Visual I.D.E.A.s Newsletter
Posts
Are you reaching your full potential?

Are you reaching your full potential?

4 interesting ideas to feed your curiosity heading into the week!

PJ Milani
October 29, 2024

In partnership with

🤔 INTERESTING

Illustration by milaniCREATIVE.art comparing reaching potential with a goal versus a system. On the left, a person stands at a short staircase labeled ‘with a goal.’ On the right, a person ascends an escalated staircase with the help of a gear, symbolizing the power of systems to achieve greater heights.

Join the conversation on LinkedIn

❝

You do not rise to the level of your goals.
You fall to the level of your systems.

James Clear

One of my favorite quotes from the book, “Atomic Habits.”

Receive Honest News Today

Join over 4 million Americans who start their day with 1440 – your daily digest for unbiased, fact-centric news. From politics to sports, we cover it all by analyzing over 100 sources. Our concise, 5-minute read lands in your inbox each morning at no cost. Experience news without the noise; let 1440 help you make up your own mind. Sign up now and invite your friends and family to be part of the informed.

📐 DESIGN

Recently, I shared a first animation of one of my visual metaphors. There’s plenty of room to grow and experiment in this space, but it did make me reflect…what is lost and what is gained in the reader’s experience when we add motion?

Illustration by milaniCREATIVE comparing ‘Happiness fueled by pleasure’ and ‘Happiness fueled by purpose.’ The top row shows a heart burning out quickly, representing fleeting pleasure. The bottom row displays multiple hearts burning steadily, symbolizing the lasting fulfillment of purpose-driven happiness.

Still Visual

Animated Visual Metaphor

Curious, which makes you FEEL something?

The Classic Still Version | The Updated Animated Version

Or shoot a reply to this email if you have more thoughts to add.

🔮 ENCHANTING

Illustration by milaniCREATIVE.art featuring Ernest Hemingway’s quote, ‘Never mistake motion for action.’ The image shows two plasma globes: one inactive, symbolizing motion without purpose, and the other activated by a finger touch, representing intentional action.

Join the conversation on LinkedIn

Motion = staying busy
Action = focused execution

I used to wear “being busy” as a badge of honor. But a lesson I’m relearning is doing a lot and doing what matters are not the same thing.

What’s worse is the busier I get, the less I focus on the latter.

Don’t make this same mistake. Create space for a few moments today to think about how you might position this week to take action on the things that matter most.

🧠 ANALOGY

Illustration by milaniCREATIVE.art showing the difference between ineffective and effective leadership. On the left, a person points to an apple in a tree, labeled ‘This is not leadership.’ On the right, another person helps lift someone up to reach the apple, labeled ‘This is,’ demonstrating true support in leadership.

Join the conversation on LinkedIn

❝

Leadership is not about being in charge.
It’s about taking care of those in your charge.

Simon Sinek

🤓 WHAT I’M READING NOW

“The Copy Book” by D&AD

Metaphors are everywhere!

The Copy Book: How Some of the Best Advertising Writers in the World Write Their Advertising is technically more of a reference book, but print advertising is a great source of inspiration for visual imagery. My favorite is this ad about canned grapefruit! So clear and simple to understand!

Rate this week's newsletter:

Your feedback helps shape the best visual newsletter possible.

🔥 Loved it! | 👍 Solid. | 🫣 Could be better.

Say hi 👋🏻 on Twitter or LinkedIn

If you'd like to join the 25,111 subscribers getting Visual I.D.E.A.s straight into their inbox, subscribe below:

Thanks for reading! Reply any time with feedback or questions.

I made this newsletter with beehiiv, my favorite tool for easily creating and growing a newsletter.

When you’re ready, I’ve built a course to teach Thinking in Visual Metaphors: Join the Waiting List

*By making a purchase through any of our affiliate links, we receive a very small commission at no extra cost to you. This helps us on our mission to provide quality visuals and education. Thank you for your support!

Reply

or to participate.