Hello friends, it’s Michael here!
This week’s issue is a reflection on the importance of focusing on your work and not your tools, but first I’d like to encourage you to subscribe to Alex’s Newsletter.
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No One Will Remember…
Let’s start with a few questions:
Do you know what camera Ansel Adams used to create Clearing Winter Storm?
Can you remember white kind of chisel helped Auguste Rodin sculpt The Thinker?
How about which paintbrush Leonardo da Vinci used to paint The Mona Lisa?
And what about which drum kit Dave Grohl played for Nirvana’s Smells Like Teen Spirit?
Do you know the answers to any of the above? No?
No one will remember the tools you used.
The art that you create is more important than the tools you use to create them.
🔨 Don’t be a Hammer Enthusiast!
Earlier this year, we wrote a newsletter issue about the subject of being a “Hammer Enthusiast”.
It’s a phrase that I first heard in a Ali Abdaal video. Ali was speaking with Building a Second Brain author Tiago Forte on the Deep Dive podcast.
Ali warned that "There is a danger of worshipping at the altar of the tool."
Don’t focus on the tool too much. They’re there to empower you, not distract you.
If you wanted to read my full reflection on this subject, you can read that newsletter issue here:
🔁 Repetition, Repetition, Repetition
If you’ve been following me for a while, you’ll be familiar with this principle. I’ve shared it a number of times in a few different representations.
This is for 2 reasons:
A message repeated is more likely to sink in
One of the metaphors may speak to you more than the others
You’ll know by now that we are passionate to get wiser and encourage other people to get wiser.
Part of this aspiration means that we have got to meet people where they are.
We will share key principles on a regular basis with a few different visual elements in the hope that at least one instance will resonate with you.
So here’s another version for good measure!
I hope this doesn’t become annoying! 😅
⌛️ Your Work Doesn’t Have to Be Perfect
One of the things that often prevents us from focussing on our work is perfectionism.
We worry that whatever we make will never be perfect, and we often don’t even start until we have the ‘right tools’.
Then when we eventually get that new tool, we’re obsessing over the smallest of details instead of hitting publish.
This is where the idea of Finished, Not Perfect comes in.
I first heard this principle over a decade ago when Jake Parker shared it in a YouTube video.
It is only 1 minute 22 seconds long, so I highly encourage you to give it a watch here:
So be bold this week!
Focus on your work.
Don’t obsess over your tools.
And don’t worry about making something perfect.
Just finish it, then hit publish.
✍️ Journal Prompts
• Do you focus more on your work or your tools?
• Is there anything stopping you from publishing or sharing your work?
• Do you struggle with perfectionism?
Consider journaling through the above questions yourself.
👍 Recommendations
This week we only have 1 recommendation for you that’ll compliment today’s topic.
If you want to challenge yourself creatively, consider trying out this year’s Inktober!
Inktober is a yearly challenge that the aforementioned Jake Parker initially set up to become better at pen inking in back in 2009.
Since then, thousands of creatives have used these 31 prompts to become better at all forms of creative mediums.
Even if you’re not an illustrator, you may wish to use these prompts for writing, music, or any other practice!
If you’d like to see this year’s prompts ahead of the October 1st start date, check them out here:
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😊 Thank You!
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Catch you in the next issue!
Thanks,
Michael and Zac!
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