So today I received a message that changed the trajectory of my evening. As I prepared to dive into some ideas I had for todays column, I opened a DM on instagram. It was from a lovely follower.

She asked me a simple question:

Her name was Naomi.

She was straightforward, generous, and honest in my favourite way, so I replied.
I shared with her my process, and how I write regularly throughout my day. I spoke about continually documented and I shed some light on the systems I use to turn random stories into ideas worth writing about, how AI helps me gather and sort, then I map a real, honest narrative and actually write.

She replied with kindness. It felt like a smile.

As we kept talking, she explained how she rarely finishes my pieces because reading isn’t her thing, and well they’re long. I tried my best not to be offended, so I laughed. And as we connected on that shared sentiment, she unraveled a wonderful piece of information that stopped me.

“If you give me a story book, with a hint of drama but a lot of lessons, i’ll eat that up”
So as you do when listening attentively, I stopped listening and a thought emerged.

Todays piece has to be all the drama.

It came to me quickly.

“Naomi, I’ll give you a read you cannot ignore”

Not with drama for drama’s sake, but with a lesson, and with you as the reason. Maybe not the protagonist, but the spark (how dramatic ik)

So there it was, the conception of the idea, and well here we are meeting again.

Oh no, not the cliff hanger?

Don’t worry, i’m going to continue, but just like our favourite drama’s on netflix here’s my title screen at the 8th minute.

If you’re new here, welcome to The Stack, a 75-day column exploring creativity, ideas, and the messy art of getting started again.If you haven’t realised already… I do what I want, that’s the point.

So sit back, get the popcorn and let’s get into todays episode.

There’s a Certain Arrogance to Art, and You Have to Lean In.

I’ve found that the best moments of creativity i’ve experienced weren’t planned bur rather encountered. I’ve found that no matter how prepared I could be, it’s as if someone above present to me, better stories with sharper turns. So I lean in often, and listen to what stories heaven wants to tell. If you’ve been here the last few days, you’ll know that this is my whole spiel, that true creation is first observation.

And in true fashion, a great deal of my process is built around capturing and making much from little. So If you asked me what my process is, well it’s built around the ethos of capturing. And to do that well, my focus is spent designing systems that speed up the catching. I use things like Notion to design templates where I can quickly preserve a moment, making sure that every detail that mattered to me is preserved. And I begin there.

Maybe I share some of those with you? but you’re going to have to let me know if you want that!

Get to the point…

Today, like many other theories I’ve tested, another proved true again.
The best ideas come.

If I reflect on this exchange with Naomi, I find that it’s done a few magical things that have really validated me. Although wonderfully, there is this blissfully terrifying reality of the fact that, I’m no longer simply talking to myself. I’m talking to real people. And hopefully, if you’re still reading—you, Naomi. Then that’s clear evidence that small nothings add up to small somethings.

And maybe one day this small nothing, might potentially become everything. I’m not sure I don’t have much of a plan, yet that alone is reason enough to do more with what’s already in our hands.

Finally, If I could say something to the person who is questioning the process. I’m doing this to show you that there are no rules to beginnings.

You really can decide to try something random, and if you choose… pivot mid-sentence. Heck you can even take a novelistic swing, like writing a long, dramatic piece to a reader who specifically said my write-ups are too long. (I’m not offended, I promise.)

You see, the brilliance of being an author (the starter of something) is that you are in charge of the story. You choose the pace, the lens, and the scenes you choose to hold.

You’re the director.

And often we get stuck worrying about the wrong things, like what people will think, or how clever it needs to sound. But It doesn’t matter. Keep the life in the thing you’ve started and that’s done by rejecting the cage when it offers itself.

If i’m not clear enough then hear me and hear me clearly: Never allow your craft to become the cage.

Show up daily, pivot when necessary and let creativity breathe through each moment, until you find what resonates. It’s great to chase precision, but precision without a pulse is just a neatly folded napkin on a beautifully curated table at a dinner with no guests.

Yeah, you forgot to send the invites.

In other words, don’t get so carried away decorating the envelope that you never send the letter.

So thank you Naomi, for the delightful conversation, and the smile that I could hear.. I truly hope you made it this far. This ones for you.

Keep writing, keep showing up and keep sending the invites out, and remember that there are real people receiving the things you count average. You’re making a difference.

Today’s Stack Move:
Do it for the audience of one, document a real moment from your day (scrappy notes will do), expand on it, then ship it.

✳️ The Stack.

Part of the 75-Day Stack Challenge, essays for builders, makers, and doers, finding their start again.

Written by Josiah Hyacinth, creator, strategist, and storyteller exploring the intersection of faith, creativity, and action. Follow along as we unpack what it means to build, become, and begin again.