Visual Growth

Imagine how worse it could be.

Ash Lamb — Sat, 14 Mar 2026 14:01:15 GMT

Everyone talks about positive visualization, but I think negative visualization can be just as beneficial.

Last week, I ran 25 kilometers. The next day, my left foot hurt badly. I literally couldn’t walk. My brain immediately went to the worst place: Did I seriously injure it? Will I even be able to run again? Will I be able to walk normally? I kept imagining a life without sports.

This morning, I woke up to find my foot feeling much better. I could walk again. It wasn’t a serious injury. And suddenly life felt amazing.

But here’s the strange part. Nothing in my life actually changed. Same life. Same environment. Same everything.

The only difference was that, for a moment, I strongly imagined losing something I always took for granted. And when things returned to normal, normal felt incredible.

Sincerely,

Ash Lamb

(138 of 500 words)

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Small actions, big luck.

Ash Lamb — Sat, 07 Mar 2026 14:01:33 GMT

I asked a question that had been bothering me.

If you don’t have a big idea, should you invent one? Or just focus on small actions and wait for opportunities to appear?

When you’re young, everyone says this is the time to take risks and build something big.

Across the table sat an older man whose identity I’ll keep anonymous.

He has lived around the world. Born in Spain, he grew up in Venezuela and Switzerland, and later worked in the United States for many years. He lost his first child, and his wife recently went through cancer.

His words carried the weight of someone who's earned his wisdom through experience, not books or podcasts.

“Do not let the answer torture you. The big idea might come in five years. Ten years. Twenty years. Or it might never come. In the meantime, try as many things as you can. Play music. Make art. Socialize. Travel. Put small adventures and experiments on your calendar. You increase the number of corners and angles through which luck can arrive. The more things you try, the luckier you’ll get.”

His words reminded me of two guys in my city I’d compared myself to for years.

They sold their company for about $200 million a few years ago.

In my mind, their story seemed simple:

They woke up with a brilliant idea. They decided to be ambitious. They built something huge. They were lucky to have the right idea at the right time.

But the real story was different.

They had normal jobs and ordinary lives. One of them built small apps on the side just to earn extra money and travel.

One day, he casually posted one of those apps on Facebook.

Someone saw it and suggested collaborating.

They started meeting in coffee shops, raised a small investment, improved the product, and hired someone.

Years passed.

The small project slowly grew into the company that eventually sold for $200 million.

It wasn’t a master plan or a lucky genius idea.

It was curiosity, small projects, and iteration.

Each step created a little luck, which created the next step.

Over time, those small moves quietly became something big.

Sincerely,

Ash Lamb

(363 of 500 words)

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Feel free to reply, I respond to everyone.

Follow your fears.

Ash Lamb — Sat, 28 Feb 2026 13:15:16 GMT

Those of us who are optimistic like to say, “Follow your dreams.” I do not disagree.

But what about following our fears?

We hide from them. We minimize them or avoid them altogether. It feels uncomfortable. Who would willingly move toward fear?

What if fear holds the answer? What if it is a gift, a signal, a compass pointing exactly where you need to go to transcend your current self?

I believe it is.

I’ve always struggled to face my fears, big and small. Yet every time I do, I experience a breakthrough within myself.

It’s so liberating. You realize it was largely in your head. There was less to worry about than you imagined. It was a challenge, not a threat.

That is why yesterday I recorded myself speaking on camera, something that made me deeply uncomfortable. I had postponed it for months, maybe years.

After I finished, I felt on top of the world. Not because the video was perfect, but because I had proven to myself that the fear was an illusion. The next time a new challenge appears, my mind will have evidence.

Evidence that if I move through the discomfort, I may emerge stronger on the other side.

Consider this your sign to act on the decision you have been avoiding. The life you want may be waiting just beyond that fear.

Sincerely,

Ash Lamb

(227 of 500 words)

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Feel free to reply, I respond to everyone.

Keep it moving.

Ash Lamb — Tue, 01 Jul 2025 13:31:09 GMT

Don't stay still for too long.

That's how you freeze, and doubt creeps in, which makes the monsters in your head get bigger.

Motion, on the other hand, creates warmth, physically, mentally, and emotionally.

It keeps things alive because you don’t have time to overthink.

When you lose that motion… things suddenly become intimidating.

That’s what happened when I took a solo trip to Budapest. Great city in hindsight, but it started rough.

Bumped into the wrong people, creepy room, cancelled plans, wasted money. I found myself sitting alone, feeling frustrated and stuck.

The following morning, I called a wise friend. He gave me the simplest advice:

Keep it moving. Don't overthink it. Change your environment. Walk. Talk to someone new. Switch rooms. Try something. Anything! Just don’t sit alone trying to think your way out of it.

I took his advice. I got on a train to Vienna. That decision changed everything.

Met new people the day before the train ride. They joined me and brought fresh energy.

It turned into one of the best trips of my life, not because it was perfect, but because I kept moving, creating more chances to collide with something good.

The same happened with this newsletter. Something I love doing.

I took a break, and that pause turned into a mental block. No idea seemed good enough, so days turned into weeks.

The longer I waited, the heavier the send button felt.

Until I replaced endless analysis with tiny actions.

I moved and experimented. Changed things, no matter how small.

The goal was to get out of my head and back into my body.

Think of it like walking on a cold winter day.

As long as you keep moving, you stay warm enough. But stop for too long, and you feel cold, very cold.

You start to wonder if maybe you should just head back home.

Don't let that happen. Don't freeze waiting for things to feel perfect. Keep it warm. Keep it moving.

Sincerely,

Ash Lamb

(334 of 500 words)

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After many requests, it’s finally happening…

This month, I'm launching Visual Growth Course 2.0!

You’ll learn everything I know about creating visuals that actually work.

The kind that grow your audience, help you communicate better, and make you stand out at work.

You don't need a design background.

No fluff, no filler. Just real, practical stuff. All in under 3 hours.

Reply to this email with the word "course" and I’ll send you a special discount!

Thanks for being here. It really means a lot.

Your attention span is fine.

Ash Lamb — Mon, 07 Apr 2025 13:02:47 GMT

Everyone loves to say that attention spans are shrinking. But if that were true, how would the new generation binge-watch entire seasons, listen to three-hour podcasts, and devour massive fantasy novels in days?

I would argue we only have a short attention span for those things that don’t deeply pique our interest.

I used to think I had ADHD in school.

I struggled to concentrate in math class or when reading random, boring history books. It felt impossible to stay focused. I’d stare at the page for what felt like hours, trying to read but absorbing nothing.

But years later, when I found things I cared about, like design or writing, I could go on for hours, totally immersed. I’d forget to eat. I’d lose track of time in a zen-like state.

That wasn’t a short attention span. That was misaligned attention.

Our standards have risen. We have unlimited options at our fingertips, and switching costs nothing. We're more selective, not more distracted.

So, if you find yourself struggling to focus, don't fight it. Listen to it. Your brain is telling you something. Maybe this isn’t the right thing for you. Maybe there's something better, something that will pull you in so deeply that stopping becomes the challenge, not starting.

Attention isn’t fading—it's just demanding more.

Sincerely,

Ash Lamb

(212 of 500 words)

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Feel free to reply—I respond to everyone.

Do it for the plot.

Ash Lamb — Wed, 02 Apr 2025 13:03:48 GMT

What if life were less of a checklist and more of a game?

What if you swapped rigid plans for spontaneous side quests?

We often over-calculate, treating choices like transactions instead of loosening up and letting curiosity lead.

Make choices for the story, not just the strategy. Ask yourself “Why not?” more often.

I once went to a networking event, and I was tense and calculated, trying to impress. Nothing came of it. I wasn’t being natural, and that repels anyone worth talking to. That night, I walked back home having had zero interesting conversations.

Months later, I took a random trip to visit a good friend and stayed in a rundown, creepy, cheap hostel just for fun.

That night, the guy in the bunk bed next to me turned out to be a leader at a billion-dollar company who was taking a year off to travel.

He kept his $12k watch on while sleeping in a 12-person dorm—I found that crazy.

We spent the night talking about life and business. It was one of my best conversations that year, and I couldn’t have planned for it.

Not everything needs a logical reason.

Some things are worth doing simply because they make life more interesting.

So go ahead—make a move that doesn’t make perfect sense.

See where the game takes you.

Do it for the plot.

Sincerely,

Ash Lamb

(226 of 500 words)

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Feel free to reply—I respond to everyone.

Stop worrying, start preparing.

Ash Lamb — Fri, 14 Mar 2025 15:06:54 GMT

Our desires consume us.

The dream job, the right person, the big break.

Yet, when they arrive, they often feel like waves we weren’t ready to surf. The problem isn’t a lack of opportunity; it’s how we spend the "waiting" period.

Imagine knowing your dream would come true in six months—guaranteed.

Would you stress or prepare? Would you spiral into doubt or sharpen your skills?

When I started freelancing, I was desperate to land clients. The lack of work made me feel inadequate, so instead of using the downtime to improve, I let frustration consume me.

Why bother learning more if I'm not getting any work anyway?

Then, out of nowhere, a billionaire founder asked if I could make animations. I felt like I was on top of the world! But... I had never done animations before.

I said yes regardless and rushed to learn everything I could, pulled all-nighters, and somehow, the project turned out great. (Sigh!)

Looking back, I saw my mistake: I could have spent that “waiting period” learning new skills instead of worrying about where I would use them.

The same applies to relationships.

I once had a crush on someone. I would fantasize about a potential future together, imagining how perfect it would be.

Then, when they finally showed interest in being with me, it felt too overwhelming. I had spent so much time longing that I hadn’t done the inner work to meet them from an emotionally mature place.

Next time you find yourself hoping or waiting for something, don’t just desire it, but prepare for it.

Then, when the knock finally comes, you’ll open the door with confidence, not shock.

Sincerely,

Ash Lamb

(278 of 500 words)

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Feel free to reply—I respond to everyone.

How full is your inner world?

Ash Lamb — Mon, 24 Feb 2025 14:02:43 GMT

If you haven't created your inner world, you rely on the outer world to fill the void.

You need the trip, the attention, the nice apartment, the restaurants, the hobbies, the shows, the constant social outings.

Without them, you feel empty. Maybe even depressed.

But when your inner world is rich, the outer world becomes just background noise. You don't need it to feel full because you carry an inner sense of purpose.

You have a mission, a goal, something that makes your inner world vibrant and alive.

Maybe it's illustrating the most interesting ideas.

Maybe it's providing clean water to developing countries.

Maybe it's writing a book or becoming a world-class athlete.

Whatever it is, once you have something that makes you tick, the outer world loses its power over you.

The food at the restaurant wasn't great. Who cares, you weren't relying on it to feel whole.

If that person isn't giving you attention, it's no big deal; you have something to focus on.

That upcoming concert sounds cool, but a Friday night spent deep in your inner world? Even better.

As long as you have food, shelter, and space to work, your inner world is intact.

You don't need the latest movie, the new car, or the exotic vacation. You're locked in, fully immersed in what you're creating.

The outer world becomes a mere canvas for your vision.

You shift from being in the passenger's seat as a passive consumer of life to being in the driver's seat as an active creator of life.

This is an extreme perspective, and I wouldn't recommend living in your inner world forever. But everyone should experience it, at least for a season.

If you find yourself caring too much about the outer world, disappointed by a place, or frustrated by a person, embrace your inner world so completely that you don't even have time to care about things you can’t control.

Because when your inner world is alive, all those places that once seemed boring or repetitive will look and feel different. You'll be experiencing them through a new lens.

After a while, you can shift your focus back to the outer world, but this time, you'll engage with it on your terms.

You'll know the difference between chasing fulfillment and carrying it within you.

Sincerely,

Ash Lamb

(386 of 500 words)

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Feel free to reply—I respond to everyone.

Anger is a gift. Use it.

Ash Lamb — Sun, 26 Jan 2025 17:02:02 GMT

Last week I turned 23. Time flies.

I started Visual Growth just before turning 20, and it changed my life. Honestly…I still don’t know exactly what I’m doing. I’m winging it.

A lot has happened lately.

Some important deals fell through unexpectedly.

I went through some personal emotional turmoil.

I realized time was passing too quickly, and I wasn’t doing my best. I had been coasting, thinking I had all the time in the world to relax.

This combination of emotions almost broke me. I was angry that I wasn’t living up to my potential. I nearly turned to junk food and a movie to forget.

Then, something I wrote in my journal last year came to mind:

Anger is fuel. Anger is useful. Anger is a gift. Not something to avoid.

Could anger be the gift I didn’t know I needed?

An idea came to me: Run a half marathon. Right now. Alone. Nonstop.

I run regularly but usually stop after a few miles, checking my phone or walking. This time, I realized I could use my emotions as fuel.

I felt adrenaline as my anger turned into excitement.

It was a cold, windy day, but I put on my gear and went for it.

Before I left, I told myself I’d do 12km instead of 21km, because I didn’t think I could do it.

Last year, I struggled after 12km with a friend pushing me. If he hadn’t been there, I would’ve stopped.

This time, I was alone.

But as soon as I started running, I felt unstoppable. I used every emotion to keep going, running because of spite.

I completed the full half-marathon at a strong pace, without stopping, and still had energy left.

I couldn’t have done it without that anger.

The next day, I naturally woke up earlier, worked harder, ate healthier, and avoided bad habits. I had a new focus.

This realization will change my life forever. Anger is a gift.

We’re often told to just love ourselves, avoid anger, and be gentle. But what if anger was there for a reason?

Energy can’t be destroyed nor created; only converted. Anger signals that it’s time for change.

Two days later, I ran 23km at an even faster pace. This week I’ve run 3 half-marathons. Soon, I will run 30km.

This isn’t about running. It’s about the power of pain when things don’t go as planned. That’s when you change for good. It’s a turning point.

I can’t wait to get angry again and channel it into something else.

This is how you become anti-fragile.

You don’t feel angry? Great. Time to celebrate!

Things are falling apart? Even better. Now you have an edge. You can channel that energy into something productive. It’s a superpower. You have a strong reason to outpace your old self.

Sincerely,

Ash Lamb

(468 of 500 words)

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P.S. What worked for me might not work for everyone and may lead to injuries. That said, I truly believe we’re capable of far more than we think. We often hold ourselves back out of fear of abandoning our old selves.

Feel free to reply—I respond to everyone.

Everything can be picked apart.

Ash Lamb — Wed, 08 Jan 2025 14:00:49 GMT

Everything can be picked apart.

The trick to enjoying life is not taking yourself (or the world) too seriously.

Otherwise, everything will seem flawed, broken, foolish, or inadequate.

Yes, everything can be picked apart.

So, instead of trying to fix or analyze everything, choose a few things you're drawn to and enjoy them.

Who cares about the rest? This is just a fun trip. Don’t overthink it.

If you build your own business and sell a product, people will call you a scammy sellout taking advantage of people’s needs.

If you take a 9-to-5 job, they'll say you’re playing it safe, avoiding risks, and enslaving yourself to the corporate grind.

If you become a doctor, they'll accuse you of pushing pills for Big Pharma instead of fixing problems at the source.

If you practice natural medicine, they'll claim your methods aren't backed by "real” science.

If you write short articles they'll say they're too simplistic and lack depth and nuance.

Long articles? Too full of fluff. People are busy and don't have the time. Get to the point!

If you travel the world they'll say you're chasing highs and running away from your problems.

If you stay home, they'll say you live in a bubble and are scared to explore the world.

Obsess over one thing? Unhealthy.

Live a balanced life? Average and boring.

Read popular self-help? Shallow and cliché.

Read dense, obscure philosophy? Pretentious and not practical.

Build a small lifestyle business? A coward for not aiming higher.

Build a big company? Greedy and too ambitious, you should prioritize your lifestyle more.

Everything can be picked apart.

So pick what you feel drawn to, and don’t take yourself too seriously.

Sincerely,

Ash Lamb

(282 of 500 words)

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Feel free to reply—I respond to everyone.

Just take the next step.

Ash Lamb — Sun, 29 Dec 2024 14:02:34 GMT

I've been in a dark place lately.

Feeling empty and depressed.

Nothing excites me, not even doing nothing or indulging in any kind of passive entertainment.

It deeply bothers me that I don't have a big motivating goal or a clear long-term vision.

I don't quite know what's next.

I read books, travelled the world, talked to people and browsed the internet, hoping to find something interesting or inspiring, but everything felt painfully boring and repetitive.

And then this thought came to mind:

"You're thinking too big. Think smaller."

While it's true that having a big, long-term goal helps guide small tasks, sometimes we simply don't have one.

It can take time to find a goal that truly resonates with us. In the meantime, we need to be humble enough to pause, look inward, and ask ourselves:

"What's the smallest, most obvious step I can take right now?"

And then take that step.

From there, you take another step.

Before you know it, you've gained some momentum.

By taking enough small actions, you inevitably start gaining clarity about what you want to focus on in the long term.

It all starts by asking yourself:

"What's the smallest, most obvious step I can take right now?"

And then taking it.

Because there’s no need to see the whole path ahead before you begin walking it.

Sincerely,

Ash Lamb

(209 of 500 words)

P.S. I wrote this email two weeks ago. I applied this approach, and now I feel much better. Hopefully, it'll work for you too when you need it to.

P.P.S. A friend I made that week asked me for guidance, and this was my response to her message—perfect timing for us.

P.P.P.S. You do not know how grateful I am to have you as a subscriber. I get so much joy from writing these emails. So thank you for being on the receiving end. You make all the difference.

P.P.P.P.S. Here's to making the most of the year ahead. I have a strong feeling this will be an amazing year for you. You're subscribed to a newsletter for people looking to grow, and God favours those who are willing to grow.

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Feel free to reply—I respond to everyone.

Embrace being cringe.

Ash Lamb — Wed, 04 Dec 2024 14:00:59 GMT

A friend recently showed me a video of a young guy giving a motivational speech on YouTube.

Sure, it was over-the-top, but the message resonated with me.

My friend just smirked. “How cringe. Why is he talking to the camera like that? So embarrassing. Who does he think he is?”

I couldn’t help but respond. “Maybe it is cringe, but at least he’s trying. Isn’t it more cringe to sit here and criticize without ever putting yourself out there?”

It got me thinking about how obsessed we are with avoiding being “cringe.”

So many people hold back because they’re afraid to stand out, look weird, or be judged during those awkward early stages.

Everyone wants to be "normal," but that keeps authenticity away.

When I started sharing my work online, it looked cringe. I had no audience, and my work wasn’t great. It still might seem cringe to some, and that’s fine, it means I’m growing.

This “too cool to care about making something” attitude people cling to is just a shield to avoid vulnerability and effort, but if you don’t embrace being cringe at first, you’ll never live a life true to yourself.

Think of the singer posting song covers, the founder grinding on a big idea, or the aspiring author sharing drafts online…

They all risk judgment from “friends,” family, and strangers.

“Who do they think they are?”

Well, that’s the price of doing something remarkable with your short life.

Putting yourself out there, even unpolished, is how you improve. Sure, people might mock you. But keep going, one day, they’ll claim they always believed in you.

Unsuccessful haters see "cringe" as an obstacle between where they are and where they want to be.

Successful makers see it as a necessary fun step on their journey.

Today is a beautiful day to embrace being cringe.

Sincerely,

Ash Lamb

(308 of 500 words)

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Feel free to reply—I respond to everyone.

Context before advice.

Ash Lamb — Fri, 29 Nov 2024 14:31:36 GMT

This marketing consultant told me my emails were too simple and obvious.

Too short and not detailed enough.

He suggested adding more “sophisticated analysis” and using bolder, more attention-grabbing (clickbaity) headlines.

He also mentioned my language was too plain and that I should use more advanced words. "That’s how the pros do it.”

He claimed his advice would impress my readers and help me increase word of mouth.

I’m still very early in my journey, so I listened. On paper, some of it made sense.

But I knew what “good” looked like for me. Simple, authentic, and meaningful. It wasn’t about cutting-edge tactics, but about creating a genuine space.

So I sent him a document with articles I loved, deliberately leaving out the authors’ names to avoid their success influencing his opinion. If he didn’t like the writing, I’d know it wasn’t personal, just a simple clash of visions.

His response was telling.

"They're doing it wrong," he said. "Their articles didn’t hook me at all. The ideas they write about are too basic."

That’s when it hit me: advice without context is useless. Only take guidance from those who share your definition of "good," or you’ll be chasing someone else’s version of excellence.

The advice this marketing consultant gave me wasn’t inherently wrong, it just wasn’t right for my personal goals.

Most definitions of success are valid, you just need to know which is yours.

If your idea of a great website is simple, personal, and understated, don’t model someone specialized in building complex, tech-driven sales funnels packed with marketing tactics and pop-ups.

Remember, context before advice.

Once you understand this, you can break the rule. Seek out different perspectives to test your views. If their world resonates with you, maybe it’s time to rethink your own.

Sincerely,

Ash Lamb

(300 of 500 words)

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Don't become an influencer.

Ash Lamb — Tue, 22 Oct 2024 13:03:19 GMT

I was walking along the beach with a successful engineer who was now building a tech company from scratch.

As we enjoyed the sound of the waves, we somehow ended up talking about marketing (ugh!).

I told him that sharing my ideas online had changed everything. It allowed me to connect with people who opened doors, offered support, and believed in my vision.

He looked at me, puzzled, and said:

"I hear you, but I don't want to become an influencer. I'm a private person, and I'd rather focus on building my company."

His response made it clear that he misunderstood my approach.

"Influencer" is such a slippery term. It's often associated with TikTok models who post short clips doing provocative dances or showing what they had for brunch, just for the sake of vanity.

But that's not what I meant at all.

Building a personal brand is more about attracting a specific niche audience that connects with your genuine deeper interests and values, not the values you think make you look cool, or worse, those who just think you look cool.

By creating a niche audience, you can turn every failure into a valuable public lesson, which helps build interest and credibility.

If your idea succeeds, fantastic! If it doesn't, that's still a win. You have a meaningful story that could lead you to the right opportunity.

This isn't about vanity or fame; it's about giving your journey a personal touch, making people more likely to become customers because they see a real person behind the brand, not just a faceless minimal logo that could belong to a secret society.

As Kevin Kelly wrote in his popular essay, you only need 1,000 true fans to build a successful business. There's no need to achieve celebrity status or become a mainstream figure.

I was feeling excited that morning, so I gathered the courage to tell him that, in my view, he was morally obligated to share the things he had learned with people who might benefit from them.

Is this true? Maybe not. But it's a useful belief because it reframes posting stuff on the internet from "I'm seeking attention" to "I'm being of service to others."

And for those who say they don't have time, there's no need to overdo it. Just share as you would with a friend over WhatsApp. Think of it as sending a quick, "Guess what I learned today?" text, not crafting a presidential speech.

Don't turn it into a full-time job or even a part-time job. Instead, make it an extension of what you already do, like jotting down a quick journal entry at the end of each day, minus the "Dear Diary" bit...

Sincerely,

Ash Lamb

(450 of 500 words)

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Feel free to reply—I respond to everyone.

Don't keep it to yourself.

Ash Lamb — Mon, 09 Sep 2024 13:02:05 GMT

Writing in a journal can feel like a grind. It takes discipline and energy.

E-mailing your realizations to a friend feels wholesome. You share a connection and get feedback.

Cooking for yourself often means settling for quick, easy meals that might taste good but look plain.

Cooking for someone you care about motivates you to cook a dish worthy of a Michelin-starred restaurant, or at least better than pot noodles

Working out alone in a dark room and seeing the results in a dirty mirror—that's playing life on hard mode.

Joining a sports tournament, making new friends, and helping each other train—that's life on fun mode.

And that’s why I share my thoughts publicly.

It makes me write and create more consistently and at a higher standard. It keeps me accountable and gives my work a purpose bigger than myself.

When the lockdown hit, I had all this free time to research, write, and think.

I wanted to build a personal wiki with powerful ideas for creativity, but I struggled without a purpose bigger than myself.

If I didn’t show up, no one would notice. And honestly, I didn't want the wiki badly enough just for my personal use to justify the long hours.

Then, one night, a friend asked for some feedback for a project he was working on, as he was facing the infamous creative block.

As I excitedly responded to his email with many ideas and resources, I realized I had researched and written more in those few hours than I had in the past month.

Then it struck me.

Writing for someone else pushes you to sit down and get it done, knowing someone is waiting for your response and could benefit from your words.

And that's what excites me the most about life—the ability to make things, put them out there, and see them make an impact, no matter how tiny.

Since then, I've moved most of my notes to my website database to make them public through this newsletter.

It's a win-win and a flywheel: I have a reason to be creative, and others benefit from it. Their benefit fuels my creativity, and the cycle continues.

Sincerely,

Ash Lamb

(362 of 500 words)

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Empty your brain.

Ash Lamb — Mon, 02 Sep 2024 13:01:59 GMT

I love old mythological books, they’re like passports to fascinating worlds.

Immersing myself in them was easy, but one night I found I couldn’t anymore.

I stared blankly at the page, reading the same line over and over again…

When I managed to focus, my mind would quickly wander, and five minutes later, I’d realize I couldn’t remember anything I had read.

Why was this happening?

My 15GB of free mental storage were full of random thoughts, leaving no room for reading.

And sadly, there wasn’t a premium plan for more space.

If you're actively creative, your brain quickly fills up with ideas, leaving no room for new more interesting ones.

As David Allen says, "The mind is for having ideas, not holding them."

I tried every app and system out there—Notion databases, automated spreadsheets, journaling apps—to unload my ideas. Instead, it made things worse, adding more noise and clutter to my mind.

The brain hates blank spaces. If you can’t visualize the whole process from start to finish, those gaps become big question marks living rent-free in your mind.

It’s like reading an email. If you know how long it is, you’re more likely to read it carefully. Without that clarity, you rush through it faster than an Olympic sprinter.

The same goes for organizing your life. If your brain can’t see the big picture, all those folders and databases just add to the anxiety, making you worry about what you might be missing.

Using digital tools to organize my thoughts felt like trying to make a perfect drawing without a rough sketch. So, I ditched the complicated systems for something simpler.

The brain dump.

No structure, just a stream of consciousness. It’s therapeutic—a way to project thoughts without wrestling with the perfectionism monster.

I scribble everything down on large sheets of paper away from screens. Once I’m done I organize the few important points on a simple to-do list.

The best part? Tearing up the paper at the end—it's like holding onto anxiety and then letting it go. Gosh… It feels so freeing!

I use brain dumps in the morning to clear my mind and focus on deep work, and at night to relax and prepare for sleep.

Try them out—they’ll help you unlock more creative brain power when you need it the most!

Sincerely,

Ash Lamb

(385 of 500 words)

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Feel free to reply—I respond to everyone.

A trick for when I feel worthless.

Ash Lamb — Mon, 12 Aug 2024 13:01:06 GMT

We often make a bigger impact than we realize, but we forget because our brains are wired to focus on the negatives or the tasks we haven't yet completed.

This mindset was vital for survival in the savannah. If we focused too much on the beautiful scenery, we might have missed a nearby hungry lion and… Chomp!

But in our modern, comfortable world, this tendency can work against us.

So here's a little trick I use for the days when I feel worthless.

Whenever someone sends me a kind message, email, comment, or even gives me a compliment in person, I save it in a folder called "Positive."

On those gloomy days, I revisit this folder and it gives me significant a boost! I recommend trying it, especially if you create and share things on the internet.

To keep this from becoming too narcissistic, I also have a separate folder called "Helpful" where I note down moments when I've helped someone or done the right thing. No matter how small the act, I write it down.

For example, the last thing I noted was helping an old lady with her huge suitcase—getting it off the train and carrying it to her taxi.

The beauty of this system is that it works. It keeps you accountable, and it makes you want to continue adding to your "chain" of helpful actions.

Just like in video games, where you collect trophies and medals as you progress through levels, it's fun and fulfilling to collect these special moments in life. You never know when they might come in handy.

Sincerely,

Ash Lamb

(261 of 500 words)

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Feel free to reply—I respond to everyone.

The vision is linear, but the path isn't.

Tue, 23 Jul 2024 13:02:10 GMT

As clear as your vision may be, the path will wind in circles, zigzags, and detours.

It may look messy on paper, but zoom out and you’ll see you’re headed in the right direction.

Most people give up because they evaluate everything in its current state.

They let one “failed” project define who they are as people, instead of seeing that “failed” project as one more stepping stone.

Results aren’t directly proportional to your effort; they can come suddenly after six months or a year when you least expect them.

The journey between where you are and where you want to get to will look like a messy pinball game.

Your first project will likely suck, and that’s ok.

It takes many failed projects to find the project that finally sticks.

This is important because, contrary to what they taught us at school, the path to where you want to go won’t be linear.

There isn’t a set of tests that, if you pass, guarantees you’ll graduate.

Without anyone to guide you, you’ll need to grapple with unexpected ups and downs and think on your feet to quickly change plans.

A quote that I always keep at the top of my mind:

“Businesses fail, entrepreneurs don’t”

“Ideas fail, creatives don’t”

If you don't give up, keep iterating on your work, and surround yourself with supportive people, you'll inevitably find a project gets traction.

And if that project doesn't fulfill you, great—it will lead you to a better one.

Today is a great day to zoom out and see the bigger picture.

Much love and respect,

Ash Lamb

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This ancient Japanese concept fixed me.

Ash Lamb — Tue, 16 Jul 2024 13:01:13 GMT

Wait, what?

You read that right.

An ancient Japanese concept cured my obsession with perfectionism.

Yes, you also read that right.

I’m just another “internet creator” listing “perfectionism” as my biggest flaw.

Sorry for being so perfect—just kidding!

Perfectionism seems like a good problem to have, but it isn’t.

It paralyzed me.

I wanted to share my illustrations on the internet but I kept comparing myself to established creators.

Everything had to be perfect, so it took me half a year to share my first visual idea…

After that, I dropped the ball—it was too much to handle. And I didn’t get back on track until I discovered…

Wabi-Sabi.

No, it’s not the spicy ingredient you’re thinking about—that’s wasabi!

Wabi-Sabi (侘び寂び) is an ancient Japanese philosophy rooted in Zen Buddhism that finds beauty in the cracks and flaws of any given object or creation.

It might be enjoying the unique shape of a handmade bowl, the cracks and ageing of wood, or the worn and colored pages of an old book.

Suddenly, what I had been constantly battling against became a benefit, not a bug.

Embracing imperfetions is the antidote to perfetionism.

Before starting a new project, consider how to purposefully make it imperfect!

Allowing yourself to make mistakes takes a huge weight off your shoulders.

It also helps you stand out in this age of AI, where imperfections make you more human and authentic.

If you’re ambitious and still want to aim for perfection, this quote may help you:

“Achieve perfection by iteration, not revision.”

The sustainable path to building something remarkable is getting better through incremental changes.

Perfection by revision means hitting “publish” only once your project is exactly how you imagined it.

Perfection by iteration means quickly hitting “publish,” gathering feedback, and making a better version. Then repeating the cycle.

Ironically, you’ll get much closer to perfection if you let imperfection guide you.

Today is a beautiful day to embrace wabi-sabi (not wasabi!).

Much love and respect,

Ash Lamb

(299 of 500 words)

When a door closes, another opens.

Ash Lamb — Sat, 22 Jun 2024 13:03:14 GMT

Hey – It's Ash!

It's been a while, and a lot has happened since my last email. I hope everything is going well on your end.

Have you ever felt that life's biggest setbacks are often disguised opportunities?

Looking back, everything that didn't go as planned and made me feel angry, depressed, or frustrated—moments that seemed like the end of the world—ended up leading to something much better.

Maybe I'm biased, but it's a pattern I keep noticing.

Today, I want to share a series of events that have completely shifted my perspective on life.

In April, I was supposed to move to San Francisco for three months to join a tech startup and step out of my comfort zone.

I told all my friends and family, boarded an 11-hour flight, and was brimming with excitement.

But upon arrival, I was stopped, pulled aside, interrogated, and detained for over six hours.

Due to a miscommunication and a paperwork mistake between the startup and me, the border officers had to send me back home that same day. Two 11-hour flights in one day.

As I boarded the flight back home, I felt a wave of disappointment and frustration.

The excitement of a new adventure in San Francisco had vanished, replaced by uncertainty.

After the painful ordeal of being denied entry to the US, I felt bitter and struggled to move on.

Then, two weeks later, I got a severe infection in my wisdom teeth, leaving me in excruciating pain and unable to move or eat solid foods for a week.

After a long wait, I finally underwent surgery to extract my wisdom teeth.

If I had been in America, I would have had to pay a big fee to get the surgery done or return home on a last-minute flight, so in hindsight, I was glad to be home.

After recovering from the surgery, I decided to fly to England to stay with my grandma for a month.

That trip turned out to be fantastic.

Not only did I have the time of my life spending quality time with her, but I also met many new fascinating people in London who opened doors for me and inspired me to think much bigger.

Not being allowed entry to the US enabled all these other experiences, which felt much more in tune with me.

When a door closes, another opens.

If we don't let the disappointment of the first door closing hold us back, we can step through the new door, which often leads to a better adventure.

This pattern of unexpected blessings has appeared in other parts of my life as well.

When I transitioned from primary to secondary school, my parents chose a beautiful high school next to our home, in a beautiful park, thinking it would be a perfect fit.

However, on the very first day, some older kids approached me and promised to make my life miserable.

They lived up to their threat, bullying and intimidating me for a whole year.

One Friday afternoon, they followed me to a quieter area where they attacked me, stole my phone, and beat me up badly.

It was four against one, and I was left traumatized, suffering from severe social anxiety for months.

When I began to recover, my parents found a new school for me.

There, I had an amazing time, forming lasting friendships and making wonderful memories.

In hindsight, despite the initial trauma, it was a blessing in disguise.

Without that difficult experience, I would never have met the incredible people at my new school.

Before heading to San Francisco, I lost a $15,000 crypto investment due to a mistake I made when writing down my password.

I felt incredibly unlucky and angry at myself for making such a stupid mistake.

Just two days after losing the investment, I received an email from one of the biggest business influencers looking for an illustrator for her book.

It turned out to be one of the best clients I've ever worked with, and I had a fantastic time with their team.

If I hadn't lost that investment, I would have passed on the opportunity because I was planning to move to San Francisco and didn't want to overload my schedule.

Because of my financial loss, I said yes, and it just happened to become one of my most successful projects to date.

In retrospect, these setbacks weren't setbacks at all—they were redirections, guiding me toward experiences that helped me grow in ways I couldn't have imagined.

Perhaps every obstacle is just a stepping stone in disguise, leading us closer to where we’re meant to be.

In London catching up with Anne-Laure, the founder of Ness Labs!

Check out her articles on curiosity and creativity, they’re fantastic.

Much love and respect!

Ash Lamb

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P.S:

If this story has resonated with you, here's an old Chinese parable that directly relates to it.

Once upon a time, there was a Chinese farmer whose horse ran away. That evening, all his neighbours came to commiserate. They said, “We are so sorry to hear your horse has run away. This is most unfortunate.” The farmer replied, “Maybe.”

The next day, the horse returned, bringing seven wild horses with it. In the evening, everyone came back and said, “Oh, isn’t that lucky? What a great turn of events! You now have eight horses!” The farmer again replied, “Maybe.”

The following day, his son tried to ride one of the wild horses. While riding it, he was thrown and broke his leg. The neighbours said, “Oh dear, that’s too bad,” and the farmer responded, “Maybe.”

The next day, conscription officers came to draft people into the army. They rejected his son because he had a broken leg. Again, the neighbours came around and said, “Isn’t that great?” Again, he replied, “Maybe.”

The whole process of nature is an integrated process of immense complexity, and it’s impossible to tell whether anything that happens is good or bad. You never know what the consequences of misfortune or good fortune will be.