Hi! I'm Damon. I help creative businesses share their message online. I also send sporadic newsletters about creative life.
what I learned from 1,096 days of meditation ๐ง
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How's it going Reader? โ This week for me marks 3 years of daily meditation practice. It's the only "daily streak" I keep, and I'm very proud of this commitment. To me, it represents a commitment purely to myself and my own peace. โ I don't like to talk about meditation as some kind of "stress management hack" that will then help you "focus better at work". Though it does reduce stress, my own practice is a spiritual one. It doesn't exist to just be a productivity hack. It doesn't exist to solve a problem. โ In the beloved book 'Laziness Does Not Exist', Dr Devon Price says: Meditation is the most important place to start because it's not intended to solve any problems. Like expressive writing and finding various ways to "do nothing", it's explicitly about abandoning goals for a little while, letting go of stress, and restoring energy and well-being in the process. โ The main benefit it's brought me is this: Awareness. Both internally and externally. โ I'm more able to identify which things in life are most important to me. I feel more capable of questioning why I think or act a certain way. For example, I recently realised that I build momentum in my work by completing things, not by finding motivation. Finishing things (even tiny things) reduces stress for me a lot more than planning things. Writing big "brain dump" task lists is supposed to make you less overwhelmed, but it does the opposite for me. If I get a clear "done" signal, I have energy freed up to do something else. โ Realisations like this help me find more ways to access a creative flow state. And make me more appreciative of my own inner experiences. There's also definitely a lesson in there about just "doing", without worrying about the outcome. โ In 'The Creative Act', Rick Rubin says: When we go inside, we are processing what's going on outside. We're no longer separate... Ultimately, it doesn't make a difference whether your content originates on the inside or the outside. If a beautiful thought or phrase comes to mind, or if you see a beautiful sunset, one's not better than the other. Both are equally beautiful in different ways. โ Externally, I'm finding awareness in my new hobby of stargazing. I started going outside every evening and looking for constellations. This links to one of my most important personal values: awe. As in, a deep wonder and appreciation for things that are greater than us. And drawing inspiration from them! When I look at the night sky, I feel so much inspiration, and a deeper connection to the world. I hope by sharing this, it can bring a bit of wonder into your life too. โ I don't really like acknowledging the end/start of a year as some kind of boundary or milestone. Feels kind of awkward and enforced. But in the spirit of things, next year I'm hoping to create more and connect with others more ๐ โ Take care, happy holidays, and I'll see you in 2026, Damon โ P.S. if you're looking for a fun and creative way to plan the next year, get yourself the 2026 Brilliant Year workbooks. There's a business version and a life version. I'm an affiliate for the digital ones, or you can get physical copies on Amazon :) โ ๐ฑ Stuff I'm Doing Recently ๐ฑDecember Week #3 โ Find me on: My Website | TikTok | LinkedInโ โ โ |
Damon Siseman
Hi! I'm Damon. I help creative businesses share their message online. I also send sporadic newsletters about creative life.
Happy Tuesday Reader, I did it!! I put together my 3 new Content Repurposing offer packages. I spent a lot of time at the end of last year thinking about how to make content creation easier for creatives. The biggest thing I focused on was "repurposing" โ i.e. using the same content multiple times. These offers are aimed at creative business owners who've already made great content, but are now burned out and stuck. Sure, creatives can repurpose their own content, and it'll be wayyyyyyy...
Happy New Year Reader! ๐ I hope things are going well for you. I feel like people are being crazier than usual with the January challenges and discipline obsession ๐คจ (have you noticed this too? Don't let 'em get to ya.) If you asked me how I spent 2025, I'd probably say something like: "learning how to support myself" or "learning how to work in my own way" which both sound SO vague and wishy-washy. What do these things mean!!! I'm gonna tell you about what they mean for me. ๐ถ But before I do...
Hiiiii Reader! How are you doing? Everyone's saying 2025 has been hard/weird/unpredictable. And they're not wrong ๐ซ It's been chaotic. There's a lot going on. Though I'm feeling quietly pleased with myself because I've got more done lately than for a long time. (Sorry if you haven't. I'm bragging.) This year has pushed me to lock tf in and Systemise. Everything. I previously avoided productivity systems like this because I didn't understand how I worked. Planners, calendars, trackers, etc....