Follow your intuition

This year, I've got one resolution: do things in a way that feels right for me.

Over the years, I've taken advice from successful people about "the right way" to do things. While their methods have worked well for them, when I've tried to follow their blueprints it's felt like pushing a boulder uphill – it hasn't feel authentic to me, so I'd end up feeling lost and disconnected.

I'm now in my sixth year as a freelance designer, and I'm going to rely less on what everyone else is saying, and try things in a way that feels right for me. I realise more and more that I'm on my own unique journey – no one else will navigate it exactly as I will, using my own unique values and goals as a guide.

Pricing strategies, marketing methods, creative processes – it's tempting to view others' success and methods in these areas as a definitive blueprint and clear-cut paths to follow. While it's important to learn from others to improve your skills, blindly copying their approach without checking in with your your intuition can lead you astray.

Remember – over the years you've built up knowledge and experience about yourself. Your intuition knows what's best for you and your unique journey. So the next time someone suggests doing something a specific way, pause, check in with yourself, and follow your intuition. It's a powerful tool you already have at hand.

Some lines a day

I haven't kept a personal journal since my teenage years, partly because it seemed like such a daunting task. I felt the pressure to fill an entire page, and if I didn't, it felt like a waste of paper. But recently I came across a post by Austin Kleon, sharing inside his ‘5 year commonplace diary’, which he uses to record daily quotes.

The idea of years compounding and being able to see what happened on the same day in previous years, plus the small amount of space for each day was motivation enough for me to give it a go. At the moment I'm jotting down key events for the day as well as noting how I feel when working through projects. I've noticed the "messy middle" is a recurring theme!

Use it for ideas, project processes – whatever you like! Here’s the one I’m using: Some Lines a Day by Leuchtturm 1917.