Well, I think it’s about time that I address the elephant in the room. For over two years now, I’ve been writing and sharing my journey through this newsletter, The Stoke Seminar. And somehow, I’ve never once addressed what it all means. Today, that changes. And I think it’s coming at a very appropriate time….
Most people wake up every morning and flow through life in a rather casual manner. We stick to the morning routine. We do what’s comfortable. We live like we did yesterday and the day before. In fact, we might even complain about minor inconveniences. Another day at the office. Another day punching the clock. Another…
Most people are terrified of failure. We’ve been conditioned into thinking that failure is the worst possible outcome and to avoid it all costs. If we fail a class in school, we’re looked down upon. If we fail at a sport, there’s always another one to try. We’re taught that failure is for… losers. And…
As soon as you wake up, there are dozens of distractions fighting for your attention. Time-sensitive emails. Unread texts. Missed calls. Long to-do lists. There’s an instant pressure to check your phone, tend to your morning hygiene, and get some food in your system. Oh, and you need your morning coffee before even thinking about…
I have tens of thousands of unshared images collecting (digital) dust. I have terabytes of footage that have never seen the light of day (or the flicker of a screen). I’m notorious for capturing life – only to never share anything I create. There’s something about the personal expectation I have, and the finished product…
For the past few months I’ve been using two simple notebooks to organize my life, thoughts, tasks, and creativity. Despite the dozens of productivity apps out there, I find this setup to be the most effective yet. If you’re feeling distracted when using your phone or computer – I can’t recommend this simple setup enough….
For years (from roughly 2018-2022), I never shared any of my work. When creating new projects, the feeling of “incompleteness” loomed over everything I did. If it wasn’t perfect – it wasn’t worth sharing. And nothing ever passed that test. During that time period, I thought I was doing myself a favor. I wanted to…
Wouldn’t it be nice to have the creativity of a kid again? Imagination running rampant. Never-ending energy. “Play” as your top priority. Mind like a sponge soaking up every bit of information. Until this week, I had forgotten what that felt like. It seemed like it had been years since I created for the sake…
When reviewing my takeaways from 2024, I couldn’t ignore that gnawing feeling of “not doing enough.” I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t proud of myself for several things I accomplished last year. I did have some major wins. But we live in a world of “do more, be more, achieve more, and don’t…