creative

It’s a stepping-stone, not a compromise. The media and our culture push us to build something for everyone, to sand off the edges and to invest in infrastructure toward scale. But it turns ou…

“Not to eat but to think.”

Most are probably unaware of the effort involved in maintaining a personal website or of the benefits that result.

Hello, everyone. I'm going to be taking an extended break from kottke.org, starting today. I've been writing here for more than 2

Hey, you. You're doing great. Click here to read this on the web. Source: ATJ's bulletin board Welcome to the 112th issue of Total Annarchy, a…

I felt like I somehow needed fame. In retrospect, there was a lot of self-loathing from tough childhood experiences, and I desperately hoped that love from without (i.e., from masses of other peopl…

From the iPhone to Snapchat and Notion—when words escape us

Pitching Nirvana

If you care about a creative practice, my guess is that you’ve already seen Peter Jackson’s new Beatles movie. If not, go check it out. It’s a miracle that the movie exists at all…

Commoditizing tweets’ complement (the algorithm) will increase usage and rebuild trust

Pushing yourself vs. letting things come to you—the eternal dilemma

Are you curious about how curation really works?

Learn how to create an eBook and sell it online. In this article, we cover all you need to know, from the basics to getting paid, and more!

A comprehensive guide on digital product ideas and examples. We also cover the basics of digital products, the benefits, what to sell, and much more.

When I was a teenager, I’d play bass in bands, sing horribly and toy with the idea of being a songwriter. This is a letter I wish somebody had written to me when I was 17. Strive to be prolific. Notice I didn’t say ‘aim to be great,’ or ‘just…

5 quotes about expressing yourself with your work.

Nat Eliason's Monday Medley Newsletter for Apr 18, 2022

Simple design decisions so you didn't have to think about it.

Reading Time: 8 minutes On Twitter’s own blog, their “content idea” section suggests that you “tweet a GIF.” Yeah. Let’s come up with something better. I’ve been building an audience of over 50.000 on Twitter over the last two years. I will share the strategies and tactics I use to come up with relevant and helpful daily content to … Continue reading How I Find Twitter Content Ideas

"The consequences of this email will be important. Please read carefully."😉

What would a focus group have said about the title of Harper Lee’s To Kill a Mockingbird? Is it easy to understand, did you know what it’s about before you pick up the book? What about …

It's counterintuitive but I think it's true. We struggle to find time to stretch our creative muscles. But modern creativity doesn't come with more freedom. It comes with more restriction. Think of Morning Pages. It became *wildly* successful among creative professionals because it forces you to write 3 pages. No more, no less. It forces you to write first thing in the morning or as soon as you wake up. It doesn't ask you to sit and write whenever your mood strikes. No. It should be done as soon as you wake up. It doesn't ask you to write as long as you want. No. It asks you to stick to 3 pages. That's how you unlock your creativity. With restrictions. Not with freedom. Think of tweets, insta stories, tik-tok's viral 1-min videos, YouTube shorts, and now, this nicheless blog post with 300 words. Modern creativity isn't about finding freedom to stretch your creative muscles. It's about restrictions. But, how far should you go with these restrictions? Where should you stop so that it doesn't become suffocating? So that you don't accidentally create a platform where creatives cannot thrive anymore? Can you think of any platforms with restrictions that didn't become successful among creatives? Can you think of platforms where there are NO restrictions whatsoever and became unsuccessful? According to me, they are Facebook and LinkedIn. Sure, they are successful when you look at their revenue numbers. But they are often ridiculed for their cringey content. Tik-Tok was initially ridiculed because it was popular among teenagers and not the *intellectual* batch. But, now? They embrace it. What changed? Absolutely nothing. Creativity among Tik-Tok users just took time to produce meaningful creative content. So, what creative restrictions are you following next time you sit down to write? Or, paint? Or, build?

The first step is often the hardest.

And my thoughts about adopting one for this newsletter

If you can master the art of the start, then any creative endeavor is possible.

Issue 70: Refine and push