Struggle With Organisation and High Focus Tasks? Here are two things I did which really helped me get this website made ...

I'm the type of person who winces internally when I hear people speak breezily about how intuitive and easy it is to build a website these days. Because I've tried it, and for me it's never felt that way at all. In fact, it's felt almost impossible.

That being said - I'm not saying this website is a masterpiece, or any particularly advanced achievement by 'normal' standards; but for me, it represents a major achievement ...

For many of us - especially creative types - approaching a task such as building a website, with its myriad options, countless problem solving moments, need to collate and organise hundreds of pieces of content - not to mention the relative dullness of all these actions in comparison to making art - can be prohibitively intimidating.

Here are two things that, without which, this online space would not exist.

Number one: 

I used Chat-GPT.

Discovering this tool has been life changing for me, not only in the way it's helped my create this website, but also in helping me to organise my life more generally.

The way Chat GPT helped me with the website was two fold:

Firstly, at the very outset of the task, I asked the AI to produce for me a very easy to understand, step by step guide on literally every aspect of what is necessary to create a website from the ground up. From buying a domain name, to hosting, to which is best/easiest web-builder to use, to which printing companies sync up best with different platforms ... everything I needed to know.

Basically, I typed in something like, ‘Give me a simple step by step guide on how to create a website for my art and tattoo business’ ...

It did and I followed it.

Once I had my step by step guide on how to make a website, I asked the AI to create a daily schedule for me that would break down the various tasks I would need to complete in order to finish the website, into manageable two hour sessions, spread out over two weeks.

It did and I followed it.

The process was still very challenging and I’ve spent many hours on help discussions with various patient customer service experts, but without the step by step guide to help me through it - not only would I never have finished the website, I probably wouldn't even have got started.

Incidentally, what I love about this use of AI is that it represents (finally) a kind of fulfilment on the larger promise of technology, which was to be a true labour-saving tool - a machine to do some of the leg work, allowing us humans more time to be creative/at leisure.

I will say that I am not an advocate of using AI to produce anything in the realm of art ... Just the boring stuff.

Number Two:

Meditation.

In particular, over the last few weeks I’ve been using a meditation app called ‘Healthy Minds Programme’ … I've been practicing meditation for about 10 years on and off and this app has provided by far the best instruction I’ve ever received. Whenever I talk about this app I feel like a salesman for the company because I can’t say enough about how amazing it is. However, they don’t need salesmen because it’s FREE! Like, actually free, the full app - no paywalls, no optional paid extras, nothing to pay for.

Honestly, this app is a rare and wonderful gift to us all. If you think I’m being hyperbolic - try it!

The ways in which practicing meditation has aided in my ability to complete my website are numerous - but have mostly do to with enhancing my ability to focus for long periods of time, on tasks that I don’t particularly enjoy. I can easily focus for hours on something that I like, but I have generally found myself drifting off and usually abandoning projects that I can’t find inspiration in.

Another major shift that has occurred for me through practicing meditation is that it’s helped me to gain a clearer sense of my wider purpose and overall intention … this is very important because it’s allowed me to stick to tasks which, in of themselves are quite dull, but I complete (and even sometimes enjoy) because I have a stronger sense of how they stand to serve my overall vision.

Lastly, for now - practicing meditation has helped me to observe, understand and overcome many of the blocks, fears and limiting beliefs I hold/have held, around doing things that I perceive myself to me not good at/unable to do/unworthy of achieving.

This one is deep, because it strikes at the heart of the challenges I face and grants me the understanding that I can really do anything.

In short, try this app.  (Search 'Healthy Minds App' in the app store)

If you’ve read this far, thanks! I’ve got a couple of deals for you.

From today until August 10th, if you use the code SAMUELMEADARTS at checkout, you'll get free shipping on everything in the shop.

If you book a tattoo through the website, you will get 15% off the overall cost. This deduction will be made on the day of the appointment, as you only pay an initial deposit via the website.

Thanks all, 

Speak again very soon.

Much love,

Sam