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Are you preparing or are you procrastinating?

Are you preparing or are you procrastinating?

In this issue: the real value behind collaboration, visual metaphors ANIMATED, moving from habit to identity, and the difference between preparation and procrastination.

PJ Milani
December 02, 2025

🤔 INTERESTING

Two panels compare viewpoints. In the top panel labeled 'Perspective Alone,' a single figure looks outward, their field of vision shown as a small wedge, one slice of a larger whole. In the bottom panel labeled 'Perspective Together,' four figures face outward in different directions, their combined fields of vision forming a complete 360 circle with varied colors. The visual shows that collaboration expands what we're able to see. Visual by milaniCREATIVE.art.

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Wisdom isn't about having all the answers.
It's about gathering all the angles.

I illustrated this visual to remind us that your perspective matters.
But it's never the complete story.

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📐 DESIGN

A few months ago, TMC Animation Studio reached out to collaborate on this neat animation of my visual metaphors:

I’m still undecided where I see animation in my approach to simplify complexity, but I was happy with how the work with TMC turned out.

It reminds me of this conversation I had earlier this year with another creator. We were talking about how my work doesn’t really lend itself to certain kinds of partnerships because I make still illustrations. In other words, my work doesn’t really work well with reels and short form video.

He said I need to “get with the times” if I want to stay relevant. It sounds harsh, but it may very well be true. In social media, video is king these days. I still believe there’s something special about the static visual metaphor that invites you to participate in interpreting its meaning at your own pace. I also love the constraint of stillness to force creative ways to communicate motion without motion. But I am considering how video and animation can communicate metaphors in a meaningful way that feels “right” for me.

Would love to know what you think. Shoot me a reply!

🔮 ENCHANTING

Visual metaphor by milaniCREATIVE.art showing a horizontal progression from “I write” to “I am a writer.” A series of 5 poses by the same character hold increasingly larger scribbles, symbolizing growing creative output over time. At the final stage, the figure stands fully colored in, transformed by the daily reps and identity shift. The metaphor shows how small, consistent actions evolve into a sense of self.

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You become what you repeatedly practice.

Not what you think about. Not what you plan to do. What you actually practice daily.

It becomes non-negotiable when it's tied to who you are.

Writers write (even when it's hard).
Athletes train (even when they're tired).
Leaders lead (even when they doubt).

We act in alignment with who we believe we are.
Belief → Practice → Identity

🧠 ANALOGY

Two panels show a figure trying to reach a treasure gem across a cliff. In the top panel labeled 'Productive,' a single open book bridges the gap—the figure walks confidently across. In the bottom panel labeled 'Productive Procrastination,' six open books are stacked into a towering pile that doesn't span the cliff at all. The figure stands stuck on the edge, looking up. The visual shows that accumulating knowledge without applying it won't get you where you want to go. Visual by milaniCREATIVE.art.

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The most dangerous procrastination feels like preparation.

When I turned 40, I read over two dozen books on writing and creativity.
Guess how many words I wrote that same year. Zero.

Books are maps, not the journey.
Starting points, not destinations.
Don't build a library where you should build experience.

It wasn’t until I committed to post online daily that I built any forward momentum.

Read one good book. Apply something fully. Then maybe read another.

Productive: "Let me understand the basics to start”
Productive procrastination: "Let me understand everything"

At some point, you have to close the book to open the door.

🤓 WHAT I’M READING NOW

PJ holds the book, "Strange Pictures" by Uketsu in his hand.

“Strange Pictures” by Uketsu (translated by Jim Rion)

I'm a lover of craft and the way “Strange Pictures” by Uketsu spins a story using visuals as a plot device is chef's kiss. This Japanese mystery isn’t filled with technically strong drawings, but each sketch acts as a weird, haunting breadcrumb that leads you deeper into the story. It’s a beautiful example of how visuals can drive fiction outside the standard comic format.

An page out of the book, "Strange Pictures" highlighting the mystery of the five images.

The mystery of how these pictures connect kicks off the tale.

A page from the book, "Strange Pictures" highlighting one of the children's drawings being analyzed in the book.

Why did young Yuta color over his room like this?

The author him(or her?)self is a mystery in their own right. Uketsu is a masked YouTube phenomenon (with over 1.8 Million subscribers) who weaves together odd, chilling mysteries filled with the macabre, never revealing his/her true identity. I would say check out the channel but honestly it might be best to go into this book without knowing anything about the author.

I bought it blind drawn in by the title and the puzzling cover. And I devoured the book in one sitting. If you decide to read it (or have read it), please shoot me a reply with your thoughts!

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