The Alchemy of Creation
Wisdom gathered from the trenches {not sure if I like the use of word tranches here more like gardening} of building
1. 🧩 Re integration precedes creative breakthroughs
When I found myself at a nearby park on May 2nd, swinging gently back and forth a day after my first session of EMDR therapy, I found myself in a profound moment of joy and peace. The previously fragmented male and female energies within me unified.
The breakthrough: Integration isn't just psychological theory; it's a creative superpower. When your various selves work in harmony rather than opposition, solutions emerge effortlessly. The constant internal negotiation falls away.
"Once you validate yourself fully, the suffering ends." This wasn't hyperbole—it was the most practical discovery I've made. The energy previously spent maintaining boundaries between different parts of myself became available for creation.
2. 🚪 Mental Architecture
Some of the most valuable tools we create are our inner frameworks for navigating between different modes of thinking and being (contexts).
Along my path, I've learned the power of introspection. Once you become familiar with the inner landscape of your mind, you can consciously shape it to serve you. See my post "Spend a little time in your mind garden" for context, where I explore using the garden as a metaphor for introspection—planting seeds that will grow to serve you, rather than accepting every thought as "you" or "the truth."
I discovered we can design our internal environments with the same intentionality as physical spaces and the effects are actually more profound because the room is in us, we are not in the room. One of the most powerful tools that I’ve masted in the simple routine. Mastering them lies in finding the balance between consistency and flexibility. You always have to understand why you’re doing them, what you’re growing toward, which is informed by your values. Otherwise routines because perfunctory. However, I notice when I skip these routines for long periods my effectiveness plummets. When I honor them, my capacity expands beyond what I thought possible. If I do them too many days in a row I lose touch with the results because I am distanced from the transformational experience and begin to take them for granted while noticing the negative impact that they have on the flexibility of my schedule and the oportunity cost that comes with not spending the time on traditionally productive acitivities like work.
3. 🌱 Don’t be afraid to explore "Useless" things
Explore with emotion, measure with logic, commit with both.
Our culture is obsessed with utility, with solving problems. This causes us to miss incredible insights simply because they are not utility forward! Not quite tools, not quite toys—something that exists in the fertile space between. One advantage to productizing this space is that competition is sparse when you create something entirely new.
I've stopped trying to justify my creations through market research or problem statements. Instead, I build from a place of unconditional self-trust, asking: "What wants to be born through me?" This approach has paradoxically led to more resonant products than when I tried to chase market needs. I validate after following my intuition toward a toy or MVP.
4. 🔥 The Vulnerable Leader
I organized my friend group to show up for a local protest.
What made my leadership in this case effective wasn't strategic brilliance or charismatic speaking—it was showing up authentically, with all my uncertainty, doubts, and conviction intertwined.
The writing circle taught me that creating containers for shared vulnerability is the fastest route to meaningful connection. People don't follow perfect leaders; they follow authentic ones who make space for others' truth alongside their own.
5. 🌊 The Rhythm of Sustainable Creation
After burnout in mid-April, I discovered that "gentle pressure over time is more effective than throwing yourself at the wall as hard as you can."
Creation isn't a sprint or even a marathon—it's a lifelong dance between exertion and recovery. The quality of your rest directly determines the quality of your work.
The most powerful practice I've adopted: "Leave yourself wanting more. That's how habits are formed." End work sessions while you still have energy. Stop exercise before exhaustion. This creates a gravitational pull that draws you back rather than a wall you must force yourself to climb.
Rest is just as important as work. It's not just the work that creates results, it's staying in balance over time.