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The question most people don't ask me and why it matters

The question most people don't ask me and why it matters

In this issue, stepping out of your comfort zone is not as scary as it looks, a framework to think through ideas, the 3 best returns on investment, and the effort paradox.

PJ Milani
March 26, 2024

🤔 INTERESTING

Illustration ideal for topics on personal growth and self-improvement, showcasing the concept of stepping out of your comfort zone. The image is divided into two parts. On the left, a goldfish looks like its scared inside a full bowl as it’s about to tip over labeled 'WHAT IT FEELS LIKE BEFORE'. On the right, the same fish leaps out of the bowl into what was always just a bigger body of water because the fish bowl was floating deep inside the ocean, captioned 'WHAT IT FEELS LIKE AFTER,' representing the growth and possibilities beyond the comfort zone. The illustration is perfect for content focusing on visual metaphors for overcoming fears, visual thinking, and visual communication in the context of personal development. The artist's watermark '@milaniCREATIVE' is visible in the lower right corner.

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Comfort zones are tiny prisons that keep us
from experiencing the vastness of life.

📐 DESIGN

I get asked all the time what software* I use to make my visuals.

I understand why it’s asked but this question frames the wrong problem.

Software enables thinking, but without the thinking, a piece of software is just an empty shell.

The more important question to ask is:
how do you translate an idea into a visual metaphor?

For me, it’s a 3-step process.

Step 1: Clarify the message

Everything is downstream of clarity. Without it, no amount of graphics will resonate with the audience.

Step 2: Simplify the meaning

You need to give your message shape so your audience can process it fast and easily.

Step 3: Amplify the insight

This step is critical. Most visual thinkers believe you have to blatantly hammer your reader over the head with the message. But this makes the reader passive.

I believe in trusting the reader.

Leave space in the message for the audience to fill in the gap themselves. It’s not about you looking smart. It’s about making your reader feel smart.

We’re just touching the surface here, but this is the general overview of the process: Clarify => Simplify => Amplify

*For the record, the software I use is Procreate on the iPad with an Apple Pencil. 😊

P.S. If you want to start translating your own ideas into visuals, it’s not too late to sign up for Cohort 4 of Thinking in Visual Metaphors but time’s running out for enrollment. Class begins Wednesday, March 27th!

🔮 ENCHANTING

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3 best returns on investments 👆

🧠 ANALOGY

Illustration presenting a visual metaphor for creative process, depicting the contrast between the final product and the unseen work. In the upper half, a vibrant sunset landscape with clouds and a sailboat, labeled 'WHAT WE SEE,' symbolizes the showcased result of creativity. Below, multiple unseen film negatives, captioned 'WHAT WE DON’T SEE,' represent the extensive effort and numerous iterations behind a creative piece. The artist's watermark '@milaniCREATIVE' is in the lower right corner. This image offers a striking representation of the concept that the bulk of creative work is not visible in the final display.

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A friendly reminder to appreciate the effort it takes
to make something look effortless.

🤓 WHAT I’M READING NOW

“Solutions and Other Problems” by Allie Brosh

This book is HEFTY. If you don’t know Allie Brosh, she’s the creator of the popular web comic, Hyperbole and a Half (her first book of the same name rose to the #1 New York Times best seller list).

Not only are her stories funny, but they’re hauntingly poignant and moving, combining visual thinking with written storytelling.

The following excerpt is more on the serious side but has been on my mind all week (in the context of how Allie was processing her grief):

“When you can explain things to people who are willing to listen to you explain them, it is extremely difficult to resist fully and brutally explaining them.

It feels good to explain them—like maybe you're getting somewhere.

Like maybe, if you can just ... really explain them, the experiences will realize you're catching on and stop bothering you.”
—Allie Brosh, “Solutions and Other Problems”

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When you’re ready, I’ve built a course to teach Thinking in Visual Metaphors: You can sign up for Cohort 4 now — starts March 27th.

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