Kaizen is the Japanese word for improvement. Kai stands for ‘Change’ and Zen for ‘Good’. We often hear it to describe a common theme in Japan's business practice; a lot of small steps will lead to big changes. Yet, it is much more. It’s the perfect analogy for how to get out of artistic anxieties, writer's block, creative resistance, and even when you are (creatively) burned out. You take a thousand tiny steps to reach that one big goal. One small step at a time. Artists and

Right now, you are in survival mode. Your body and mind are embracing your lizard and monkey brains to rewire a few things for the better. By now you'll also have noticed how excruciating that process is. It's called a burnout for a reason. And to add a little more sarcasm here: burnout ain't for the faint of heart. You have a long, hard road ahead of you. The less you think and the more you feel, the shorter the road. So, be like an animal and embrace your survival mode full

One of the strongest solutions to overcoming creative anxiety is the ability to connect to the now. This means your thoughts don't drift away to the past or the future but stay in the exact moment you are experiencing this instant, in complete focus. Learning how to do this is will not only help you with your recovery, in time it will help you reach that coveted state of flow in your life and creative work. So, let's explore! Almost all mindfulness courses start the same: zoo

The Dune films by Denis Villeneuve are exceptionally good. And anyone familiar with the books by Frank Herbert knows that they are even better. But why is that exactly? What's the whole story? The deeper reason is that Dune's tale is very thought-provoking and as such is fascinating to explore, with ideas that have many real world implications. Fair warning, spoilers ahead and make sure you've experienced the story... and now without further ado, let's set things off with a b

Every large corporation on our planet was once a startup with an innovative vision. They became so successful, the end result is a big company in the now. Yet, however forward-thinking when they started out, by far their greatest challenge is to keep that innovative spirit alive, now that they've often bceome more conservative. The key to doing so is in the story they tell themselves . Today, we discuss the crucial identity narrative . For business survival. A Tale of Respons

We don’t know. That’s the truth. At the very bottom, the only truth that counts is this: no one knows what artificial intelligence will bring. No one knows what positives and negatives are coming. The real story of AI? We. Just. Don’t. Know. That’s the premise of this article. Anyone who says otherwise right now, is full of horse-dong. Thankfully, we do know one thing. We know a little something about who is building it: ourselves. So, strap yourselves in really tight, and le

Many of us can get disheartened in the storytelling professions. So this is a simple blog to boost your moral. There is always demand for a good story. So hang in there and read this article every time you feel down. Here goes... Storytelling is a demand-driven market. There is always – and I really mean always – demand for good storytellers. Despite appearances, good stories are in short supply. Just think of this: Hollywood on average produces somewhere between 500 and 700

In its essence, a conspiracy theory is just a story. A pretty bad one actually. Yet under the right circumstances, it becomes so potent, it can cause an insurrection. What makes such a flimsy narrative so strong? From a storytelling perspective, that's a fascinating question. And the kicker? You and I both my dear reader, have already falling for it many times over. Hold on to your knickers, we're diving in the deep end today. And it starts with creativity. Pattern recognitio

During a small online music and poetry event yesterday, we were asked to reflect on the past year. Funny thing is, despite all the emotional art, writing and creative work I do, I'm actually not the sentimental type. I live quite firmly in the present and don't feel much need to reflect on a past year. Yet, when the question was asked, a very clear image immediately popped into my mind: the moon, two stars and the planet Venus in the night sky over the Amsterdam canals. It op

If I had a penny for every time a businessman or woman asked me why corporate stories need emotion, I'd probably be fishing on my private yacht in the Bahama's right now. Every storytelling lecture I give to the business world, I find myself fighting against the pervasive myth that somehow storytelling for businesses is different than other narrative practices. As if the very laws of biology on Earth - that determine that our species is governed by emotions - somehow magicall

Recently, I visited one of my best friends who had a bit of a fallback in her burnout cycle. Although she's been doing all the right things, she sometimes still doesn't feel it yet. She cried and then finally felt some positive vibes. So in this blog we're skipping the creative and storytelling part today (my 'story' and 'world' readers: plenty of articles in the pipeline!), as I wanted to pay attention to your process in restoring from creative depression, anxiety and burno

After a burnout, a creative depression or in stressful times all together, your body's alarm bells can be a little too sensitive. In other words, they go off too quickly, sparking feelings of anxiety. This can be very, very unpleasant. But however terrible the feeling, it is not something to be too worried about. It is just something that needs to be re-tuned. Today we discuss two ways to do this: exposure and EMDR, so you have a better sense of what to do and which to choose

How does it feel to be 'in the zone' creatively? Most people feel or imagine it to be a state of great confidence. And yes, sometimes you'll feel on top of the world. We usually call this being in a 'a state of flow'. But there is a second 'zone' that feels like the total opposite: full of doubt, anxiety, pain and frustration. Yet, it can still make you feel absolutely fantastic. And it's this zone that tells your creative story. Everyone who has ever been on a surfboard

A well known and often used technique to fight anxiety, depression and burnout is keeping a diary. There is no doubt in my mind about its benefits, however it is worth to discuss exactly why it can work for you. Knowing the process behind it means you've won half the fight already, even without penning anything down yet. So, let's explore. Although the body is an integral part of it, anxiety, burnout, trauma, grief and depression all play themselves out in the mind . To be

Today, I'd like to share with my readers a personal approach of mine in storytelling: being a stoic. Stoicism is a life philosophy made popular by Marcus Aurelius, one of the greatest roman generals and emperors in all of history, that ultimately comes down to the ability to separate logic and emotion in your mind, so you can make virtuous decisions. It's a hard skill to master, but incredibly useful to you as a storyteller when you do. Let's dive in! A good storyteller shoul

Apart from a general lack in energy many burnout victims also suffer from anxiety issues. This happens for a reason: your feelings and your breathing are connected to one another. And anxiety is triggered by shallow breathing. So let’s talk feelings, breathing... and movies. Think of what happens when you're watching a scary movie. You hold your breath, right? Why is that? It's because even when in real life you are perfectly safe (sitting on your couch or in the cinema) in y

When we are stuck creatively, becoming more depressed, or even already in a burned out state, we tend to overthink. The trick to getting out of this rut, is not to think, but to feel your way out of a negative mindset. Fortunately, there are many techniques than can help spark this, and reconnect you with your emotional world. Including literally feeling into that underbelly. Let's explore! Overthinking When we are not feeling good, we tend to over analyze all kinds of thin

So, there is no cure for burnout. Why? Because you are not sick, nor broken. You feel terrible yes. But you don't have a disease. You should never think in terms of 'curing' yourself. Because you ain't broken. In the end you are 'just' burned out and very much still alive and healthy. Don’t let anyone ever tell you otherwise. You do however require some treatment. And most of all you need time. As by now most of you will know, I always recommend taking a highly personal appro

Of course, I make a point in the book of saying your recovery should be highly personal. So I don’t know if this will work for you… but I want to tell you about my experiences with all kinds of Martial Arts. For me personally, they worked. And still work brilliantly today to keep stress away and give me creative focus! Balancing emotions Any kind of movement is good for you if you are stressed, feeling stuck or burned out. Our first blog post is even on just going for a walk

Very often burnout victims have not paid attention to the signals their body gave them. Heck, I even ignored an episode when I landed in the emergency room with a gigantic panic attack! So yes, this lesson is very, very simple: don’t ignore signals... stupid! And for creative people: pay attention to the specific ones! When you are moving towards a burnout your body is overproducing a very useful hormone called cortisol. This is known as the ‘stress-hormone’ and is actually b