almost everyone prompting seedance 2.5 right now is making the same mistake: trying to oneshot the whole video.

ive spent the last few days and a real stack of credits fighting this model. this is everything i know: the exact prompt structure i use, the workflow that gets usable footage out of it, and the one mental shift that changes everything.

by the end youll have my exact prompt structure and the workflow i run around it.

the honest verdict, a few days in

first, what you’re actually working with:

• its EXPENSIVE. get the prompt right for the first generation, because every extra generation costs real money

• its very good at listening. if the prompt is right, you get a good video in one shot

• the realism is pretty crazy. a lot of the ugc im seeing would genuinely trick me, someone who works with ai every single day, into thinking its real

• its still really bad at text. dont use it for anything with words in frame, add captions and overlays yourself in the edit

• with a bit of creativity and a budget that allows for it, you can make some really sick content, and roi isnt a tough challenge as long as your product and angle are in check

on the expensive part, some actual numbers: api pricing works out to roughly $0.50 to $1.20 for a 5 second clip depending on resolution, and on credit platforms a full 30 second 4k generation runs 2,000+ credits. every rule in this guide exists because of that math.

the biggest one: 50 reference slots that actually remember structure. your entire cast, props, and style refs all go into one generation together. we’ll use that.

stop one-shotting, start aggregating

heres the thing people get wrong with every video model, not just this one. they try to one-shot the whole video. or they try to one-shot the transitions, or the audio.

the key is always going to be aggregating the best shots from the model. prompt way more than you think you need, pull the best moments, and give the model the opportunity to come up with its own ideas.

thats the beauty of ai video: you can pull and aggregate random things together into something beautiful and stylistic.

in practice, for me, that means montages:

1/ take 2 to 5 seconds of your actual script

2/ turn it into one 15 to 30 second montage prompt, fast cuts (use chatgpt to do the breakout)

3/ tell the model straight up: im cutting this myself in premiere, load the montage with extra shots and options

4/ generate around 10 of those

5/ cut all the best moments into one

it comes back with alt angles and coverage you never thought to ask for. fair warning: most of those extra shots will be slop you never touch. but every now and then you get an absolute banger you could have never planned yourself.

i found this out by being lazy. i was making a fighter jet montage, and instead of individually writing out every shot like a good director, i realized the model would just make the montages for me. a generation came back with a shot i didnt write, and it was better than what i wrote. i understood the whole model differently after that. thats not a bug in your prompting, thats the workflow.

same way youd shoot a ton of coverage on a real shoot. more options in the edit, more room for your own taste.

and yes, the math. a batch of ten 15 second montages runs roughly $15 to $35 at the api rates above. that sounds like it goes against getting the prompt right the first time. it doesnt. the structure exists so every generation in the batch comes back usable, and the batch exists so you never pay for the genuinely expensive thing: re-running a broken prompt and hoping it fixes itself. you spend on coverage, never on hope.

on duration: 30 seconds is actually really good for the montages. its more expensive, so theres more at stake if you get the prompt wrong, but if youre in a good flow, 15 to 30 seconds is the sweet spot.

now, how to write the prompt so you get it right the first time.

the prompt structure

every prompt i write follows the same structure, macro to micro. hard limit for a narrative prompt: under 3,500 characters. (montage prompts run long and loose on purpose, youll see one in a minute.)

copy this structure:

SHOT: name it, plus one line on whats happening

REFERENCES: who each @image is. lock this before anything else

CHARACTER @image1: the same exact person description every time, plus what theyre doing and feeling in this shot. clothing locked

SETTING @image2: the place, matched to your environment sheet. light and materials

CAMERA: lens, distance, movement, framing, light

SEQUENCE: the timed beats. this is where the video lives

STYLE PROMPT: your look, pasted identical in every shot. ratio, duration, 24fps

four things that go in every single prompt:

• no music. diegetic sound only, described per beat. music gets added in the edit, where you control it

• “face stable throughout, no deformation” written in every prompt, systematically

• @image discipline: every reference gets a named role, numbered by the order it appears in your prompt. never cite an image the model wont receive

• negative prompts stay short and only list problems that have actually shown up in your generations

one more trick that pays for itself: if you have a style prompt you already use in midjourney or gpt image models, add that exact paragraph to the end of every seedance prompt. one style prompt, three tools, one consistent look.

emotion, physics, sound

the SEQUENCE block is the core. each beat is shot type + action + camera + sound, time coded. four rules i stick to:

1/ emotion is body movement. never “he is angry”. write “the jaw clenches, the fist closes”. the model renders what a feeling does to a body

2/ physics, not vibes. every action has trajectory, distance, impact, reaction. “three strides, leaps, lands knees deep” beats “he jumps impressively”

3/ sound inline, per beat. never a sound list at the end. each beat carries its own diegetic sound, its what makes the shot feel real

4/ rhythm through contrast. cut between extreme wide and macro, fast and still. impact frames, speed changes, a held freeze. the rhythm is written into the beats

3 to 4 beats per 15 seconds is the ceiling for narrative shots. overstuffed prompts feel rushed. but montage prompts break this rule on purpose, which brings me to the example.

a prompt from my library

this is the fighter jet montage where all of this clicked for me. 13 beats in 15 seconds, on purpose: its a montage prompt, built to hand me coverage.

four things to watch for as you read it:

• the camera section demands “a large variety of aggressive angles” and lists six lens setups. thats aggregation working inside a single prompt

• the whole prompt runs off one reference image: @image1 carries the pilot, the jet, and the sky all at once. thats the montage exception: fewer references means more freedom to invent shots, and as long as it has the rough environment and the style prompt, it wont break

• the enemy jets are kept simple and distant on purpose. one locked reference subject stays stable when everything around it is allowed to be loose

• every negative at the bottom is a problem ive actually seen come out of the model. thats what a negative list is for

the full prompt, copy paste and reskin it (i wrote this one with an earlier ordering, same pieces):

CHARACTER @image1: A disciplined young military test pilot with an athletic compact build, a defined square jaw, calm dark eyes, short dark-brown hair, and a controlled mission-ready presence. He stays emotionally restrained even in extreme combat, reacting through precise eye movements, controlled breathing, and economical control inputs rather than exaggerated performance. Clothing locked: dark flight suit with subtle tactical paneling, black gloves, black combat boots, oxygen mask, and a matte dark pilot helmet with a smoked visor fully lowered.

CINEMATOGRAPHY: ultra-dynamic cinematic aerial-combat coverage using 18mm rigid cockpit mounts, 24mm air-to-air chase cameras, 35mm underside and wingline tracking shots, 50mm pilot close-ups, 85mm explosive near-pass angles, and 135mm long-lens silhouette flybys. Prioritize a large variety of aggressive angles: nose-on closing passes, belly-up overhead flybys, wingtip-mounted bank shots, rear chase, top-down dive coverage, close crossing passes through smoke, and distant long-lens explosions. Camera motion must obey believable aircraft inertia, air resistance, G-force, speed, and combat geometry. The primary jet from @image1 must remain perfectly consistent and sharply readable in every shot. Opposing aircraft should remain secondary, simpler, and often seen as distant or brief fast silhouettes so the reference image stays stable. Bright high-altitude daylight, broken cloud layers, hard metallic edge light, deep blue-grey shadow planes, shock-vapor in hard turns, blast smoke, expanding fireballs, and drifting debris silhouettes. Sound FX only, no music. Face stable throughout, no deformation.

SETTING @image1: high-altitude coastal combat airspace above layered cloud banks and a distant ocean horizon. Preserve the exact sleek dark fighter aircraft from @image1: exact silhouette, wing geometry, tail shape, cockpit shape, surface paneling, colors, markings, and proportions. Multiple hostile aircraft may appear as secondary opposing fighters with simpler distant silhouettes and restrained contrasting markings. Explosions occur in open sky, around cloud gaps, and along enemy flight paths, with expanding smoke rings, burning fragments, and brief fireball blooms. Keep the primary aircraft undamaged and visually locked.

REFERENCE: @image1 is the locked pilot identity, facial anatomy, helmet, visor, oxygen mask, flight suit, gloves, and cockpit behavior reference. @image1 is the locked primary fighter-jet design, cockpit architecture, materials, proportions, markings, sky environment, and lighting reference. Preserve the primary aircraft exactly throughout. Do not reinterpret, redesign, or merge the reference subjects.

SEQUENCE

0–1.2s: Extreme cockpit close-up from the pilot’s right side. @image1’s eyes flick sharply upward as warning reflections and a fast enemy silhouette flash across the smoked visor. Camera is rigid and close, with only subtle cockpit vibration. Oxygen-mask breathing, radio crackle, urgent targeting alert.

1.2–2.3s: Nose-on closing pass in open sky. The locked primary jet screams straight toward camera while an opposing jet streaks past in the opposite direction only feet away, producing a violent near-miss crossing. Camera holds almost static until both aircraft whip through frame. Two overlapping turbine roars, cracking pass-by, wind blast.

2.3–3.4s: Top-down dive shot from high above. The primary aircraft plunges through a broken cloud gap after a secondary enemy jet below, trailing thin vapor from the wings. Camera follows from above and behind with a steep descending angle. Rising turbine pitch, rushing air, subtle airframe groan.

3.4–4.5s: Wingtip-mounted angle looking inward along the fuselage. The horizon rolls aggressively as the primary jet snaps through a hard bank and a bright explosion blooms far behind in the background cloud layer where a missile detonates near an enemy aircraft. Camera stays rigid to the jet. Vapor rush, distant explosion thump, warning tone.

4.5–5.7s: Ultra-wide underside flyby. The primary fighter roars directly overhead, belly fully visible, while fiery debris falls in the far background from a damaged opposing aircraft. Camera remains low and static as the jet tears past. Jet thunder, debris whistling, distant fire crackle.

5.7–6.8s: Cockpit front three-quarter close-up. @image1 remains composed and focused, making one exact control-stick pull while the canopy reflections spin with the changing horizon. Breathing intensifies, avionics beeps, control-surface rumble.

6.8–7.9s: Rear chase shot extremely close behind the primary jet. An enemy aircraft fills the distance ahead. The primary releases a short burst of missiles or projectiles from beneath the wingline, which streak forward in clean stepped motion-smear arcs. Camera remains aligned to preserve the jet silhouette. Launch clacks, rocket hiss, engine thunder.

7.9–9.0s: Long-lens compression shot through cloud layers. One enemy aircraft is struck mid-turn and erupts into a sharp bright fireball, breaking into burning fragments and black smoke while another hostile silhouette slices across the foreground. Keep the explosion distant and readable, not messy. Explosion crack, tumbling debris hiss, fading engine whine.

9.0–10.0s: Belly-up passing angle from beneath a banking turn. The primary jet rolls above the camera while a second explosion blooms off to the right side of frame, briefly backlighting the aircraft edges with hot orange against cool sky. Jet roar peaks, expanding fireball rumble, wind shear.

10.0–11.1s: Tight cockpit-side close-up. The pilot braces subtly and shoves one control forward, still emotionally restrained. Reflected fire and cloud light slide across the visor. Oxygen-mask breathing, warning tone dropping, avionics hum.

11.1–12.1s: Side-profile chase shot. The primary jet races left to right while an enemy jet streaks toward camera in the opposite direction in the deep background, passing through a cloud of smoke and sparks from a previous detonation. Camera matches the primary briefly for a clean locked silhouette. Crossing turbine roar, smoke turbulence, distant debris impacts.

12.1–13.2s: Near-head-on air-to-air shot. The primary jet cuts diagonally across frame and unleashes defensive flares as another explosion erupts behind and above, creating layered chaos without obscuring the jet design. The flares appear as sharp stepped graphic streaks. Flare pops, blast thump, rushing air.

13.2–15s: Heroic rear three-quarter climb shot. The primary fighter punches up through smoke and broken clouds into hard white sunlight while a large enemy explosion and drifting black plume recede far below in the background. Camera settles into formation behind the locked aircraft and holds it steady as it escapes the battle space. Engine thunder stabilizes, radio static fades, wind softens into distance.

STYLE: [your style prompt goes here, identical in every shot. how to build your own is at the bottom of this article]

negative: no face morph, no identity drift, no helmet redesign, no oxygen-mask deformation, no aircraft redesign, no changing wing geometry, no changing tail shape, no changing markings, no duplicated primary jet, no aircraft merging, no bent wings, no floating aircraft parts, no impossible instant direction changes, no weightless movement, no random extra jets beyond brief enemy silhouettes, no close-detailed enemy cockpit shots, no primary aircraft damage, no pilot ejecting, no graphic injury, no gore, no cockpit explosion, no oversized unrealistic mushroom clouds, no sci-fi lasers, no neon engine glow, no photoreal rendering, no smooth commercial CGI, no motion blur

montages are the exception to the beat ceiling. sequences are not, and cutting a longer story into prompts is its own craft.

cutting a longer story into prompts

when youre generating a sequence rather than a montage, four rules keep the cuts invisible:

1/ one block, one continuity. all prompts from the same narrative block reuse the same references, same environment descriptor, same light. copy paste, dont rewrite

2/ 3 to 4 beats per 15s, maximum. if a block needs more, split it into two prompts

3/ bridge with sound. end prompt A and start prompt B on the same audio cue (a siren, a breath, an impact ringing out). the edit stitches on the sound

4/ match the frame at the cut. if shot B continues shot A’s action, write the same framing and eye placement explicitly in both prompts

the rules handle continuity. identity is a different problem, and its where most drift starts.

character + environment sheets

you can be pretty free with what you upload, but two structures pay off every time:

• a character sheet: three angles of the persons face. then you just tag that image every time you refer to the person in the prompt

• an environment sheet: two to three different angles of the environment

i upload 4 to 10 reference images per prompt. 2.5 takes up to 50 slots and actually remembers the structure and logic behind every file, so you can hand it your whole cast, props, and style refs at once.

but heres the counterintuitive part: for montages, go the other way. the fewer references you put in, the more the model makes its own shots, and it will still hold the style without breaking as long as you give it the rough environment and the style prompt. heavy refs for narrative continuity, light refs for invention.

identity locked. next problem: what it sounds like.

sound: use the sfx, skip the dialog

after the last few days my read on the native audio: the sound effects are the surprise winner. seedance is really, really good at cars, planes, mechanical stuff, and i keep them in the final cut. lip-sync looks somewhat usable for ugc talking heads, but for the most part i dont use native dialog. and music never goes in the generation. it gets added in the edit, where you control it.

thats the toolkit. heres where the model is already winning.

where its already winning

a quick map of the styles working right now, with proof:

b-roll taste: 2.5 is much better than 2.0 at coming up with random insert shots on its own, and its cinematography taste jumped.

the pipeline:

midjourney for the base images

gpt image models to convert everything into my specific style, then upscale and style-lock

4 to 10 of those as references into each seedance 2.5 prompt

the glue is the style prompt: one paragraph of text that goes in the midjourney prompt, the gpt prompt, and the seedance prompt. one description of the look, enforced at every stage of the pipeline.

im keeping mine to myself, its the moat. but heres how you build your own: take imagery or cartoons you love and hand them to gemini. have it extract the style details, the exact things that make the look the look, and turn them into keywords. that paragraph becomes your style prompt. one description, reused in midjourney, gpt, and seedance, every single shot.

the playbook

1/ aggregate, dont one-shot. prompt way more than you think, pull the best moments

2/ montage batches: 2-5s of script becomes one 15-30s fast-cut montage prompt, tell the model youre cutting it yourself, generate ~10

3/ every prompt is the same structure: shot, references, character, setting, camera, sequence, style prompt. under 3,500 characters for narrative

4/ beats are emotion as body movement + physics + inline sound + contrast. 3-4 beats per 15s for narrative, break the rule for montages

5/ in every prompt: no music, face stable line, @image discipline, negatives only for problems youve hit

6/ build your style prompt with gemini (extract the look from imagery you love), then reuse it across midjourney, gpt, and seedance

7/ character sheet = 3 face angles. environment sheet = 2-3 angles. 4-10 refs per prompt, but go light on refs for montages

8/ keep the native sfx, skip the native dialog, music in the edit

9/ text in frame is broken. captions and overlays are your job

where im taking it

the realism lane is arriving on its own, nobody needs my help there. the interesting question is what you point this at. for me its painted animation and idk ill probably find some more cool styles.

im going to keep dropping what i learn (and the prompts) in my free telegram: t.me/beechhq

what style are you going all in on?

He’s the editor a lot of other editors quietly study. Fast-paced cutting, masterful sound design, archetypal imagery that sticks with you long after the video ends.

He may very well be your favorite editor’s favorite editor.

He’s also one of the creators featured on VETTED, a new creative collective bringing together some of the most distinct voices in the New Media space. We hopped on a quick call to talk about how he sees the work; his strengths, his influences, the line he draws with clients, and what he’s chasing next.

On craft

Tell me about your editing style. How would you describe your strengths?

There are two, I think. The first is motion. Motion within the frame, within the box. Motion and emotion are related to each other in some way. When I make a video, I’m always looking to create motion that draws the right feeling out of the viewer.

The second is symbolism. In my own work, I try to be very symbolic, very loose. I’m a big fan of Carl Jung, and he talks about the collective unconscious. I try to take what I’ve learned from Jung and Platonic philosophy and include symbolism that impacts viewers even if they’re not totally conscious of what they’re looking at. It affects them on a subconscious level.

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On influence

Beyond Jung and Plato, what else shapes the work?

I’m not the biggest film head, but I wrote a tweet once about Ye and Akira. Throughout his career, Ye has referenced Akira in fashion, live shows, albums. So many times. He finds different ways to utilize that same inspiration decades apart from each other.

You don’t need a trillion different inspirations. You need a couple of big ones that you can come back to with fresh eyes over and over again.

What are yours?

Ghost in the Shell. Donnie Darko. There’s a line from Donnie Darko that goes like, good art comforts the disturbed and disturbs the comfortable. I like to think about my work that way. If you’re a little fucked up, maybe like myself, you might find some comfort in it.

And what actually motivates you to make something?

It’s funny. On my Instagram, and I think it’s on VETTED too, I have this video called Music of the Spheres. It’s Plato and Aristotle. In the beginning, it’s like, something’s off. What’s he talking about? Then the video is basically about Platonic mathematics and the ether. Plato’s fifth element, the substrate of the universe.

I made that video because that’s what I love. That’s what I’m interested in. And it ended up being maybe the second-best-performing video on my Instagram. 1.5 million views. I have a small account. I only post once or twice a month at most. That one just popped off.

On clients

How do you manage the push and pull between your vision and what a client is asking for? Do you let go of the sense of self when it’s commissioned work?

It’s a balancing act. There are hard lines. Sometimes a client wants something, and as the creative, especially when they come to you for the launch video, the brand video, whatever, you have to be able to put your foot down and say, you’re wrong.

It’s a taste game. Some people might like mayo on their pasta. You might like mayo on your pasta, but I’m the Michelin-star chef and this is how we do the dish.

That said, revisions are part of the process. They’re inevitable, and a lot of times they’re fruitful. They tease out your own creative ability, push you a little further than you would have gone on your own. You can’t sacrifice your taste, but you have to be willing to work with people.

You can tell when an artist has a clear vision and isn’t compromising.

Exactly. If you have somebody actually talented, you’d be foolish to step in their way.

A lot of times in tech, every company wants a fire launch video. They see one they love and they go to another artist and say, I want you to make this, but for my company. That’s not how it works. We’re all seeing five thousand ads a day. The general person is just sick of it. When I can’t skip an ad, I spazz out. Get this out of my face.

So the challenge is to make something new. Something people actually want to watch, because it makes them feel something. The way to do that is to let creatives work. There are so many talented people on VETTED with real vision. That’s the whole point.

On what’s raising the bar

One last one. What’s something you’ve seen recently that made you think, this sets a new bar?

There’s a recent video from Made to Scroll. He’s on VETTED too. He did a piece for Lovable that was very simple. No voiceover. Maybe jazz playing underneath. Just text on screen and images.

What I admired was the simplicity. I was watching it, keeping up with every word, reading every word, and there was no voiceover at all. It hooked my attention completely. Aesthetically it was excellent.

That was the kind of thing where I thought, damn, maybe I really need to step up my pacing game, my typography game. Brilliantly executed. It makes you want to be better.

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What were you doing before crypto? What’s the origin story that led to you running up projects solo?

Before crypto, I was working directly under an investor as a creative director for a couple years. He’d point the direction and I would lead creative on it. That led me to working with artists like Mr. Doodle, PichiAvo, etc. as well as working with various startups in the finance industry. It was a great opportunity and environment to be exposed to right out of college. That’s where a lot of my versatility comes from.

You’re a one person team running projects that look like they have 10 people behind them. Walk me through how that actually works day to day.

It starts with organization. Everything has a place. Specific drives for specific projects, templates for any process I’m going to repeat more than twice.

The day-to-day is: Wake up, open my operating system - it’s an Obsidian vault that knows everything about my business. Clients, priorities, what I shipped yesterday. That’s my briefing. From there I’m directing agents the same way a creative director would direct a team. One’s doing research, one’s sourcing footage, one’s drafting outreach. I’m not doing the manual work - I’m pointing the direction and reviewing the output. I have 3-5 Claude Code terminal tabs open on my computer at any given time all working on isolated work.

When you have a 10 person team, they want to have meetings about the meeting. They’re waiting on approvals. But when it’s just you and you’re organized, you cut all of that out. The bottleneck is just your decision-making speed.

You use AI agents for almost everything. When did you first realize you could replace entire teams with agents? What was the moment it clicked?

This whole using agents thing is very new - probably been two or three months like this. It’s been an iterative process. Before agents, it was: open up Claude Code, run through a process I have written down somewhere, prompt XYZ to get XYZ results.

When I learned about the Claude Code Agent SDK, that’s when I started developing my own agents for my own processes. It’s a work in progress, to this day I’m still creating and developing new agents for different workflows.

The moment it clicked was when I started implementing the Agent SDK. If you’re building right now and not using the Agent SDK, you’re shooting yourself in the foot. Anyone who wants to future-proof themselves should be building with that.

What’s your actual AI agent stack right now? The specific agents, tools, and workflows you’re running every day.

Core tools: Claude Code + Obsidian. Obsidian is my brain of operations. It knows everything about my business - clients, meetings, calendar events, important emails. Those two are the base of everything.

Image/Video: Nano Banana Pro for images, Kling 3 for video. I’ve been trying to keep the tools simple - honestly you can do everything you need to with Higgsfield alone if you know how to edit.

Editing: DaVinci Resolve. I’ve used it for years coming from traditional media - color grading footage shot with real cameras. Moving into creating with AI, I stuck with it. It’s what I’m used to and I work faster in there than anything else.

Agents & Workflows: Lead sourcing agent, outreach agent (with access to nine different email domains), article writer agent for long-form content, and skills for Nano Banana, Kling 3, and using both in tandem.

When I’m making a video, I’m creating the image prompt with a corresponding video prompt, both tied to the specific skills of the models I’m using - so the prompts are optimized for each tool.

What separates a crypto project that takes off from one that dies in 48 hours? Is there a pattern?

In crypto, for the most part, it’s all vaporware. There’s no real product, no utility you’re going to get out of it. What you’re really selling is belief. You’re building up a narrative that will make people believe - that’s what you’re doing. That’s the common thread between all successful projects.

If your project has an “us versus them” aspect to it, that’s what sets a good project apart from one that gets lost in the void of thousands launching every single day.

1. Narrative — number one, always.

2. Content behind the narrative — high-quality content out the gate. A great pinned video, a bunch of graphics lined up. That contributes massively to whether a project makes it.

More recently, we’ve seen a technical aspect begin to matter in memecoins - which was usually not the case. But if you can build a narrative around new AI tech combined with well-executed content, your odds of surviving increase exponentially.

How much of your content pipeline is automated versus manual?

A lot of the prep is automated. I built out a video brief generator - I tell it the topic, the narrative, the theme of the video, and from there it spawns sub-agents to:

1. Research the topic to make sure we have relevant, up-to-date information.

2. Source B-roll by scouring YouTube for clips to include - or you can point it in any direction you want.

From there, you just point it at the folder you want it downloaded to. That speeds up the process massively, especially when I’m using archival footage or random clips from YouTube. Even when it goes off in the complete wrong direction, it’s still great for ideation and iteration.

What’s still manual: The actual editing of the video. That still requires a human touch. We’re not at a point yet where AI can replicate certain tastes or certain styles on the timeline. Eventually we’ll get there - but not yet.

If someone wanted to learn how to use AI agents the way you do, where would they start? What’s the first agent they should build?

The very first step is doing an audit. Find the bottlenecks. What are the things you do every single day? Find those repeatable processes. Once you find them, standardize things and build agents based on whatever you’re doing daily.

The first agent you build is going to be different for everybody. I’d recommend building a personal operating system - at least that’s what I’ve been calling it - to help keep track of tasks, deadlines, events, etc. After that, build agents based on what your operating system has learned about your work. Then connect these agents to APIs that make them more powerful like Firecrawl for web scraping.

The more knowledge and context it starts with, the better results you’re going to get.

What skills matter most right now for someone trying to build in the crypto x AI intersection?

Coding is done. We solved coding. If you’re teaching yourself syntax right now, you’re wasting your time.

The most important skill is learning how to zoom out. Learning how to systemize. I know that’s a buzzword, but it’s true. If you’re able to zoom out and break apart a business or a workflow - standardize it, identify where something can be replaced with an API, where you need human input to keep things on track, what repeatable formats you need to output - that’s the most important skill.

It’s meta. But the more meta you’re able to get with these things, the more value you bring to the table when using AI.

What’s the thing you’re building or thinking about right now that nobody knows about yet?

On top of doing creative projects, I’m building software that enables e-com brands to scale assets internally. Instead of hunting thousands of users at $50/month, I’d rather go very deep and work one-on-one with brands - be more of an integrator than a subscription service. People are doing this right now, but it’ll be much more common in 12 months I think.

You want to position yourself at intersections of your existing knowledge and think about how you can bring that to a specific industry - or be a generalist who knows a lot about a bunch of different things, then use AI to tie the common threads where they need to be tied.

Being an integrator is an entirely new industry that’s spawning. Integrating AI systems for existing businesses with existing cash flow is extremely lucrative - for them and for you. That’s going to be an entire career field if it’s not already.

That’s what I’m doing right now. Focused on creative, while at the same time integrating AI systems and going deep with existing businesses.

@mackrmrz is a partner of The Vault, a curated marketplace for digital assets built by operators, not influencers. The tools he uses daily, the agents he builds, the workflows behind everything you just read - they’re available to download and plug into your own stack.

Check them out here: thevault.xyz/seller/mack

i would wake up, check my phone which had 100+ notifications from multiple instagram accounts, imessage, telegram, twitter, and maybe hinge if i was lucky.

id spend the first hour of the day half answering messages, and half scrolling through instagram reels, id uber eats an iced coffee from my bed, and when the uber eats guy would knock in my door that would force me to get up, but id still be using my phone

i’d put some gunna on my sonos speakers, drink my coffee, rip my juul, and start working on my laptop…

…or at least start working in between checking any new twitter, instagram, hinge or whatever bullshit notifications that were coming in

considering just 3 years earlier i had completely quit alcohol and drugs, i didn’t think this was the sort of “happy, joyous, free, and healthy” lifestyle i was promised

just because i wasn’t killing myself quickly with drugs and alcohol, i was killing myself slowly with this constant stream of dopamine and distraction

i knew something had to change

id read enough books, and had some phases of my life, to know the difference between living a high frequency life, and a low frequency life.

I was definitely living a low frequency life, i was disconnected from who i really was, i was not present in ANY conversations or moments, i was pushing 12+ hours of screen time a day, my business was doing well but that was about it, in most other aspects i felt pretty degenerate.

since i was a kid i have been a very creative and tech savvy person. i have two businesses, i dropped out of college, and make much more then my fair share, i have freedom on paper but i did not feel it inside at all, i had a ton of drive, craftiness, and creativity, but more and more it had been getting put into the wrong places

a few months ago somebody told me soemthing that changed everything for me. they asked me what my life might look like if i used all of that same craftiness, creativity, and grit not to live a COMFORTABLE and pleasurable life, but to live a free and high frequency life.

this simple idea planted a seed in my mind that his since grown and grown

but what does a high frequency life look like? how is that different from what im doing?

as a 22 year old man, here are a few indicators of living my most high frequency life

1/ i am spiritually connected to a power greater than myself, and i am living in a state of presence, taking care of only what’s directly in front of me, but with maximum creativity, interest, and effort

2/ my body is living up to it’s full capacity, from the food i eat, to physical activity, i am living my 22 year old body to it’s fullest extent, this includes things like sleep, hard physical exercise, stretching, and even where i chose to spend sexual energy (or choose to NOT spend it)

3/ i am constantly packing into the stream of life, vs trying take from it. my natural instinct is to feel as good as possible all the time, but the highest vibration i can live on is if i am ADDING to life itself, and others lives. Wether that’s through work, listening to people, saying hello, helping with things, picking up my trash, re racking weights in the gym. When i am living on this plane, cool opportunities and people tend to appear inside my life.

this simple redirection gives me a 1000x better shot on my goals, and living my greater purpose. after even just a few weeks of living like this, i notice i look up and a TON of cool shit has happened in my life, my head becomes a nicer place to live, social anxiety ceases to exist, and i am 100% more effective in my career and physical endeavors.

now the point of this article is not to talk about self help, habit hacks, or the fast track to becoming a millionare. the big unlock that sparked this article was this:

i don’t need to add much extra effort, get a higher iq, or even get much willpower to 180 my life into this direction, and start becoming a high frequency person

i won’t get into specific details, but i was actually already being quite creative about how much/how often i was accessing short term gratification

turns out i have quite a knack for getting what i want already, except what i want has historically been pleasure, comfort, and instant gratification

starving all hedonistic pathways for a few days, and realizing the tone of my brain when i sit still for once, was part of what it took for me to decide to make a massive change here

it was time to put all my human energy and creativity towards crafting a spiritual, free, and high frequency life, in one of the most busy and distracting cities in the world: new york city

one by one, i started getting much smarter about customizing my time and my actions to feed this new goal, and starting to put existing resources towards other simple areas:

• hiring a personal chef to meal prep for me every week (cheaper than uber eats everyday)

• 70 minute workout (i exercise, sauna, meditate, cold shower, hot shower, wash my face, all in 70 minutes at the start of each day)

• instead of spending money on clubs etc, i started investing in meditation classes, a shrink, massages, and even starting to build a racing simulator to pursue my hobby of racing cars

• getting an ipad with the books + kindle app so reading is so much more accesible and easy (am reading an avg of 1.5 books per week right now)

• a whoop (kinda cringe) but getting autistically obsessed with my sleep score has changed my life (i used to go to sleep at 11am everyday and wake up at 9pm)

an awesome way to think about all this shit is ask yourself if achieving a high vibration was a business, and instead of an exit, the prize was a free, healthy, and awesome life, what would you do to make that happen? it was helpful to me to write it out like a business plan.

instead of finding clients you are seeking out high vibrational friends

instead of buying tech equipment you can purchase a whoop, a meditation retreat, a comfortable pillow

instead of hiring consultants and advisors you can invest in spiritual teachers, life coaches, etc

(you can do variations of all of this without spending any money as well, there are plenty of free resources out there, there are dudes in jail living on a higher vibration than me on some days, but i thought if i have resources to allocate, how can i get more creative with it)

and look, im not the type of guy who naturally just wants to do all this woo woo self help bullshit, nor did i see the value in it before, but again that’s not what all this is about

my goal is not to make 10 million dollars, or not to become famous

my goal it is to live from my most natural source, my highest purpose as a man, and spend the most time in the present moment as possible

…and what i start to get as a byproduct of pursuing that goal is absolutely amazing

summary: getting super honest about what you actually want

I turn 22 today.

Honestly, I can safely say that for the last 3-4 years, each year has been significantly better than the last.

I can be very self critical, but I'm really experiencing compound growth. I'm putting effort into my work and personal life, and I genuinely feel it.

I'm not super successful on paper or anything, yet. But I feel more and more like myself. I trust my thinking more.

My decisions have higher win rates, I'm more confident being myself rather than trying to be someone else.

Most importantly, I actually like being in my own shoes.

There's something to be said for trying to learn as much as possible and build up aura and staying out of the results business, i seem to get better results actually.

Carl Jung said: "Life really does begin at forty. Up until then, you are just doing research."

Carl Jung is a fucking G, and I trust everything he says.

Hopefully I can be rich and have babies before 40, but I think it's crucial to approach everything as research and learning in my 20s.

Ruthlessly following my curiosity doesn't seem to fail.

One of the most important parts about this year of my life have been the incredible people in my life and the great people I have met.

Every single day I get to see people that I love and people that I look up to and learn a lot from, and this has probably been the most incredible part about the year.

I am really inspired by the people that I work with, and also the people I don't work with.

I am 22 (today) but most of my friends are at least 25. I started living on my own pretty early, and having friends in their late 20s and 30s has raised me, and been really cool, learning about life responsibilities, taxes, dating, bad decisions, and having support.

Here are 22 things I've learned this year:

• Indecision is extremely fatal. The cost of not choosing is always higher than choosing wrong. Speed beats perfection at this point for me

• Don't let anyone force you to do bad work. Sometimes you want to please someone or make quick money. If you care about being great u gotta protect your standards at all costs.

• There is extremely no rush on finding a wife, but it is important to research this department i think and not ingore it

• I dont need to ‘figure life out’ , figuring life out is just learning how to be involved and present thats it, we have cool things like the internet, ai, ubers, ways to make money, theres more then enough fun shit to do, the challenge is can i get out of my own way and just enjoy it all

• I'm often more productive doing way cooler shit by vibe working rather than making schizo plans. Sometimes the best work comes from following energy not schedules.

• My spiritual condition is more important than anything. It guides every single decision I make. When my inner world is right, the outer world follows.

• Traveling is really lit and there's zero reason not to travel.

• A cool legacy and track record is more attractive than money. Money is a byproduct of doing something meaningful, this might be coping, but im confident ill make a lot of money either way, i want it to be doing cool stuff

• Be really malleable to new technology. I don't know shit, but new technology is really cool. The people who adapt fastest win.

• Fight to maintain your love for the work. I make the most progress when I have no ego and there's nothing I'd rather do. When I'm excited about the work in front of me, I can dial in disgustingly

• Friends are really important and make things 10x better. Don't disregard them. Make time for them

• I learn by doing and feeling the pain of doing things wrong. Optimize for real experience over studying theory

• Your diet is extremely important. What you consume, watch, listen to. A bad diet can be harmful, but curating a good diet can be extremely fun and helpful.

• Use and learn about AI as much as humanly possible right now. It's hard to tell specifically what's going to happen in the next 5-10 years

• Make a habit of being a fast responder and keeping messages at 0. I'm still bad at this, but there's nothing worse than ignoring people. Humanity lives on the internet now it's a good way to maintain relationships

• Limit the number of details. This goes for everything: where I take notes, check email, clothes I own, plans, Spotify playlists, apps on my phone. Limit details so you can focus more intimately.

• Find people who have what you want, not materialistically, like people who have the kind of freedom. love for life, interests, skill, these people change my life

• The opportunity vehicle doesn't matter as much as it seems. Especially when you're young. You can be a fool or great in any situation. im trying to not get blinded by shiny objects and stay focused on fundamentally improving as a person and at what i do

• Being busy doesn't mean you're doing good work. Fake work is real, and I must always watch out for it.

• If you don't create something and follow through, the project is 10% as meaningful. Ideas are worthless without execution.

• Think long term as much as possible. Second and third-order thinking at all times makes for more fulfilling work

• You learn zero by talking all the time. I'm trying to get better at listening and asking questions.

• Going on walks never fails to hit. Same with swimming.

• I don't know shit, and that's exactly where I want to be.

Last year i had a birthday party for my birthday and i really did not like it

It was the first time i had really had a proper birthday party and that shit felt weird as fuck

This year i am not doing that.

Instead i bought an ai course and i am spending the day taking it and its more fun (and also saw my family this morning).

I feel so lucky and graetful today, i love what i do for work, my family is in tact, i have great friends, i have more than my fair share for sure.

As a 22 year old i haev some very specific goals which i am going to keep private, but mainly i want to just keep doing what i am doing coz im having a lot of fun and am living my own journey really no one elses

Talk soon, Harry

I was on a phone call the other day, and hit this dude I look up to for advice and clarity, to hear my own words back, get perspective.

I've been pushing hard lately, but I was feeling lost on direction. I felt like I lost my “why”, making work feel like a drag. I freak out when I lose the underlying "why" and things aren't going anywhere specific. I attribute this partly to focusing on RESULT too much, but also from doing too many things at once. Feeling my skills are low-leverage, not effective, no 'edge'.

But when I was talking to this dude, he told me a quote that summed everything up: "It's better to be a sushi blade than a swiss-army knife"

It clicked.

It feels like I’ve put SOOO much effort into work stuff, especially this past year, but I realized some stuff…I took on projects I wouldn't usually do: facebook ads for real estate, AI wrapper projects, web design, basically saying yes to anything.

It felt important and cool, but realized I've spent tons of time becoming a beginner at dozen different jobs, rather than becoming SENSEI at select few things. I don't regret it, I'm young and enjoy going with the flow, but thinking about 1-3 year plan it feels weird to not see an hour of my time get more expensive. It makes me feel scrambled, so I plan on meditating and eliminating stuff not in line with my plan and trying to zoom in a bit more.

After journaling, meditating, talking to people, things are clearer. Decided my number one skill to focus on rn is PEOPLE SKILLS. Apparently dudes not even that talented can make shit tons because they're CHILL to work with. Putting myself in a business's shoes, if two agencies offer the same service for the same price, I'd pick the chiller peeps. Seen this in my experience, customer experience/good customer service brings people back to spend money with me - not JUST the work.

For now I’m putting little pressure on figuring out my 'edge', the most high-leverage skill (which I think will be vitally important down the line in terms of selling my skills) - I rabbit hole easily, rn I want to hold back, keep chatting to folks, learn what's hot, and what businesses will NEED in 5 years content-wise.

Figuring it out and accepting that's my current purpose has brought my WHY back. If I want to start a content agency someday, I better start learning.

When something feels right, I'll make a point of DOUBLE CLICKING INTO IT but I believe that edge will come naturally and eventually, I will be a super sharp sushi knife at something I love and is high leverage…

buttttt

for now - people skills & market research.

I wanna get on here more, I want to get better at writing, it helps me organize my thoughts.

Years ago, my friend Rafal from London introduced me to this brand called Corteiz by @Clint914 on Instagram - this was probably 2018. Back then, the brand had around 9000 followers (they now have 1.2m) and their profile was private, and the profile pic was a guy in a ski mask.

When they finally accepted my follow request, I was impressed by their clothing line and ended up buying a pair of sweatpants. The authenticity and quality of their clothes, coupled with the photography in all their posts, really caught my attention and I always paid attention to their feed.

These were the sweatpants I bought back in 2019.

As I continued following them, I also started following the owner, Clint. What made me a long-term fan of the brand was Clint's attitude, meticulous attention to detail, and straightforward, no BS approach to creating something genuine.

And he’s super funny.

Something that sums his attitude up pretty well is that kids would buy stuff and try to post it on depop to resell it, and he would find their email, expose them, and cancel their order which i thought was hilarious.

I remember around 4 years ago, I was trying to buy something from one of their drops. He has a password on the site and usually releases the password in a really smart way.

The demand for his clothes has always been way higher than the supply, so there was always people fighting right at the drop time.

In this particular situation, he posted on twitter “marios opp” so I just took a shot in the dark and entered “bowser” as the store password and it was actually correct.

I got on the site and bought as much as I could afford because it felt like a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.

Since then, Corteiz has achieved significant milestones. In January 2023, they collaborated with Nike, launching three limited edition Air Max 95 colorways and conducting eye-catching physical drops in major cities like London, New York, and Paris. This collaboration marked their growth in the fashion industry.

Clint's Instagram following has also grown to millions. Just last week, he held an event in NYC where he unveiled the new Corteiz jeans. He had a denim-covered van filled with these jeans and instructed fans to trade their Carhartts or Levis for a pair of Corteiz jeans, but they had to be wearing the jeans they wanted to trade. He then donated all the jeans.

At 11 am on Saturday, he posted the coordinates on his Instagram story, prompting a rush of hundreds of excited fans to line up for the event. It's incredible how Clint has built such a loyal and enduring fan base in a market flooded with options. Despite not being the most affordable brand or focusing on high-fashion designs, he has created a committed community, more like a family than mere fans or followers.

I personally took some photos at the event which I’ll share here. (if you like them, I’ve been posting my photography on a new IG profile @beech.archive)

He grew up in Ireland, outside a town called Cork, where, at that time certainly, there wasn't a lot of opportunity for careers outside the mainstream. In this interview, Denis not only shares his valuable insights from an accomplished career developing live events and partnerships on an international scale but also reflects on how he got to where he is today and how he handles stressful situations. His story is an inspiration for those starting their careers, proving that determination and passion can lead to extraordinary achievements.

Why do I do what I do? The short answer is to see the smiles on the faces of the families who we entertain. This is all we need to feel like we are doing something meaningful. The longer answer is the process that leads up to that moment and being a part of a special team that delivers that Magic Moment repeated at scale. 

At Feld Entertainment we create and produce shows that tour the globe, playing to millions of fans, in as many as 75 countries across 6 continents each year. At any one time there are up to 8 different Disney on Ice shows, as many as 6 Monster Jam engagements, Monster Energy Supercross, Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus, Marvel Universe Live and Jurassic World Live tours all taking place, traveling somewhere in the world. That's a lot of people entertained each week!

It's interesting you ask about high school. That's really the point where we start to think about adulthood and what that means. I grew up in Ireland, outside a town called Cork where, at that time certainly, there wasn’t a lot of opportunity for careers outside the mainstream. Our teachers, too, didn't encourage us to look outside the traditional choices. So when it comes to those existential questions we get posed with at that time in our lives, the what-do-you-want-to-be-when-you-grow-up question and everyone is saying things like accountant, doctor, lawyer, computer tech etc… I remember saying to myself I didn’t want to do any of those things. As a result, my principal takeaway from high school was thinking, there has to be more than these options and more to life than these people are telling me.

Somewhere along the way I then discovered, probably read it somewhere, that bands would go on tour and bring a team with them to put the shows on. This was my moment; Wait, you get paid to travel the world AND go to shows?! Sign me up!! That was the kickoff of my obsession. I was going to crack the entertainment business, someway, somehow.

I don’t know that there was a single piece of advice that profoundly impacted me. The truth of the matter is that there were people who did. I’ve gotten to work for, and alongside, some giants of industry over the course of my career. I learned so much by watching them, listening to the questions they would ask, and why. Seeing firsthand how they processed information, how they looked at the business, their problem solving, how they presented themselves and how they reacted under high pressure or adversarial situations, really impacted me. I should also add that I got to work alongside some incredible performers / talent / athletes and to see the level of commitment, and work ethic they put into what they do is also very inspiring. I always felt if these people on the team are willing to dedicate themselves that much to their craft, then I owe it to them to do the same for my craft and maybe, together we'll all pull off something incredible. In my business one becomes very aware of the interconnectedness between all members of a team. The final product is something that every single person in the enterprise has contributed part of their expertise to and none of it works without that.

The career low points you cite such as projects not working out or getting laid off are things that happen every day to millions of people. I think it's important to keep that in perspective. You learn not to take them personally. So, with the benefit of years, and you look back on your career you probably instead view your career high and low points as when you were happiest. For most people, career happy probably means that sweet spot where they were on a team they enjoyed, working on projects that were meaningful, and supported by good leadership. Whereas career low points, or least happy, were probably as a result of the opposite of those things.

The entertainment business is a relationship driven one and I would be loathe to call it a "network". These are people who I have partnered with, started off in the trenches with, did big deals and little deals with. People who I shared meals with, settled shows at 3am with, and drove many hours and miles with. We have celebrated together at times and argued with one another at other times and yet always come back for more. People who may have helped me out when I needed it and who I have hopefully reciprocated with. I maintain those relationships by keeping in touch when I very specifically don't need anything. The power of catching up with someone, just for the sake of catching up is vastly underrated and lost. And no, liking a post on social media doesn't count as staying in touch. The one piece of advice I would give in this area to people at the start of their careers is this, focus on networking and building your relationships across your peer group more than "networking up". The people starting out today are the leaders of tomorrow and that is really important to keep in mind. We're all just passing through.

If you are in your 20s, and you want to be in the top percentile of your chosen profession or industry, your early career years are the time you put in your "Malcom Gladwell 10,000 hours" to learn as much as you can and meet as many people as possible. Your twenties is also the time in your life when you probably have the least amount of outside responsibilities to others which gives you increased flexibility to try new things and places. Hard work and sacrifice alone does not guarantee success, but success is certainly not guaranteed without hard work and sacrifice. I never had any problem with the idea of starting in the mailroom. 

I never start by thinking about the size of the project. Instead, I concentrate on the pieces; Is everyone crystal clear on the mission? Do we have the right strategy? Do we have the right people and skill sets? Does everyone know their role and responsibilities? What are we missing and how do we compensate? What are our risks and how do we mitigate them? How are we measuring progress against our timeline? Big things will follow once we have those answers.

My mentor once told me, At the start of your career you'll come across a problem. You'll work through it and that given situation will never be a problem for you again because you'll know exactly what to do. Then as you advance in your career, you'll have less and less problems because you've come across all these situations before. This was all true. What she neglected to tell me however, is that the problems become much bigger and much more unusual and figuring the solutions become a lot more complex. Have I had setbacks? Absolutely, but I've also had a lot of success along the way so I learned to appreciate the journey for what it is. 

You ask what activities bring me joy personally and how those things impact my life. Again there is a multi-layered answer to that. I get tremendous satisfaction / joy from seeing something I worked on come to fruition because of the amount of effort it took to get to that point. I love walking the venue concourse at shows I'm involved in and talking to the ticket takers and ushers right before doors open. Everyone is excited to be there. I’m away from home a lot so when I am home, I try to make the most of it. It recharges and re-energizes me. I love hanging out with my wife. She’s also in the business and knows first hand the level of work and commitment it takes to get things done. We travel a lot for fun ourselves too. Hobby wise, I enjoy cooking and eating out, playing bad golf, meeting up with people we haven't seen in a while and of course, going to shows! I love seeing new technology deployed in events, the new wow moments, seeing how a crowd reacts to what is going on a stage and performers execute their craft.

So if I could leave three pieces of advice, they would be:

1. Work like you mean it. Leaders take their responsibilities seriously and expect those on their teams to also do the same.

2. When you mess up, 'fess up. People will respect you for it.

3. Offer to help everyone and anyone to round out your skill set. Be honest about what skills you are missing and figure out how to develop them.

Thank you for reading, for any inquiries reach out on linkedin or harry@loop.online.

-Harry.

Sam Cardelfe went from cutting up his homework, to being a brand designer at Mountain Dew. In this exclusive interview, we dive into his unique creative vision and passion for design. He’s a talented artist, awesome skater, and overall amazing dude!

Design / being a creative is just a feeling that you’re overcome with and it doesn’t go away. It’s something that i’ve been overcome with since I can remember. Whether it’s for anything or not I just have to do it. You should see the amount of “Stuff” I have in my studio. Sculptures, tons of drawings on paper, little gizmos, i’ve drawn onto the walls - I’ve not been able to stop the compulsion! 

My parents were always working, and trying to push things. They were always working on projects whether it be professional or personal - They are always trying to create something bigger, something thats 360 rather than a flat perspective. Thinking about how things can change, being strategic, meeting people, and making connections. That’s what led me to where I’m at now and I try to maintain that lens on making.

High school was high school, it was whatever - I was mainly drawing and skating but what was a major key was that I got to go to a creative vocational school that focused on design or atleast aspects of the creative process. (Painting, drawing, design etc.) My regular highschool was saying “This kid should go to this program because if not, he is in some rough waters come graduation”. This goes back to the compulsion - I was drawing all over my homework till it was unreadable, making it into sculptures or cutting bits from the the prompts out to use for other little creations. All that ontop of the work being wrong. I’m a tactile learner

A big influence was and always has been skateboarding, tapping into an older crowd that skated who were in their 20-30s was massive. It opened my mind to a lot of things I wouldn’t have come to on my own till way later. Skate Ads, music, board graphics, you know the deal. The “I can do this and no one can stop me” has been how i’ve tried to approach most things - If I can think I can do it, I maybe can. Only I can say I can’t. 

Best advice i’ve ever gotten was from my dad - He always says “Life’s too short to do shit you don’t wanna do” it’s a decent motto to live by, When i really started bringing that into my life was when I started figuring out what I really wanted and pushing away the things that in my heart I wasn’t into. 

Another good one I got is “You’re talented…but you gotta get your head out of your ass” I was told that by a teacher in art school and it’s stayed with me. Feel my way of thinking is understanding that you’re not the best and few are, and to be confident in yourself and not cocky or up-your-own-ass. All I want is to have confidence in my craft.

Entering my 20s as a creative nothing went completely bust but nothing went right either - You spend your 20’s making work trying to make the “Thing” The work you want to make. Or atleast that’s how it felt for me. I feel it’s a formative time to build your skillset, make work that sucks or will later suck. It all leads to the same place. I feel confident in the way im working now and the direction it’s evolving. I’m happy where I’m springing from. I’ve gotten a lot of rejection through the years but fuck it if it was easy it wouldn’t be fun.

A Network is super important but I don’t think of it as a network too intensely, I try or hope at least that people I’ve worked with can consider me less of a knot in their network and more of a friend or friendly acquaintance. My network is people I’m friends with, have met through friends, or worked with and we became friendly. 

Friends are the best and friends help friends - That being said I have clients / have had clients that it was cut and dry job which is cool too. I believe anything youre working with people on is more impactful when you can feel the teams comrodery, like they’re all friends and want to make cool shit. You can feel it in the work. Also I have a sick group of friends, they’re the best - Shout out Philly, NYC, Vermont, RVA, CA and beyond baby!

I work on a lot of things constantly and my day to day job I’ve folded into my practice. - I’ve made it a point to have my studio/freelance practice and my job feed eachother creatively. What I do at work from a learnings/skill POV can be used for the studio and the vice versa. It’s all important to my growth as a creative. I believe in a one creative mind, not fragmenting yourself - Finding a way that you can speak multiple creative languages to bring YOU into everything you do and in doing that you’ll be more invested to make the best work you can. 

Shout out to all my coworkers they all rip and are the best to work with. 

Lifes been on a good role and is more balanced, when I was in my early twenties I would work all day, come home chill with my roommates, watch skating, smoke weed hit a nap then start working on projects in my room late at night for a few hours then go to work the next day. I was and am obsessed, thing is now I get sleepy.  

Now I’m better at balancing my life, balancing resting and the amount of things I want to do - there’s no silver bullet. Like every minute of the day I want to do 100 different things. I still put in the hours but I just exercise holding back a bit and being more thoughtful. I’m still trying to head towards bigger things - still want to grow, go higher, etc. I’m just playing the long game - 

Speaking of work life balance or lack of, my first job in NYC was pretty hectic, it was in advertising. The coworkers I had are the best and still think they’re really cool. It was just a weird scene, small agency with bad energy from our boss. It was a hard gig but it seasoned me fast, like making a giant foam storyboard while getting yelled at and then presenting to clients all day tempered me in the heat baby. 

It was a pretty liberating feeling to quit, But that goes into the snap remembrance of “Lifes too short to do shit you dont wanna do” I thought I’d never escape and that I was stuck there. The quittin came about when I was with my friend Colin and his now ex. roommate Sean. I was talking about my job and he said he could put a word in for me where he was at. Went to the interview on my lunch break and once the interview was over the woman said they had other interviews and would be in touch. She asked me if there was anything else I wanted to tell her. I was desperate and said “Yeah, you should’t hire any of those other people and should hire me” - Which is so fried - Surprising enough I got the job tho! All in all everything worked out, even shitty times are important times. It all leads you to where you’re going with some heat in your seat!

Follow him on IG: @Samcardelfe 

Meakin Armstrong has already read 127 books this year. He's not just a bookworm, though — Meakin is an award-winning copywriter, content strategist, fiction writer, and editor who has worked with huge publications like Forbes and The New Yorker. As a copywriter, he has improved email marketing open rate KPIs by 38% and increased unique visitors by 300%. He won the Best of BrandTale award for content strategy and execution. As a writer and editor, Meakin has won scholarships to writing conferences like Bread Loaf and edited hundreds of stories.

He is a thought leadership pro who has worked with start-ups and enterprise-level companies that compete in the AI, cybersecurity, fintech, and telco spaces, such as Capital One, GoDaddy, HARMAN Automotive, IBM, SolarWinds, Vodafone, and more. Most importantly, Meakin is overall a funny and intelligent dude.

I had the massive pleasure of chatting with him recently, and here’s what he said:

I do many different things: I work as a fiction editor, writer of fiction, essayist, and copywriter/ghostwriter. I’m also working on a novel about club kids stuck in a small city in the 1980s South.

I have had many identities, but the short answer is I’m a writer. My first story, about a boy whose hands were like balloons, was published in second grade, so I don’t know my origin story—writing was what I always wanted to do. I love the persuasive effect that strong writing has—but mostly, I love its ability to place a near-universe in someone else’s mind.

I have a theory every stage of life is like high school, except for college. College is different because everything is new and unfettered. Even as an adult working at highly respected places, your life is still subject to the Breakfast Club Breakdown, with the brain, athlete, basket case, princess, and criminal. I wouldn’t be surprised if it’s like that at the nursing home, too.

I went to two high schools. I left the first one because it was too insular for me. I was a diplomat’s kid who’d seen a world outside Charleston, SC, and wanted friends who looked beyond South Carolina. I then went to another school that felt slightly better.

Except for a teacher who seemed obsessive and controlling, I didn’t have teachers who advocated for me; I slipped through the cracks. I had friends and got along fine, but I did my reading and writing at night—Hemingway and Graham Greene, mainly. My friends and girlfriends didn’t read much. Instead, random adults saw the reader in me. I remember a doctor giving me Evelyn Waugh’s novel Scoop. And a friend of mine’s mother read my fiction and gave me advice.

The people who took my ambitions seriously are those who affected me. As for other students? Mostly, there was Kelley, who also wanted to break free. We’d planned to run off in her car, hit the road, and live off the land. We drove a few hours and landed in a campground outside Myrtle Beach. It rained. The tent collapsed. We swam in the ocean. Went home. Graduated. Went on with our lives.

My mother often repeated this piece of advice: You don’t need to be the best in the room, just the best you can be.

I had a low point that lasted maybe two years. I was working at a well-known magazine but was feeling unfulfilled and in need of a challenge. I decided to become a freelance writer.

I convinced my boss to give me a buyout package. Life seemed good, at least at first: I had money, clients, and articles in the works with The Atlantic and elsewhere…when the 2008 crash occurred. Everything dried up, and I was quickly broke. I felt like box office poison for two years. Distress and poverty ground on. I decided to think of my situation as an opportunity. I’d say yes to everything and have an adventure. I taught college English. I said yes to a project that sent me to Europe and yes to writing an article on a complex tech issue.

In writing that tech article, I discovered I had a talent for explaining complex topics, which led to a new career as a copywriter and ghostwriter. I also said yes to working at the nonprofit literary magazine Guernica as their Senior Fiction Editor. I learned HTML at Guernica and how to herd writer-cats. I gained new friends and a new life.

I have multiple networks because I operate in several different worlds. My novelist friends aren’t interested in SERP metrics. Others don’t care about the finer points of AI. I contact them regularly and keep things reciprocal. In the end, you can only take as much as you can give.

I read widely: The Economist, The New Yorker, and The New York Times. I also read at least 100 novels a year. I’m on novel 127 right now (Philip Roth's I Married a Communist). All those words and ideas wash down, and some new perspectives stick. I also keep lists of things I want to accomplish to keep myself on track.

I’m Gen X, and we dealt with stress very badly because we were badly raised. I’ve since tried to teach myself how to have more of a work balance by figuring out what can be delayed and what must happen immediately. If I can do something in five minutes, I do that first. It helps to say no or ask the supervisor to set new priorities with new, reasonable deadlines. 

In my case though, writing is project-based; sometimes, achieving a seemingly simple task takes a long time. I have to put things in perspective and ask for help when needed. Writing is about clarity of mind; sometimes, you only get clarity by asking for advice and help.

Movies and TV shows act like inspiration is the driving force behind any accomplishment. Inspiration, however, is just part of accomplishing anything. Discipline, talent, follow-through, and the stupid belief that you can finish the project are equally important.

I think: Study how others did that thing you want to do. How did they break their projects into smaller tasks? For example, how did Michelangelo paint the Sistine Chapel? Step by step. Just getting the ceiling ready took weeks—months. Michelangelo knew how the project would look before painting because he had a detailed plan.

Also, if you lack confidence, read The War of Art: Break Through the Blocks and Win Your Inner Creative Battles. It sounds like a tacky book, but it’ll change your life. I’d never have read the book if someone hadn’t given it to me.

I've had at least two big creative failures. The first was having my screenplay go into “turnaround.” Turnaround is bad news; it means your film project is dead and the production company that optioned your project is moving on to someone else. I’d written a screenplay that seemed destined for glory, only to die after four years of meetings. But word about the script got me other jobs, and I pulled through. I also have a “failed” novel that won’t see the light of day. But I don’t regret that supposed failure, either: chapters were published, and I learned how to go forward on the novel I’m working on now.

Some projects seem star-crossed. I don’t have any theories on why. But it’s not about the failures or successes—it’s about moving forward.

I ride my bike for long distances, and I’m writing a new novel. A novel is a considerable risk—you spend years on it, and maybe it won’t work—and that’s fine. Like with riding the bike, I’m enjoying the journey.

I mentioned that when I was young, I loved Hemingway. However, I didn’t care for his macho stuff like bullfighting, hunting, etc. I was attracted to his existential outlook. Hemingway’s favorite mantra was a French saying, “At first, you must last.” Too many people need to work on having grit. They have everything else, just not the grit they need to outlast others. It's really important that you outlast the bastards in your life. 

Dean Jenkins and I go way back, we lived together for over a year. It was awesome living with somebody who’s also constantly itching to make shit – this dude is a true modern-day handyman - he’s insane at fixing cars, an epic graphic designer, rips at skateboarding, and prints all of his own clothes. While in school, Dean started a clothing brand called “Carousel406” - I personally buy everything I can, and will always choose his t-shirts when I am getting dressed in the morning - not just because he’s my friend, but because they are sick as fuck. He has wisdom and knowledge well beyond his years; everything he does is effortlessly cool. I highly encourage you guys to keep an eye on this kid! Dean is my true friend and brother, and I had a blast interviewing him. Let’s hear what he has to say…

Dean left me right

I’ve always had an eye for graphic design and fashion. The idea of starting something like Carousel had been in my head for years. One day, a little over a year ago I decided to commit to making a screen from a graphic I designed. People ended up really liking it so I stuck with it.

^These were Deans's first batch, they sold out pretty much instantly on campus, and I still wear mine at minimum, once a week - it’s my favorite shirt.

My favorite companies and inspirations are always changing. However, if I were to pick three brands that I’ve always appreciated from a design standpoint, it would probably be chrome hearts, fucking awesome, and Kentucky boy Tyler. If I were to pick some brands that I think were the “coolest,” I’d probably say something like Limosine skateboards or EC Melodi.

I take a lot of inspiration from skateboard and street culture. I spend a lot of time in downtown LA and skating so I get to see a lot of that stuff. I also take inspiration from contemporary skate brands and vintage brands. As far as individuals who inspire me the most, my dad is a big motivator.

Honestly, marketing is the hardest thing. It’s been really hard to get my name out there, especially online. Editing TikTok’s and instagram reels is probably my least favorite part of all this.

I do everything from designing the graphics, to making the screens, to printing. There’s a lot of steps involved and technicalities but I’ll explain the printing process briefly. So you have your ink, screen, and garment. You lay the fabric on a flat surface and lay the screen on top. Then print the ink with a squeegee and remove the screen. I have a nice printing press, so this process is pretty automated and I can print multiple colors, designs, etc. I’m able to do almost 30 shirts an hour.

I taught myself everything. I did my own research and trial and error. I never really knew anyone that was that great at this kind of thing so I didn’t have anyone to ask about it. Eventually, I found a process that works good for me and have stuck with it.

One thing I fucked up, and still fuck up is not thinking that anything I make is any good. Every time I put something out, I think something’s wrong with it or it can be better in some way. Everything always sells at the end of the day and I receive very little criticism, so I’ve gotta get that mindset out of my head.

I try to put school first but I always find myself designing, messing with my site or editing photos in class. My days are generally slammed with school and Carousel stuff. The earliest I went to sleep this semester was probable 12am, only to wake up at 7:45 and do it all over again. Ultimately, I realize I have responsibilities that I need to get done, so I suck it up and do it.

This was our Dorm room in 2022.

I want to expand more into cut & sewn pieces. I have done it before, but I want to have a main line of fully custom tees or hoodies. I’m not too stoked about the current fit of the tees I use, and I’ve been working on designing a cut that I find more appealing. I also hope to work on some denim projects too, like designing my own pants. I hope carousel will gain some more traction in the future, whether it’s as a clothing line or a printing service.

In the next 5 years, I definitely want to still be in the industry. Whether that’s design or manufacturing or whatever, I want to stick with the industry and keep the connections I’ve made in the short time I’ve been doing this. Regardless of where carousel goes, I’d like to stick with that label/name for whatever I do too.

There you have it guys…I encourage you to go drop Dean a follow on IG: @Carousel406 and buy something from his brand

https://carousel406.com

I genuinly wear these shirts every single day.

I would say I am one of the fortunate ones regarding career direction. 

I attended a small all-girls Catholic HS in Manhattan. I had never taken an art class outside of elementary school, but I liked to draw and was good at it. When I read the course description for Communication Design something immediately clicked; typography, layout, design, and color theory, I felt the gravitational pull and I have never looked back. 

I think graphic design is an important profession because it’s part of what we put out into the world, and it’s what people see and perceive. Design influences how people react to a product or a brand. 

As far as advice - enter a field where you actually gain satisfaction doing what it is you do. 

From the beginning, I felt a buzz seeing my design work out in the public arena. Starting from a blank slate to seeing a finished campaign and or brand identity is still exciting for me.  

The most uncertain point in my career was ultimately the turning point. I had been an art director at a notable luxury cosmetics company for over a decade. There was a large departmental restructuring and I was laid off. I was forced to pull together my design work and put myself out there in the job market for the first time in 12  years. In hindsight, this was the best thing that could have happened to me. Prior to the layoff I had allowed myself to get too comfortable. I had lost my drive. 5 years have passed since that time. I have taken large steps forward in my career growth. 

Networking (which implies opportunity through interaction)  has never been my motivator.  For me, life is about genuine relationships - not opportunities. Whether it be family, friends, or co-workers,  relationships are a massively fulfilling part of my life. Water seeks its own level. Be yourself - you will find your people and they will find you. 

In terms of balance in your 20s - prior to marriage and children, one can be more selfish. Work smart/remain focused - seek out a mentor and learn as much as you can from that person. Experience as much as you can in your free time - travel - accept invitations  - nurture friendships. There are things you can do in your 20s that you cannot do in your 40s or anytime after. Personal growth does not happen sitting on the couch.

Tosh and his super cute kid.

I owe a lot of what I do professionally to skateboarding. As a kid we always filmed each other and I caught the editing bug early. That exposed me to photoshop and other design software.

A little later on I got my first dslr camera and started really focusing on photography. All this lead me to creating content for brands in the early days of social media, then moving into a real marketing focus. After working for a few brands I wanted to do my own thing and decided jewelry was the space, but I had no idea how to design it. But again back to skateboarding, I DIY’d it and learned it through YouTube U. Owe everything to that wooden toy.

I’m still homies with the same group of guys I skated and made videos with every day in 9th grade. They’ve all gone on to be pretty successful dudes.

One piece of advice that had a huge impact on me, “This too shall pass”

Right before I started Personal Fears I was on unemployment, and I had just interviewed for a job at some non-profit as a marketing manager. I was wearing some crappy ill-fitting suit, and it was raining outside.

The interview went so bad, and I came out and said, “Fuck this I’m never doing this again”. Used my last $500 to start my brand. Keep in mind I had to freelance my ass off for the first year and a half while it was building steam though.

A network is incredibly important but I never think of it like “networking”. I just try to do for others what I wish someone had done for me (or did do). And then all of a sudden you got some people to call when you need a hand with something.

In terms of work/life balance in your 20s - I don’t know, I was such a fuckup in my 20s. But if I could do it over again I’d say you either party poor in your 20s or party rich in your 50s, rarely both.

To accomplish big things, it’s important to just focus on the next right action. The big stuff will sort itself out.

My first real gig was doing all the media / marketing for a small brand in San Diego. I sunk my whole sense of self worth into it. I thought what I was producing was a reflection of myself, not a product of my labor for a company. Needless to say when that ended it shattered me, I thought they owed me something. Turns out I was the problem. Took a lot of soul searching to get to that conclusion, but as a result I’ve never made that mistake again.

My favorite thing to do is spend time with my son and wife. Having a little kid is the coolest thing ever, they’re so funny and rad and they just want to have fun all the time. He makes me smile.

There’s a phrase “think global act local”. I already mentioned it a few questions ago but if you think too much about the big picture it gets overwhelming. Focus on putting one foot in front of the other, and if everything doesn’t feel like it’s coming together just yet, keep walking. It’ll gel eventually.

Tristan is a professional filmmaker and photographer with over a decade of experience in the action sports world. He has worked for some of the biggest names, like XGames/ESPN, Vans, and many pro skateboarders - showcasing his skills in filming and editing. He served as the lead videographer at Woodward Action Sports Camp in Pennsylvania, contributing to the extremely popular Camp Woodward Reality TV Show.

My path of Action Sports Filmmaking initially started from my love of being outside with my friends playing backyard sports, dirt biking, skating, and surfing. I was really into dirt biking at first but ended up flying over my handlebars and getting a concussion when I was 11. After that my parents didn't want me to ride anymore and my main interest shifted to skateboarding. I was probably 13 when my friend's older brother showed me Fully Flared and I was sold on finding a way to make a living by filming/editing and traveling through skating. 

A stand-out memory from high school was hosting a big ass concert at my backyard halfpipe. I got the okay from my parents and had a couple of friend's bands come perform while we skated and it turned into a mini music festival with the amount of people who showed up. Definitely made me want to be able to host more events like that in the future. 

My Dad always said "If you want to get shit done, do it yourself." That's definitely kept a fire lit under my ass to keep learning and becoming skilled in what I do and not need to rely on other people to get shit done (with filmmaking though, I definitely need to balance this out a bit and find ways to be more collaborative). 

After I finished Film School I went home to South New Jersey and didn't have any video work lined up. I lost $600 playing blackjack online and was pretty much broke, so started working construction with my friend's dad. It was winter and cold and not what I wanted to be doing. Much respect to my friends who are on the construction / masonry grind year round. 

A network is how you "make it". You build your network by staying true to your interests / skills and building friendships with like-minded people that share your interests / skills. The friendships I've built through my interests in skating and filmmaking are the only reason I got to where I am today. One of my best friends in college worked at Woodward Action Sports camp and helped get me in the mix as one of their videographers. Six years later I still go there every summer to film their skate content and help with the Camp Woodward Show. Then from working there, my network within action sports grew exponentially from meeting all the athletes and content creators who pass through. This led me to getting a job at X Games since my good friend who used to run Woodward's social media now helps run the X Games social media and vouched for me when they were looking to add another filmer/editor. 

If it's not something I'm really passionate about then it depends how much free time I have and how much $ there is to be made. I really value my time and peace of mind so I make sure the projects I say yes to are worth it. 

I'd say the proper Work-life balance in your twenties varies based on your unique circumstances, ambitions, and intuition. For circumstances, it's deciding where you want to live. Are you able to live at home and still work toward your career goals and save up and balance time properly with your friends and fam? Or is home a sore subject or you party too much and you rather move away to be able to focus on yourself and meet more like-minded people to grow better around. This decision is tough and only you know what's best for you. I decided to do a little bit of both and spent winters away from home to feel it out, but ultimately I love where I grew up and my people are here so this is home for me and I am finding a way to keep the dream alive from little ol Cape May, NJ. 

Once you have your circumstance figured out though, I think it's important to try and have a routine to stay healthy. Find time to exercise most days. Eat healthy every day (stay away from the processed bullshit even if you're busy). Try and get 8 hours of sleep. Prioritize your mental/physical health over your work. 

Just learn to be content with what you have and make calculated decisions to improve upon it. It's so easy to want more and more. To want the new camera gear. To want the new car. To want more followers. To want the hotter girl, etc. etc. Don't let dopamine run the show. Call yourself out on your bullshit and do what's best for you today and tomorrow. And honestly fuck social media and clout chasing. Focus on your character, stay healthy, and make some money so you can have fun with your friends and fam. Find that balance. 

Write it down! Whenever you are at a new chapter in your life, rewrite your list of your goals and your desired life trajectory. Plan that shit out. Do research - you have to be able to sell to others why you're knowledgeable and skilled enough to get it done. Be realistic and have a solid plan on how you are going to achieve your goals. Most importantly, make sure along the way you are still becoming the best version of yourself so you can make/maintain valuable friends that respect and trust and want to be around you. It usually takes a team to do big things. 

I overcame it by building myself a website to start doing wedding videography at the jersey shore. Emailed/gave out business cards to the local venues. SEO'd my website good. Got on TheKnot. Lined up 20 weddings my first year. 

Instinctually I would say skating brings me the most joy, but I realized recently it's really any sport where I am outside with my friends, pushing myself. Skating just happens to be the one I spent the most time doing so that's what I'm the best at. However, that also makes it the most frustrating at times. I love skating, surfing, dirt biking, basketball, and football the most. 

Anything where I'm lost in the moment (Flow State), pushing myself mentally and physically is definitely the best thing for my mental health.

Also, me and my dad host an annual Pumpkin Baseball event where we pick up all the old pumpkins/rotten produce around town, some bags of flour, cottage cheese, sour cream, whatever the grocery stores and markets are throwing out and we invite all our friends and fam to come over and we pitch all the rotten produce to them to smash with bats. It's hilarious and has become an annual event when everyone is home for Thanksgiving weekend. 

There's a native american myth I love about Learned Desires vs Soul Desires. Basically, in our society, we have so many learned desires  - he big mansion, the sports car, the boat, the busty wife, the clout, Bottle Service, PJ's to private islands, etc.. These are all Learned Desires that we think we want because they are hard to attain and seemingly admirable. However, if you listen to/follow your Soul Desires, you might realize there are other aspects of life that spark your interest/you enjoy more and this is how you should try to spend your limited time on earth. My advice is to pinpoint your Soul Desires and forget about the Learned Desires. Don't stress yourself out trying to make the biggest impact possible. Become the best version of yourself - study philosophy, history, psychology, sociology, nutrition, etc. 

Do your best to have a well-informed perception of reality and then you can intuitively do your part to help lift up those around you and in your community. If you want to make a big impact, start there. 

Check out Tristan's work here: https://www.tristansachar.com

This is an example of somebody that ChatGPT could never replace (pictured right).

He dwarfs me with what he’s able to do with his brain.

I met Sam Hoffman, (or the “TikTok whisperer") at a bar for a work event a couple of months ago, and I speak to him on a pretty regular basis….

He is one of THE most creative and original people I have ever met.

He’s a freelance writer and social media strategist.

But he’s also hilarious and awesome to chat to, a great friend.

Sam Hoffman is an exceptionally versatile freelance copywriter, brand strategist, and content creator. Despite being not even 30 years old, Sam's impressive track record includes collaborations with industry giants such as Netflix, Duolingo, Dunkin' Donuts, Under Armour, Amazon, A24, and many more. Sam's ability to work with such prestigious clients across diverse sectors is a testament to his extraordinary skills and dedication. On top of that, he’s a hilarious, overall great guy to have in my life.

I’ve honestly lost track of what it is I actually do. I’ve always been someone who just has an idea and then figures it out, which means I’ve gathered a lot of skills. If I had to define what I “do” professionally I would say it’s advertising and marketing. I first got into that because I loved Mad Men in high school. I thought getting paid to sit around and come up with funny creative ideas was cool. That, in conjunction with “the man your man could smell like” commercials, was enough to set me on my path.

Speech and debate defined my high school experience. There’s a part of speech and debate that is essentially competitive acting. I loved that. I don’t know if any specific encounters with classmates stand out as one to choose, but my love for speech and debate does.

A Rumi quote I read about 5 years ago that forever sticks with me: “Silence is the language of god. All else is poor translation.” I think this is a very important sentiment for anyone who writes or speaks, especially those who write and speak for money.

I think the lowest point in my career was a general few “existential crisis” moments when I was in my last job. I didn’t love what I did most days and I couldn’t figure out the path forward to getting out of it while still being able to afford my life. I didn’t have enough knowledge or conviction on what I wanted to do to figure out how to move forward. I just knew something wasn’t right. It’s not until hindsight that I look back and see how clearly I was right about myself in those moments.

Network is just the people in your life. And it’s the only thing you actually have. I don’t actively think about how I build or maintain my network. When I was freelance, I kept a rolodex of contacts who could hire me for projects. It was mostly useless. Felt too transactional. Take care of the people you work with, no matter how you define work. 

I’m a bit too motivated by money in this regard. In my last year as a freelancer, I had a lot of free time to actually work on passion projects that have been on my to-do list. But instead, I spent the time looking for more and more work — even when I had enough work. I wish I knew the answer to this question. I don’t think I pick the work, I think the work picks me.

You only have this much energy once in your life. In your 20s, there’s no wrong or right answer to how you work or live. I question my balance every day to make sure it’s truly in balance, and frequently it is not.

I’ve had plenty of denials from plenty of full-time and freelance opportunities. But, for the most part, I’ve achieved what I’ve set out to achieve. Without the setbacks I would never have been in the space to receive the opportunities. It’s cliche but it’s true. The most stressful period of my whole career is currently going on as I write this. I have more responsibility and work to do than ever before, and I have to learn on my own how to do most of it.

I also try to enjoy my free time. Listening to music, singing karaoke, being with friends, playing poker, making TikToks, eating Thai food, walking around NYC. All of these activities bring me joy and they allow me to be in the present moment as much as possible.

Relax. And breathe.