I've developed depression
I have developed depression from my workplace. I don't feel valued by the company and they have made it pretty clear that my future there is stagnant without changing my role or climbing the corporate ladder. I'm a creative, and have never wanted to become a suit at a desk. You know those corporate suits that justify their existence by how many meetings they have to go to. No thanks, that's not for me.
Self-worth
The links between Boredom & dopamine
Have you ever found yourself relaxing, with some form of entertainment be it TV, a game or a book and you start to realise that you're extremely bored? The activity you're doing to relax and escape your dreary everyday life is completely and totally boring all of a sudden. That has happened to me on numerous occasions, I start to think to myself, why am I wasting my life doing this? A wave flows over me and I feel, not quite existential dread but rather existential boredom.
Inconsistency is ruining your life
Inconsistency is the opposite of habit. Inconsistency is where you have too many variance or contradictions in what you are currently doing. An example talked to death is a diet plan. You do it for a little while, week, month, then oh my god, who would have thought that you would get back to your original weight after you stopped? Shock horror?! Being inconsistent with your days, your weeks, months and years is a great way of going nowhere. Rather than the contradiction about altering nothing, it's when you keep changing what you are doing that you end up nowhere.
Mastering the Mind, Overcoming the Challenges of Modern Comfort
We have got to a time in our history that physical comforts, food and leisure are all accessible. We have more than enough to survive. The next obstacle to master and take control of is our minds. Since we have everything we need to survive, we have time to become bored. This is not how humans are supposed to live, we need problems, we need challenges, we need to consume, battle, create and explore. But when everything can be served to you on a silver platter, for a green piece of paper with a number and someone's face on it, we no longer have those challenges we evolved for.
Why you should stop consuming the News
If we take a step back what is the purpose of the News? Down to its very core, what helps news make money? Since newspaper sales are on the decline, selling the news directly to the consumer is a dying form of income. So the way News keeps afloat is through advertisements. Keeping your attention, keeping you engaged with watching, reading, to effectively sell you more ads. That is the core job of the news. Remove your old ideals about informing its citizens and educating the masses on current events, that is what the news used to be. That's a romantic's way of looking at why the news exists, lets get real the news primary job is to sell ads now.
There is no God, life is meaningless, now what?
Have you ever experience existential dread? You know when you question if your life has any meaning, purpose or value? The answer it an Existentialist like myself is your life is insignificant. Knowing that you're here because of share good luck, and a chain of events outside of your control is, to me at least true freedom. Let me explain.
Working all your life
I clicked on the video, sitting there watching listening trying to learn and get inspired when these words hit me like a tone of bricks. It's something I never thought of, I've been working my whole life, saving, investing, trying to get close to retirement when Warren Buffets words sink in. "If you don't find a way to make money while you sleep, you will work until you die."
Meetings
I'm running through the double doors at work, looking at my watch, thinking to myself as I sprit through the hallways "Not again, not this time" as I reach my destination, room 104. I stop, get my breath then swallow, the build-up of salver in my mouth, I reach for the cold silver door handle, turn it an step through. My stomach drops everyone is already there, waiting around a table. One disapproving face looking at me. I'm late for another meeting.
Hero story
Everyone wants the hero story, everyone wants to be entertained by the extraordinary. The amazing, the talented. But in reality, the extraordinary is a lifetime of doing the same thing over and over again. The hero is a person who didn't ask for glory but was forced onto it through pain and trials.
The four agreements
Ever thought about what makes you a good person? What makes you fare and judge. These four agreements do just that. Not in the eyes of others but to yourself. Only we can live our lives and live it true to ourselves. If someones say something is wrong, or not allowed, it's not because it is true but because that goes against the rules they themselves asset upon themselves. So ask yourself that is it that makes you good?
Schooling and education
We often confuse the difference between, schooling and education and one is not necessarily the same as the other. I went to school, I went to university. I have a bachelors degree and an honors degree. What I studied was graphic design, I don't use my degree at all. I'm a studio photographer and writer. All I got out of university what very expensive schooling.
Pomodoro technique
Want to start a habit, or get a job done. Can't seem to get the energy to start because it just seems too overwhelming or hard. I hear yea, same here. I struggle to be productive sometimes. I can't think of any ideas, or what to do or make. So how does someone without any ideas start, and keep going, and reach that flow state? By using the Pomodoro technique.
Why do we always go back to our default?
What do I mean by this? default in the dictionary terms means to fail financially. But in terms of creativity, it means to me, your normal, your nature, your baseline, your go-to. And as creative's, we strive to better ourselves, push the bounders to express or change the way we see and think all the time. So why do most of us, do the same thing over and over again. Why are we so consistent with our default way of creating?
Creativity is it pure?
It's hard just pumping out content all the time, making art and expressing yourself to no end. But for some reason, we feel completed to do it. For strangers to see, look at, feel, appreciate and share. We all have good intentions to tell our story to show the world how we see it. But deep down, we all know the truth, our intentions are selfish and narcissistic. Let me explain.
Hello world
Hello world, it’s been a while. It’s been one hell of a year that has passed us. And during this year of turmoil, I was absent. I’m sorry for not informing you of what I was up to, or why is switched off. I went silent during this world pandemic, Covid-19 was an emotional roll a coaster for myself and everyone around me.For us, in New Zealand, our government took away our liberties, but we were all willing. Sacrificing temporary freedom was a no brainer. We were only allowed to go outside for exercise and buying essential goods. Travel was restricted and quickly two weekends of lockdown turned into months. Work stopped, income for many of us halted. I desperately wanted to document our country during this pandemic, but the only registered journalists were allowed to go outside and on the empty street.
Systems vs goals
"You don't rise to the level of your goals you fall to the level of your systems" - James ClearSystems vs goals, habits vs dreams, journey vs destination, practice vs performance. You get the idea, systems are like daily habits and goals are like dreams. The best way to reach your dreams is by taking single steps towards it. Each daily step gets you that little bit closer towards your goal.
Living for the likes
Problems arise when you stop living and creating for yourself and start living a lifestyle and create content for your viewers or audience instead of yourself. This is where it stops being about life and a passion for creating and starts becoming a monetization burden if you stop. Creating for what gets the most likes or engagement, can snowball insecurity about your audience leaving you if you stop. This is false, and let me tell you why.
Just start and get better later
Analysis paralysis or plain old fear. Fear of being judged, fear of being ridiculed, fear of failure, fear of not meeting your expectations, plain old fear. Instead of contemplating and overthinking everything to the point of analysis paralysis. Which later turns into a crippling fear, a fear that stops you moving forward towards your dream. Just start and get better later!
Gear isn't finite
I'm going to show you what gear I use. And I also want you to know that gear isn't finite, it changes over time. And that all this gear that you see in front of you, sure it helps in capturing a picture but it's not the end all be all. Gear, settings, controls, styles, are all concerns of the hobbyist and amateur, they are good to know and important but they aren't what makes a picture great. the story, the meaning, the purpose is what makes an image.