entire river for days. Eventually, the river breached the blockage sending a torrent downstream.]

Non-conformity doesn’t have to be a loud rebellion or a bursting torrent—it can be a quiet, steady commitment to doing your work, your way, regardless of what others think. Bit by authentic bit.

Practical Steps to Dull the Triple Threat

So how do you combat the Triple Threat and operate from your personal authority — from your place of authenticity?

1. Recognize Resistance

The first step to overcoming it is naming it. Resistance is fear in disguise. Don’t let it paralyze you. No need to get all up in arms about it either. Maybe even just give them an ‘ol Alexa “Boop” (If you’ve watched the show Schitt’s Creek)

2. Practice Non-Resistance

Instead of fighting fire with fire — and trying to battle and extinguish every thought of self-doubt or resistance, observe it, say hello, and maybe even write it out.

Once written out (or sketched), say “Hi there little resistance mobiles, I’m just going to put you over here in the Parking Lot for a little while.”

Or, whatever process might work for you. “Just show up,” is very common advice - or “Put your ass where your heart wants to be” as Pressfield recommends.

Yes, these can work, however so can other forms of non-resistance. Discover what works for you.

3. Question Conformity

Ask yourself (and write it out): where in your life are you potentially conforming to meet the expectations of others? Why?

Reflect on whether these choices align with your authentic self or could be the path of least resistance. Make a commitment to be guided far more by your authentic self than your conforming self.

For me, regularly publishing my illustrations and drawings has assisted a lot.

As well as I often feel some resistance mousing over to the “publish” button and pressing it. I try to use that as an instigator to do it more frequently.

In the online digital realm, we all see the ‘advice’. Some of us even take courses to get more. There is an endless array of “do this, then this, then this”.

Filter it with a fine mesh. Play with discovering what works for you and what aligns with your authentic self. Just because it worked for some big Creator, does not mean it will work for you.

I will often point this out when I see some single, 20-something, no kids, bachelor making some statement about what “everyone should be doing in The Creator Economy”. Good on them for what they’ve achieved, but try doing it with 3 little kids (for example).

4. Igniting Personal Authority

Each time you decide from a place of internal clarity, you charge up the batteries and engines on your personal authority, agency, and authenticity.

Over time, you’ll find that your actions and decisions align more with your authentic self, rather than external approval.

It’s important to keep in mind, our authentic self, our soul, is not a static entity. It is flowing too. And, our souls really don’t give two shits about how many subscribers or followers we have.

Or how many likes our authentic story got.

Your Own Authentic Authority

Fear, Resistance, and Conformity will always be there. They are also not all bad.

For example, I appreciate the ‘out of bounds’ signs on ski hills. There are times when the fear and resistance sparked by ropes and ‘danger’ signs are a good opportunity to conform.

However, in the realm of being creative, of playing with being a digital entrepreneur, of dabbling in the Creator Economy (full time or side gigs) — build tools and approaches to ensure you’re not making decisions that support staying small and safe.

Getting to a place of authenticity, of being your own authority, of acting with personal agency, is always a work-in-progress.

I remind myself often, I’m not here as a digital entrepreneur, creator, and writer to “fit in”—I’m here to create, to innovate, to push against conformity (e.g., Box Cutter) and engage in the work my Soul intends to illuminate through me.

How about you?

• So, where in your life are you conforming?

• Where might you be resisting your authentic creative potential?

• And most importantly, how can you continue igniting your authentic authority today?

If you’re interested, here’s a ‘friend link’ to The Learning Journals Initiative story on Medium. (friend link means anyone can read it, you don’t have to be a Medium member).

See you soon with the next Box Cutter Co. issue.

In the meantime, appreciate those of you leaving comments, sending notes, and pressing the ♥️

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George Orwell wrote in a 1944 essay: “Autobiography is only to be trusted when it reveals something disgraceful.”

And I have something disgraceful to share...

When I started Box Cutter Co. it was intended to be somewhat autobiographical. For example, regular issues about what I was doing, learning, and failing at as I built digital writing businesses from scratch.

In the folds of my brain were illusions of grandeur on what this might become…

My disgraceful share?

• After 2 years of writing and publishing regularly online, I don't make much money from my published digital writing. 😱

If I were to be an “overnight success” as a digital writer, that night would have to be longer than an Arctic night in January. Mercury has the longest night at 175 Earth days. Thus, my ‘overnight success’ would have to be even longer than that — it would actually need to be a night extending well past 24 months (and still going).

Two more readers of Box Cutter Co. became paid subscribers (or making pledges to support) this past month. Fantastic, and thank you!

On Medium, I’m on track this month for one of my top 5 months for earnings — at a whopping $300 US.

Where I make money (to “make a living”) is largely in writing for others… Yet, the vast majority of writing I do is my own and published in various online enclaves.

And, therefore, for some, my digital writing “success” may be disgraceful. ;)

Why Write, then?

… many might ask.

And, it’s a fair question. Plus one I’ve explored in previous issues.

Largely, I write because I love the creativity of it. The illumination it can provide on so many things. Learning. Unlearning. Connection. Synthesis. And, so on.

The longer I am online and sharing my work, the wider the reach, readers, and connections become.

For example, steady publishing and sharing here on Box Cutter Co. has it primed to go beyond 700 subscribers (any day) — which included dumping over 60 non-reading ones about 6 weeks ago.

On Medium, there are over 7,100 “followers” of my account. On LinkedIn, getting closer to 5,000 “connections”. On X (Twitter), getting closer to 1,300 “followers”.

But, that’s not why I write, create and publish

Plus, I’m highly skeptical of any of these numbers carrying much meaning (esp. in an algorithm-driven digital world).

I see a lot of folks pumping the tires lately on how great Substack is, and how “super excited” they are to pass #### Subscribers and so on. And good on them. Some people are doing very well here and it’s great to witness.

For me, some of this “follower”/”subscriber” obsession seems akin to relying on chocolate bars and gummy bears as part of a balanced diet…

For example, my wife Lisa has never published a thing on Substack, yet she has more than 25 “subscribers”… (hmmmm).

Therapist and writer Thomas Moore, who has written a lot about the Soul suggested:

"Creativity is not about inventing something novel or original; it is about discovering what is already there."

That for me, speaks to many of the reasons why I write — and create (like my basic and simple illustrations that accompany most posts and articles).

When I walked away from steady employment to dive into being the CEO of my time and energy… I was committed to unleashing more writing, more creativity, and more illumination of things that were or are, already there — inside of me.

And, along the way, maybe support some other folks in doing the same. However, I do tend to hear this too frequently: 👇

“But I’m not Creative…”

And, this is where I often smile and say: “Well… that’s bullshit”.

For many, schooling melted, pried, shamed, and graded the creative spirit out of many. Thankfully, some programs and ways of thinking and being still support and encourage creativity — but not nearly enough.

Psychotherapist, teacher and writer James Hollis says:

"To become a person means to discover the story that gives your life meaning and to align yourself with it."

He also has a great quote from his book What Matters Most: Living a More Considered Life published in 2008.

"We are not here to fit in, be well-balanced, or provide exemplars of moral virtue. Rather, we are here to be eccentric, different, perhaps strange, perhaps merely to add our small piece, our little clunky, chunky selves, to the great mosaic of being."

And, thus, I keep writing and publishing more of my thoughts, thinking, and pondering — my clunky, chunky pieces.

Creativity—in all its immensity and diversity—is one of the most powerful ways we can connect with our soul, expressing our depths through art, writing, and whatever other creative mediums (i.e., facilitation, leadership roles, advocacy, parenting, coaching, etc.)

The Creativity Continuum

The continuum above highlights two simple (and critical) factors in creativity:

• Doing nothing

• Doing something

When it comes to being "creative," I have found it is a Both/And relationship between these two ends of the spectrum.

Doing No-thing

On one end, doing no-thing allows our minds to wander, explore new ideas, rest, coalesce, and recuperate. It can reveal itself in different ways.

This state of doing no-thing is not just about physical relaxation — it’s also about mental space. It’s about letting our subconscious mind roam, synthesize, and communicate. (Sometimes, I find, it does this quite obliquely…)

When we allow ourselves moments of stillness, or even mind-full-ness (like riding a bike) we might just fuel the ignition of ideas, perspectives, and connections that may not have emerged in a state of constant busyness, interruption, and stimulation.

Doing Some-thing

On the other end of the spectrum, doing some-thing can bring those ideas into reality.

"To create" — at its ancient roots — means "to grow."

This is where magic and inspiration get sparked.

Taking action, no matter how small propels those burbling ideas into tangible forms. It’s through this process we push our creative boundaries, refine our skills, and bring different visions to life (and possibilities).

Thomas Moore, writing about re-enchanting the soul suggests:

“Without imagination [and creativity], we live in the small cramped room of the possible, and our soul suffocates.”

A feeling I can relate to fully after years of working in the corporate public sector — suffocating in cubicles and even windowed offices (as a senior leader).

Doing something with our creative insights is a powerful way to find and live a story with much more meaning. (And this does not necessarily mean abandoning careers and plunging into Soulpreneurship…)

My Journey from Corporate Office Dweller to Creative Freedom

Over two years ago, I decided to walk away (cold turkey) from steady, well-paying employment. Years of being 'creative' in the corporate sense meant writing memos, Briefing Notes, and 'strongly-worded' emails, which took a toll on my creative spirit and soul.

Now, after two years of balancing "Doing No-things" and "Doing Some-things," I have written and published hundreds of thousands of words and shared those online (including here on Box Cutter Co.).

That was one of the goals of leaving behind the 'known' and the scheduled and entering the 'unknown' and exploring the adventures of un-mapped terrain and projects.

I am now the CEO of my own time and energy, committing myself to projects and initiatives that I care about and leaving behind those projects and initiatives that I don't. Some pay, some are volunteer and pro bono.

Building a living in the making, rather than 'making a living' (by sitting in an office embroiled in toxic, swirling junk food ego politics). One of the key factors in this journey has included: 👇

The Power of ‘Showing Your Work’

A few years ago (2014), author and artist Austin Kleon wrote a great book called "Show Your Work!" He encourages leveraging the power of the Internet and social media to share one's creative works in progress.

Kleon also emphasizes the importance of being open, authentic, and generous with your creative process, encouraging creators to document and share their journey rather than just the finished products.

He offers practical advice on building an audience and/or fans, finding one’s voice, and connecting with others through sharing work regularly. (It speaks directly to the spirit behind this publication).

Here are 5 principles I took from Kleon’s book (and broader work) and that I look to clunkily and chunkily stumble towards weekly:

1. Build Accountability

‘Showing my work’ pushes me to maintain decent creative output (some-thing) and refine my craft. Showing up semi-regularly (NOT “consistently”) and sharing your work with the world creates a sense of responsibility and shared commitment to one’s creative practices.

• For example, here on Substack when folks become paying subscribers and pledge support — the feeling of being accountable increases, and for me, in a good way.

2. Build Connections and Community

By sharing processes and progress, I connect with others who offer support, feedback, and collaboration opportunities — and vice versa. This “community” becomes a source of inspiration, motivation, and new ideas. It can also…👇

3. Encourage Iteration and Improvement

Publicly displaying your work invites criticism and feedback, leading to improvement and new perspectives (plus a good kick-in-the-pants from time to time). This iterative (rinse-and-repeat) process is crucial for growth and development as a creator.

• For example, I regularly get excellent feedback from folks and appreciate receiving it — even the stuff that can sometimes be hard to hear at first. Feedback that goes beyond the “thanks for sharing” is often a gift.

4. Demystify Creative Processes

Sharing the behind-the-scenes aspects of my work helps demystify the creative process (for some). It shows that creativity is not just about final products but also involves experimentation, failure, and growth (e.g., chunky and clunky). It can humanize the murky journey and maybe make it more relatable for others.

Think for example of the popularity of various TV series that are all about behind-the-scenes looks at things like F1 Racing, the Tour de France, purchasing a Welsh football (soccer) team, etc.

• For example, I often start writing projects with short tidbits shared on social media that then evolve into Box Cutter Co. issues or Medium stories (and vice versa, from long to short).

5. Provide Fuel for Others and Build a Content Library

By “showing your work”, you can potentially support others who are at different stages of their creative processes. Publishing regularly also contributes to leaving a trail (breadcrumb-like) of creative evolution for others to learn from and draw inspiration, or, alternatively say “I don’t want to do it like THAT.”

• For me, it’s also a public Learning Journal that I use to continue supporting and evolving my own work, and then “showing” even more of my work.

How about you?

Creativity is not an elusive trait reserved for a select few. It’s a practice, a continuum, that anyone can lean into, take on, and share.

• How are you leaning into your creative self? And, “Showing your Work”?

• Do you balance creativity on a continuum of “Doing No-thing” and “Doing Some-Thing”?

• Are there other components you would add to this?

Watch for the next issue of Box Cutter Co. coming soon. In the meantime, please press the ♥️, share, drop a comment, and/or send me an email.

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