Your First Idea Doesn't Have to Be the Winning One... But It Will Definitely Lead to It.

10 thoughts, ideas & creative finds on taking risks, happy accidents & putting yourself out there

New here? Click HERE for why I write weekly letters & essays.
Need to catch up?

• Your Creativity is Worth Millions

• What is Your Skill? What is Your Thing? What is it That You’d Do For Free?

• The 9 Biggest Lessons I've Learned About Promoting Yourself & Your Work...

• If You Have Ideas, Write… If You Have Taste, Design… If You Have Vision, Build

---

New Format 🚨: I’m experimenting with a new format… Fridays (today) are dedicated to “The Rundown” - a weekly list of inspiration, resources, thoughts & ideas worth sharing. Tuesdays are dedicated to longer letters on the intersection of creativity, spirituality and entrepreneurship.

---

Hey Everyone,

The Rundown — Here’s what I found over the course of this week that has helped me, inspired me or gave me some creative pushes…

1. “Creativity is not a chore; it’s a source of energy.” I found this on Instagram and thought it was fitting to share with the community. When I hear people say, “I don’t have time to create,” “I’m exhausted,” or “the things I love take too much time, work and effort,” I think… you haven’t realized that you might be exhausted from doing everything but the things you’re called to.

   Creativity is not a chore… it only feels like it cause you may be putting it last. Once you tap into doing things that light you up, you’ll realize they not only don’t drain you… they become a source of energy and vitality — Consider doing the “things.”

   

   ---

2. Consider creating rituals, not habits — as so perfectly put by Anu Atluru on her Substack, Working Theorys — In her article, Anu said, “Habits are things we do that get so ingrained in us they become automatic. They don’t need much effort or awareness. They can give us highs (the dopamine hits), reinforcing habits and even pushing to addiction….

   
   Rituals on the other hand are intentional and done with focus. Anthropological definition aside, a ritual has standout characteristics:

   1. It’s intentional. You consciously engage and are present. 

   2. It’s participatory. You’re active rather than passive.

   3. It’s meaningful. It’s valuable beyond the action itself or any utility. It’s often emotional — e.g. nostalgic, fun, celebratory, identity-forming.

   4. It’s consistent. It’s reliable in timing, expectation, quality, etc.

   5. It’s finite. There’s a constraint around time, effort, or action itself.

   I think we need to create great habits, but I find a great hack to this is turning them into rituals… this way we don’t feel like our good habits are a chore, but instead a way of living. Cleaning my house, morning walks for 5K to 10K steps, rearranging my office setup… these are habits for sure, but they’ve become rituals that have enhanced my life.

   ---

3. Look for the thing that leads to the thing… the real metric is creating — Your first creation/idea/business doesn’t have to be the winning one… but it will definitely can lead to it… sometimes it’s a series of small things that link together to form the bigger picture… you simply need time.

   ---

4. “You’ve got to love your work more than the algorithm… your value is worth more than how many people saw it” — from a recent Instagram carousel I posted.

   

   ---

5. “You don’t know what the big stuff is going to be… you don’t know what little thing you do is going to turn into something bigger… the best things happen by accident.”(Chase Jarvis & Austin Kleon) — The key is to be consistent making stuff… I agree with these guys. You never know what’s going to take a life of it’s own so you’ve got to be good at simply putting your work out there. (*Link to full interview at the bottom of this email)

   ---

6. Six Things Multi-Passionate Creators Leaders Do Differently — In an article by Jess Barker she broke down 6 things they do well based on her own observations and I thought they were spot on:

   1. They put their faces and voices out there

   2. They’re on a clear mission

   3. They radiate creative confidence and passion

   4. They’re unapologetically creative

   5. They’re powerful storytellers

   6. They take care of themselves

   As a multi-passionate, creative entrepreneur myself, I can tell you, these 6 points are not only accurate, they need to become a foundation for you… practiced over time, but a must. I just launched my latest podcast on this. You can check it out here…

   ---

7. Podcast Ep — Don’t rush your most important work… allow your life to unfold because of it.” — Listen on Apple or Spotify Below

   ---

8. Everything is very learnable… do it long enough and you’ll just know how — I recently had a full circle moment when I asked a friend of mine who’s a digital creator focused on Notion how he figured out to code with Notion. Ironically, he gave me the same answer I tell everyone who asks me “How did you figure out how to create funnel sequences and link software together and make content and grow audiences, etc?

   His reply (which has always been mine) - “Everything is very learnable… I just did it long enough to learn it.” The reason I’m sharing this is because none of us ever know what we’re doing… we simply find things we’re insanely curious about and we stick with it to satisfy that curiosity. That’s it. Find the things you can stick with.

   ---

9. Writing matters… learn to express your thoughts in private and learn to share some in public — Communication is not just the most important soft skill you can have… it’s the most important skill, period. I have a morning ritual called “Morning Pages”(3 pages no matter the content) which I learned via Julia Cameron’s the Artist’s Way. Here are my thoughts on why writing is therapy and a business move.

---

10. Playlist — Chill Morning Deep House Mix ft. Lilicay — A great list of Chill House to work to… great for creating, designing, writing, computer work.

---

Find the things you can stick with… the ones that consistently satisfy your curiosity.

As I mentioned above, none of us know what we’re doing…

but some of us are simply fulfilling our curiosities and humbling sharing our journeys with the world in the process.

I believe this makes the best business model… you get to serve your mission while inviting others to be a part of it…

Have a great weekend and see you next Friday!

Matt

---

🔐 Consider becoming a paid subscriber…

My Substack is a “reader supported” publication. Please consider becoming a “paid subscriber” which will give you access to 1.) exclusive subscriber-only content, 2.) podcast episodes, 3.) membership in a creative community, 4.) access to our community chat feature, 5.) Q&A’s, 6.) LIVEs, and 7.) early access & discounts to books, apparel, events, workshops & more.

I am truly grateful for you supporting my journey while I support yours.

---

Not a reader? Follow along below:

Was this newsletter forwarded to you? Sign Up

Full Chase Jarivs & Austin Kleon Video ➠ CLICK HERE

Connect With Me…
☼ Podcast
☼ Apparel
☼ Text Me
☼ Instagram
☼ Twitter

In the meantime, tell your friends!

Failed to render LaTeX expression — no expression found