A living document of ideas, quotes, and mental models I return to often. Some borrowed wisdom, some original thoughts — all things that have shaped how I approach creativity, work, and life.
On Creativity & Focus
"Social media has colonized what was once a sacred space occupied by emptiness: the space reserved for thought and creativity."
— Mahershala Ali
"One thing I tell people all the time, never judge your work while you're doing it. Just let it go. Flow with it. All judgment stops creativity."
— Terry Crews
"The most important thing about art is to work. Nothing else matters except sitting down every day and trying."
— Stephen Pressfield, The War of Art
"Without great solitude no serious work is possible."
— Pablo Picasso
On Perception & Perspective
"Perception versus perspective."
— nimesh
"Growing up is the realization that you are both the sculpture and the sculptor, the painter and the portrait."
On Action & Risk
"There are risks and costs to a program of action. But they are far less than the long-range risks and costs of comfortable inaction."
— JFK
"Well begun is half done."
"Discontent is the first necessity of progress."
— Thomas Edison
Expose ourselves. Put more out into the world — create a surface area for serendipity.
On Constraints & Resourcefulness
Less makes you more creative. Necessity is the mother of invention.
"A jack of all trades, a master of none, but often times better than a master of one."
On Discipline & Habits
"We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence, then, is not an act but a habit."
— Aristotle
"Discipline is doing something you hate, as if you love it."
— Mike Tyson
"Watch your thoughts, they become your words. Watch your words, they become your actions. Watch your actions, they become your habits. Watch your habits, they become your character. Watch your character, they become your destiny."
— Lao Tzu
Treat work and rest as binary. Commit to either fully.
Have intent in actions.
On Stoicism & Contentment
"No person has the power to have everything they want, but it is in their power not to want what they don't have, and to cheerfully put to good use what they do have."
— Seneca
"Let us prepare our minds as if we'd come to the very end of life. Let us postpone nothing. Let us balance life's books each day. The one who puts the finishing touches on their life each day is never short of time."
— Seneca
On Growth & Cycles
"Growth and comfort do not coexist."
— Ginni Rometty
"Strong men create good times. Good times create weak men. Weak men create bad times. Bad times create strong men."
"Change is a direction, not a destination."
On Motivation & Compounding
After all, it's no secret that motivation, by definition, requires a motive.
"Compound interest is the eighth wonder of the world. He who understands it, earns it; he who does not, pays it."
— Albert Einstein
On Design & Business
"Design has to work, art does not."
— Donald Judd
Less white space = cheap. More = luxury.
Sell offers, not products. A combination of items to add value — e.g., a tote bag to accompany the tee.
"ABC — Always Be Closing."
On Rules & Boundaries
I have rules:
- I don't decide on the phone
- I don't work for free
Mental Models
A reframing of wellness practices:
| Practice | Mental Model |
|---|---|
| Meditation | Tidying of mind |
| Yoga | Rearranging / finding feng shui in your space |
| Exercise | Deep cleaning / removing stress |
This page evolves. New thoughts get added. Old ones get refined.