MMM Newsletter #1: Find creativity in the mundane

👋 Hi, Sebastian here!

I am so happy to have you with me for the first installment of my weekly newsletter Mind Makes Matter, where I will be sharing my latest creative thinking and doing, plus articles, posts, ideas and anything else I found helpful as a designer, creative coach and mindful human.

Let’s jump right in!

📦 A short story on creativity from my latest coaching client

Last week, I’ve coached a client who was feeling disturbed by external forces. Whenever she was working on something important, some e-mail would come her way and break her focus. She was feeling like others are literally stealing her time. We brainstormed together to find a tool for keeping herself focussed on her priority tasks.

In this session she shared her passion for creativity, so I asked her:

How could your creativity shine through in overcoming this?

She came up with this and I invite you to try it as well:

1. Once an internal or external distraction comes up, catch it in the moment.

2. Write down what’s disctracting you on a piece of paper.

3. Then, put that piece of paper in a box (my client called her box the “box of distractions”).

4. Only open the box once you have the headspace and time for it.

I’m curious, what helps you to find focus and flow in your practice?

Simply reply to this e-mail with your best creative tools to counter the distractions.

🔨 My latest creative thing

Post on LinkedIn:

​How to let your subconscious mind create your best ideas​

Creatives, don’t only let your analytical mind do all the creative work! After diving deeper into the artistry of the subconscious mind I stumbled across an article about the surrealists and their deep connection to the subconscious that ultimately lead to the post above.

You can find a shorter, more visual representation of my post here.

📽️ Video I’ve watched

​How to simplify your life​

I love the work of The School Of Life and his founder, Alain de bottom.

This video is concise and to the point. My main takeaways:

1. less people, less commitments

2. take back your time and break up with your phone once in a while.

3. Plan your day so you have breathing room between busy work.

4. Watch less news, go on an information diet.

My favorite quote from the video:

"Today as always, men fall into two groups: slaves and free men. Whoever does not have two-thirds of his day for himself, is a slave, whatever he may be: a statesman, a businessman, an official, or a scholar." -Friedrich Nietzsche

I’ve shared an interesting story about simplicity on my Instagram some time ago, check it out.