Constraints (A Life Update)

I didn't publish a letter last week because life threw some interesting surprises at me.

About 2 weeks ago, a media agency that I've been eyeing for months appointed me as a full-time editor. All of a sudden, I went from being a freelance writer/content creator to joining the morning rush traffic.

I love every second of it. The cold morning mist, the air fryer going off at 6.30 am and the frost on the windscreen. Even something as simple as that short walk from the car park to the office reminded me how special this chapter of my life is.

And as with every chapter, there's a name for this one: constraints.

See, besides a few summer stints in retail, I've never had a traditional job. Some writers/creators might call this a dream, but for me, I knew it was holding me back creatively for years.

Genuine creativity is a paradox. It thrives under constraints, but too many constraints will stifle it. It craves freedom, but too much freedom will paralyse it.

In my work, I've always had maximum freedom to create what I want, but it got to the point where there were no longer any constraints to force me into better ideas.

But when I started full-time work 2 weeks ago, I only had 30 minutes in the morning to write. This forced me to make every sentence count, and I managed to finish writing an entire email course (7 emails) over a week.

Likewise, this new routine forced me to simplify my business. From now on, A Mug of Insights only has one goal: to help you find the words to your best ideas. My sole focus will be writing, and I had to make the difficult decision to stop hosting monthly live workshops that I loved. (All previous Cold Brew members have been reimbursed with 1 year of free access to all of my work).

In a sense, the constraints I feared the most are fueling my work. And for all the people out there who feel bad about not having enough time to write, to paint, to design, to set the world on fire with a great idea, that constraint on your time might just be your greatest asset. Whereas the dream scenario of having all the time in the world to be creative might just be a trap.

With that being said, I can't wait to see what we'll discover together in the coming months.

With love and until next week

Robin