1. Tuning In System

  • Principle: Ideas arrive like radio signals; your job is to tune your “antenna.”

  • Practices:

    • Create open mental space (silence, meditation, walks).

    • Capture fleeting thoughts quickly (voice notes, jot in Notion).

    • Stay sensitive to synchronicities — treat them as creative prompts.

  • IMMachines tie-in: Quote To Action turns a random “signal” (quote, overheard line, image) into a structured blog or email.

2. Awareness Practice System

  • Principle: The more you notice, the more raw material you have.

  • Practices:

    • Daily awareness drills (describe what you see/hear/sense in detail).

    • Switch between zoom in (focus on detail) and zoom out (big picture).

    • Use journaling or voice memos to sharpen perception.

  • For solopreneurs: Helps refine messaging, customer insights, and storytelling.

3. The Vessel + Filter System

  • Principle: You are a vessel that collects and filters experiences → your worldview shapes your art.

  • Practices:

    • Audit what you “feed” your vessel (books, people, media, environments).

    • Curate high-quality inputs → better creative outputs.

    • Regularly challenge assumptions and replace stale filters.

4. Clue-Spotting System

  • Principle: The universe leaves breadcrumbs. Creativity is connecting them.

  • Practices:

    • Treat unusual patterns, phrases, or events as “creative prompts.”

    • Use randomness (flip a book to a page, roll I Ching, pick a random quote).

    • Ask: Why did I notice this now? How can I apply it to my work?

  • Application: Solopreneurs can use this to spot market signals, content hooks, or product directions.

5. Practice-as-Habit System

  • Principle: Creativity is a practice, not a moment of inspiration.

  • Practices:

    • Micro-rituals (3 deep breaths before work, mindful eating, short daily walks).

    • Daily creative session, even 15–30 minutes.

    • Anchor routines in your natural rhythm (morning vs night energy).

  • Benefit: Reduces resistance, keeps the “creative muscle” always active.

6. Submersion System (Great Works)

  • Principle: Expose yourself to greatness → your taste sharpens.

  • Practices:

    • Study canonical works (literature, film, music, architecture).

    • Replace low-quality input (e.g. news doom-scrolling) with timeless works.

    • Create a personal “Greatness Library.”

  • For creators: Helps level up brand voice, storytelling, and design instincts.

7. Nature-as-Teacher System

  • Principle: Nature is the ultimate creativity source.

  • Practices:

    • Walks outdoors, observing textures, colours, cycles.

    • Draw business analogies from natural systems (seasons = launch cycles).

    • Use natural patterns as creative metaphors.

  • For solopreneurs: Great for reframing business stress and creating organic brand narratives.

8. Self-Doubt Reframe System

  • Principle: Self-doubt is not a bug; it’s material.

  • Practices:

    • Label intrusive thoughts (e.g. thought chatter).

    • Reframe imperfections as creative gold (kintsugi approach).

    • Lower the stakes: treat each project as an experiment, not a magnum opus.

  • For creators: Turns paralysis into forward movement.

9. Play + Experimentation System

  • Principle: Art emerges from play, not pressure.

  • Practices:

    • Set rules like: “Today I will create badly on purpose.”

    • Explore opposites (e.g., if you always write long, force brevity).

    • Track experiments, not just “finished” work.

  • For solopreneurs: Encourages faster shipping, testing offers/content without fear.

10. Intention System

  • Principle: Intention gives work its energetic charge.

  • Practices:

    • Define the core truth behind your project (who/what/why).

    • Align intention with daily actions, not just marketing slogans.

    • Reflect: Does my content carry the same frequency as my intention?

  • For coaches/consultants: Keeps content congruent with values → builds trust.

11. Opposites + Rule-Breaking System

  • Principle: Every “rule” has an equal creative opposite.

  • Practices:

    • Flip constraints (e.g., sell with silence instead of noise).

    • Push extremes (make it radically simple or radically complex).

    • Use genre conventions as springboards to subvert expectations.

  • For solopreneurs: Helps craft standout offers and content that isn’t generic.

12. Collaboration-as-System

  • Principle: Creativity is always a collaboration — with people, culture, Source.

  • Practices:

    • Treat AI, tools, and even your audience as collaborators.

    • Share works-in-progress, let feedback shape direction.

    • Journal your dialogue between “maker self” and “editor self.”

  • For IMMachines: GPTs are creative partners (rather than replacements).