by Oto | Mar 5, 2025 | Creativity, Design, Inspiration, Personal Development
I have always wanted to lead a creative life. The idea of spending most of my time immersed in the art, act and process of making sounds like the most appealing life to me.
Not fame or incredible wealth, but creativity.
I always thought that if I was able to sort out everything I needed to, and had enough to live off without thinking of money, I would spend all my time exploring and making stuff. That’s what I’ve always thought.
But actually making the time to do that, is a challenge.
One thing that stuck with me in my earlier years studying architecture, was the sense of a dedication to the aesthetic. And when I say that, I don’t just mean the surface look of things, I mean the philosophy and essence of thinking and making, of moulding artefacts and spaces. In this time, I was exposed to so many interesting things, and concepts. Many of which went over my head at the time, but few definitely struck a chord.
In my autodidactic journey since, I have carried that sense with me.
One thing I loved about the experience was the time in studio. We had this big open plan space where we all worked and made our models and worked on our designs. There was a compelling energy about the whole thing. And as I have delved into the lives and inspirations of artists and creators over time, I have enjoyed catching glimpses into their studios, spaces and processes.
I have always wanted a studio of my own.
It is why I call my company a studio, and not an agency.
For me the studio is a place of learning, experimenting and creating, and I think that is a beautiful thing. Creativity that is not just at the service of commerce, but a tool, a practice for being, for discovery, for evolving, for making oneself.
In trying to bring that to life, I have always had to balance this deep desire against economic realities. Most of my time and energy was held up in hustling and making money. And sure, the thing I do, my career is a creative one, so yes, I create all the time and I have grown and learned from that.
But it is my belief that creativity should exist unshackled by commerce, powered by pure soul. Which is why I have always written here, since 2010. Whether there was one person reading or a hundred.
And even when people advised me to monetise this in different ways, I always pushed back, feeling it would dilute the spirit of it. Imagine throwing ads all over this site to get ad money. Or tailoring my content to meet some algorithm instead of writing from my soul. What sin!
So today…some 14 years later, I feel ready to embrace cultivating a creative lifestyle on a deeper level. Sure, I do still need to work and spin my gears in the machine of commerce. But I am able to balance things a bit better. I want to focus on carving and cultivating a creative life.
I am a good creative. I am also a lazy one. I take a lot of shortcuts. And in the fast paced world of design and business, speed is prioritised over craft many times. I hardly have the space and time to really craft something special. In embracing a creative life and devoting time to it, I am hoping to study, to get better, to improve, to pick up new skills, to be able to do more. To learn myself, to create myself, to connect with others like me. To create cool things for you.
That is one of my personal themes for the year.
So, how does that work?
For me, it means creating all the time, in any medium.
They say you should niche down, find one thing and get really good at it.
I’m not doing that.
Personally, I want to try everything. I want to draw, and paint, write, take photos, shoot videos, design a space, design a building. I want to cook, d-jay, edit, design posters. I want to make books, and pulpy magazines. I want to work on a movie, help design a set, create in 3D and play with animation. I just want to make cool things.
When I think about cultivating a creative life, a few ideas come to mind.
Reclaim lost time
The first major challenge in living a more creative life is allocating the time to it. Making time from all the other things that demand my attention, and choosing to invest it instead in making, studying, and experimenting. What lost time can I reclaim for this purpose? What can I let go off to free up the space to create more?
Instead of scrolling, I could paint. Instead of obsessing over some client project, I could write. I could make quick sketches during my breaks. The point is learning to tuck away pockets of creativity into the mundane.
Always seek inspiration
To approach day to day life in a deeper way, to pay more attention. To not merely see things, but to really look at them, to study them, to sketch them, to research about them. To look at the mundane around you and discover the magic.
Make it easy to create all the time
I want to always be creating, with whatever time or resources I may have on hand. In compressed times, to make sketches, take notes, make snippets, make prototypes. And when able to dedicate more time, to go deeper and develop those into full works. To have the tools and set spaces available to begin creating at any time.
Watch and absorb the greats
It is important to look at what others have done. To be inspired and see ways, techniques and ideas that we can adopt into our own processes and style.
Embrace process
To be systematic in the ways that call for it, so I can be messy in execution. Being able to spread out the creative process, and do different bits at different times. To have systems, tools and processes, to capture ideas and bring them up when needed.
Embrace the discipline of practice
It does take some effort, to sit down and create, or study, or experiment, especially when you are not used to doing so regularly. But that is the point of cultivating a creative life, is to get more disciplined, to invest more time in slowing down, and engaging deeply, with art, with life.
This is my present intention, to lead a more creative life, to cultivate more of that energy, and these ideas may or may not survive contact with reality, but being creative is about sailing into the unknown and evolving into new modes of being and birthing new things.
Are you trying to cultivate more creativity in your life? What obstacles are you facing and what ideas can you share?
by Oto | Jul 18, 2024 | Creativity, Design, Inspiration, Musings, Personal Development
The concept of curation* has been on my mind for at least the past 2 years. Slowly coalescing over time as I have been fixated on the idea of defining and creating specific spaces and experiences around me.
This is a natural extension of the theme of ‘Life by Design’ – creating a life that is tailored to you, that affirms who you are, who you want to be, and what you seek to accomplish.
I have discussed the importance of your environment and why you must design your spaces in ways that support the pursuit of your goals and passions. But beyond just your environment, all things can be brought to align with your intention. The things you do, the clothes you wear, the people you interact with, the places you go. All of this can be curated around your identity.
Like I said, over the past few years, I have been engaging with this practice of curation. I have specifically selected and chosen the things around me. My space is a curation of objects and tools that are chosen and actively sought after to create the vibe I desire to live in. The people I spend time with are curated towards a similar purpose.
We all do this anyway. We all curate our lives in some way. The things we choose to watch, engage with, and use, are things that we are drawn to or exposed to. The question is, do we just allow these things into our lives haphazardly or do we consciously choose them? Because oftentimes, some of the things around us are not things we actively chose. Many times they were just always there, or they were handed to us by factors outside our control.
But being awake to life, to ourselves and our purpose, we have the ability to curate, to create around us the spaces, the people, the things, the practices, the rituals, the habits that serve that purpose, that help us grow, evolve, and be effective.
This is the philosophy of curation – bringing the practice of consciousness, of awareness, and deliberate choice to every part of our lives. To embrace the things we deem important, that give us life, fulfillment, pleasure, joy and curate around them, to invest in them, to share them. It is the path of intentionality – choosing and organising the tools, people, things and spaces that reinforce our values, desires and ambitions.
That is why we curate, as a discipline to life.
And what we choose to omit from our lives is just as important as what we choose to keep.
So what are some key things to keep in mind when curating our lives?
Know yourself, Observe yourself
Self-awareness is the starting point for all of this. It is impossible to curate if you don’t even know who you are. A sense of identity and purpose is absolutely vital. Know yourself, your strengths, weaknesses, interests, and know where you are trying to go, and what you are trying to do.
Take stock of what you have, of how things are right now. What can be improved? What needs to be adjusted, what habits do you need to drop, what rituals do you need to adopt? Look at areas where you can grow and take the necessary steps to implement them.
Curate all areas, Curate for Life
Have a holistic approach to curation and apply the principles across all areas of your life – your diet, your space, your habits, workflows, workspace, clothing, and leisure. Curate and improve every aspect of your life.
Don’t curate and optimise just for productivity and high performance, also curate for fun and pleasure, for relief, for rest and restoration. Curate your life in such a way that each part is balanced appropriately.
Seek Inspiration, Keep Evolving
It is okay to look at what others are doing. Look for inspiration and best practices, ideas that show you how great things can be in those areas of your life. They will help boost your interest and excitement and transform your life.
This is not a stagnant thing, to be done, set, and forgotten. It is a discipline, a philosophy, a way of life. To stay in tune with a sense of self, and to perpetually change and evolve the things around us in ways that stay true to who we are. As we evolve and grow over time, so we curate our lives to reflect that.
Embrace some level of chaos
We live in a world, we exist in community. Everyone has their own ideas of what is important and how lives should be. We have to exist in conversation with that. With the ideas and practice of curation, it is easy to design ourselves into isolated bubbles. But it is important to interact with things outside our curations, to have impact, to learn things we never would have, and to share our unique perspectives.
The power of curation is the ability to create the person you want to be. With it, you can significantly transform your life. It will help you hone your environment and routines in ways that will catalyse your growth and fulfilment. Add it to your toolbox, as you create a life by design.
…
Side Note
*In our present-day culture, we understand the concept of curation from the art world, the process of selecting and organising artworks into a cohesive show or exhibition. The etymology of the word is from the Latin word curare, meaning to take care. This idea of caring for something persisted from the Roman times when it meant to take care of the bathhouses. In medieval times, it denoted the priest who cared for souls, by the 18th century it had come to mean looking after artifacts and art collections.
[In a 2014 interview in the Guardian](https://www.theguardian.com/artanddesign/2014/mar/23/hans-ulrich-obrist-art-curator#:~:text=It’s worth thinking about the,care of the bath houses.)*, Hans Ulrich Obrist posits that as a profession, curation meant at least four things. To preserve and safeguard the heritage of art, to be a selector of new work, to connect to art history, and to display or arrange the work.*
If I were to extrapolate those 4 key pillars to the idea of curating for life, I would say it means – to preserve what already works, to seek new ideas and practices, to connect to a deep sense of self/identity, and to be organised and deliberate in how we live.
by Oto | Dec 13, 2022 | Creativity, Inspiration, Personal Development, Productivity
The other day I was on TikTok (I know, bear with me as I gag for a bit 🤮). But I came across this clip that I found useful and got me thinking more about this concept of leading and lagging indicators.
This idea has its origins in business and economics circles. Leading and lagging indicators are the inputs and results that influence or showcase the position or trajectory of a business or entity.
Let’s break it down.
Lagging indicators are essentially results. They are the output, the culmination of all the your actions up to this point. They show you where you stand now and where you are coming from. These are things like your weight, your bank balance, your general level of happiness, whatever metric you want to look at.
This is usually where most people new to goal setting start when they begin their approach. They set goals based on lagging indicators, looking solely at the end result of their efforts, and then its off to the races.
You go out and you do whatever you have chosen as your path to get there. You keep in mind the goal of gaining 5kg, and you push on going to the gym 3 times a day, eating healthy, all the while comparing your results against your goals. Each week, you weigh yourself and see how well you are doing towards your goal.
This is useful, you have a clear sense of where you are, and where you want to go. By monitoring your results, the lagging indicators, you can keep yourself accountable to your goal.
However, this approach is limited for 3 reasons.
- Your focus is solely on your results which is just a snapshot of what has already happened. This would be the lump sum of your good efforts, a bunch of wasted effort and probably a lot of inertia and missteps. It’s good information, but you can’t change the past, and it has come too late.
- Because results can take time to manifest and arrive, we run the risk of getting discouraged on working towards our goals, and doing less of the things we need to be doing. You are a failure from day one, until you finally hit the goal.
- When you are only focused on results, you can easily fool yourself that you are busy taking action, when you are really just doing busy work and avoiding the real tasks you must undertake. Your inputs may not be targeted enough.
A better path to goal achieving, is to focus on leading indicators, the inputs needed to get you where you need to go. You need to be clear on choosing high quality inputs – what actual actions you need to take to achieve your goal. These are things like how often you work out, how consistent you are, what you eat every day.
So, your ‘focus’ shifts from the goal – ‘I want to gain 5kg’ to the process – ‘I work out 3 times a week and eat 5 nutritious meals every day’. And that becomes the target to hit every week and iterate upon, because instead of being solely obsessed about what results you are getting, you are focusing on the things that are actually in your control to execute and do.
If you are able to focus on these and get them right, then you are a success from day one, just for executing and sticking to the plan. You are not stressed or overwhelmed by your goal, but you are simply focused on getting it right on a day to day basis. You learn to enjoy the process, the journey. And as you get the hang of things and are consistent with your inputs, your results will catch up and get you where you need to be.
So, think about the big thing you are trying to achieve, and figure out what the leading indicators you should be focusing on. If you find inputs that are simple, within your control, trackable, with visible progression, and which are effectively aligned to your goals, then your success is only a matter of time.
by Oto | Nov 30, 2022 | Creativity, Inspiration, Mental Health, Musings, Personal Development, Productivity
If you have been a long time follower of my projects or content, you would know I’m prone to abruptly taking time off for up to months at a time. I used to think this was an issue, but lately, I have come to look at it as more of a feature than a bug.
Over the years, I’ve written a couple times about the need to cultivate empty space, or the need to lay fallow. I’ve found it important in my creative process, to allow for regular downtime.
I almost envy those who can keep producing almost indefinitely. Our present digital models of content creation and attention farming pressures us to constantly be at the wheel, spinning, creating and publishing. This is however a recipe for burnout, and can at its worst, turn this thing you like to do, this passion into an unfulfilling prison.
I am here to advocate that it is okay to approach creative work seasonally. Many entertainment producers operate in this way, think of your favourite musicians, authors, or even TV shows. Creatives like these release projects, with extended downtime in between them. Your favourite artist could release an album today, do a tour for a year or so, and then disappear for another 2 years before the next project.
I think that working in this way is more sustainable for numerous reasons.
- It allows things to end, to have a definite start date and an end date. Indefinite projects can be overwhelming. This way things are more manageable.
- You can use the downtime to rest, recover, live and gather inspiration and ideas for the next project. Goodbye burnout, hello relaxed productivity.
- It is in line with other things in our natural world that operate in seasons like daylight, weather conditions. Take a hint from Mother Nature.
- If you are the type to indulge in multiple projects, like me, you can cycle between your interests instead of being stuck doing the same thing over and over.
To pull this off, you would need a few things in place
- Be organised. I can’t tell you how much great it is to settle back into my work after some time away and slip right back into my notes and drafts and be able to pick up right where I left off, knowing that I’m clear on what I was doing before and where I was going. Be organised in your work space and work flow.
- Approach your projects as discrete pieces. Take a seasonal approach to your work. If you are doing a podcast, instead of committing to an indefinite schedule, decide to do a season of 10 episodes, and make them as good as you can. Then allow yourself to take some time off.
- Practice in the off season. Don’t completely shut down when you are not publishing projects. Use that time to improve, to hone your skills, develop new techniques and prepare to take your work to the next level on your next run.
- Focus on making Perennial Sellers, timeless content or classics. Instead of chasing fads or trends, create things that will last, that will be relevant even 10 years from now. Things that people would always need to come back to.
In this way, we can enjoy longer, deeper and more fulfilling creative careers.
by Oto | Oct 4, 2021 | Creativity, Entrepreneurship, Productivity
Work is an interesting thing. For most of us, it takes up most of our lives. At least 60% of our time is spent at work, either at an office, or more so these days, working from home. And depending on how engaged you are with what you do, how much you love or tolerate it, you might be looking for ways to make work more effective and efficient. Ways to squeeze more out of the time you spend working, etc.
This is the essence of productivity. Finding ways to produce more.
If you work for a company or business, you might be able to skirt away by doing the least amount of work you can get away with. Since your labour is paid for on a fixed monthly basis, that might make sense. Or you might want to push harder to get noticed and promoted. If you work on commission or you work for yourself, then your income is probably tied more directly to your labour. So the more you work, the more you earn.
At this point, it gets very tempting to maximise the amount of time you spend working. After all, if you can work more, you can make more. But the human body is not a machine, and the amount of energy and attention we have is finite. We still have to do pesky things like eat and sleep.
If you push and try to work as many hours as possible, you will quickly come against your upper limits. And that is a limit you need to get very familiar with, and respect accordingly.
In the early days of my career, as a whip-smart youngling, I would work almost all the time. From the moment I woke up, to the moment I went to bed, every day of the week. Understandably I burnt out often. Sure I was much younger and able to put in insane hours without too much of a strain. Also, I love what I do, still do. But overtime, I have come to respect the productivity decimating power of a burnout, and I’ve changed the way I think about work.
It is not use burning the candle at both ends for weeks on end to be completely wiped out and unable to work for days or even a month at a time. The better way is to find your rhythm and optimise it at both ends – your work, and your play.
The case against overwork
Because human energy and attention is finite, putting in more hours at work than you need to actually starts to become detrimental. The work you do 4 days into a work stretch will not be as good as the work you do right at the start or midway through. Plus, bad work can lead to even more work down the line, where you have to backtrack and make changes or fix the bad work you did.
You probably don’t need to work as much or as long as you think.
Especially in the creative space. It might do you better to focus on writing for 2 hours every day, than to try bang out an entire book in 9hour daily sessions. But everyone is different, the point is to find the rhythm that works for you.
Personally I am able to give about 3-4 solid days to my design work in a week. On day one, I can do an easy 12 hour stretch. On day 3, I can average out at 8hrs of work. By the 5th day, I am barely functional. If I push further than that, which I certainly could, I would definitely pay for it by the next week. In this state, no matter what I do, I simply cannot work. My brain and body are far too tired to do anything creative or productive.
Find your balance
As I’ve grown and refined the way I work, I have learned to institute a couple of things like respecting the weekend, respecting how long tasks actually take, and communicating clearly to people when I’m available and when I’m not.
These days I am able to strike a balance, knowing that once Monday rolls in, I am completely focused on the grind, and by Thursday, Friday, I am easing off, and when it’s the weekend, I do not think about work at all. Whether I am at work or leisure, I am able to give my all to it, knowing that I am doing the right thing at the right time. I rest and bum out when I need to, and I get on the grind when I need to.
Make your work time more efficient
Striking a balance also helps us do one other important thing, which is focus on the efficacy of the time we actually spend working. If I can only work for a limited time, then I have to make sure that it is time well spent. I have to ensure that I am working on the right things – the things that actually move me forward, on the projects that excite and teach me, on the ideas that could give exponential return.
By respecting the time off, we can become even more deliberate and intentional about the work we do.
Which is why if you are someone who works for yourself, you have to be strict with your hours and your time. It is far too easy for something to come in to encroach on that. Clients need things last minute. People are disorganised, everything is urgent. It is okay to throw on the cape and save the day from time to time. But acquiescing constantly to such demands will just throw you off course and into chaos.
And that isn’t what we want.
We want a life by design. A life where everything is at the appropriate level at the appropriate time.
It is okay to go all out and have hectic head-down work sessions. Some seasons call for it. But it is also doubly important to make sure you get some down time, that you take care of yourself, that you have other things in your life other than work. The chance to pursue curiosity, the time to rest and relax and play, the time to have experiences, the time to nurture relationships.
The time to live.
That is paradoxically, how we become more productive in the long run.
by Oto | Sep 20, 2021 | Creativity, Inspiration, Musings, Productivity
I picked up this lovely little yellow book the other day – Brief Lessons in Creativity by Frances Ambler. And it is quite the gem, helping to inspire and nudge me deeper down a path that has been on my mind on-and-off for years now.
See, I work in the creative industry. I genuinely create something almost every single day whether it is content, or client work, whatever. I am always making something. However, it can become quite mechanical. You have your set of tools, your set of trusty techniques and ways of doing things. You can competently create on demand. But it is also very easy to stagnate and get stuck doing the same things over and over again.
It is difficult to grow and break ruts, to grow new skills and ways of looking at the world, and yet we must. To keep fresh, to honour the muse, to have longevity in the game. It is important to keep exercising the muscle of creativity and stretching it to new places.
I’ve always wanted to live a more artistic existence, and I suppose this has always been an underlying reasoning behind my life path. Working for yourself gives you control of your time. It then becomes up to you to optimise that time and be able to spend it how you want to. But it is very easy to get stuck in the day to day business of commerce, and not having enough time or energy to explore the possibilities.
Yet, if you want it, if you want to become better, to experience a new level, to maybe even become great, then somehow the price must be paid. We must incorporate practices and rituals, spaces and times to nurture the soil of creativity, to improve how we see, how we process, and the techniques of creation. To become better creators and artists.
Here are some ideas inspired by Frances’ book.
Just start/Begin anywhere
The blank canvas can be very intimidating, especially if we have not created in a long time. We might hold some romantic notion of how we ought to be as creatives, of how good the artwork has to be, or of how good we should be. We should throw all of those concerns away and just begin from anywhere. Just start. Take a piece of paper and make a scribble. Write a few random words in a notepad. Record a couple random melodies. Make a mess. Do something.
Doing this will shake out the cobwebs so to speak, limber up those stiff limbs and get you back in the groove of creating.
Follow your curiosity
What interests you? Put some time aside and do a real deep dive into it. What ever piques your curiosity. Maybe you always wondered about UFOs, or medieval weaponry, or knitting. Whether it is something mundane or something outlandish, allow yourself the space and time to dig into it. Do some research, go down an internet rabbit hole, visit sites, connect with people. Follow your curiosity, you will find new things, good, bad, boring, interesting, and it will fill your tank with new ideas and new references.
Make space
I have blogged at length about the need to create and protect creative space. To be able to cultivate and nurture your creativity, you need to have the space and time to devote to it. You need a place to make your art, whatever that is. This space needs to stimulate or support you as needed. It has to be sacred and set apart. This is an important time of enquiry, of experimentation, of worship.
Collect stuff. In your travels, in your movements around the world, you will come across things – signs, images, discarded objects, places. Bring something back with you, take a picture, make a film. Build and curate a storehouse of inspiration, of little odds and ends that you can come back to, study in more detail or tap into for ideas and direction. You are only as good as your references.
Actively experiment
Try different things. Start your process from the opposite end, or start from the middle. Create in a different medium or work with a different technique. Try creating with your less dominant hand, or in a different environment. Keep pushing the boundaries of what you create and how you create it. Shake things up to unleash new skills, new perspective and fresh takes.
Travel
Move around, it could be as close as a walk around the neighbourhood, or as far as moving across continents. But exposure to new places breaks up monotony and allows us to see things with fresh eyes. And it brings us in contact with new people, ways of living, and ideas.
We could all gain wonderfully from cultivating an artist’s eye and mind. Beyond the boons to creativity, the work of creating pushes one into a deeper state of being. A space where one must be still, and observe, really look, or really dig in and think and draw from the depths to birth something new. It is in these spaces that we learn about ourselves, that we tap into our powers, that we create something tangible, something truly us. It is here we meditate and connect to the sublime. It is here that we discover, that we learn, that we break through.
It is through the way of the artist, that we can become even more ourselves.
