The Gyst Life

125 - Are you a Magic Colour Maker?

In this episode, I share my journey of navigating the delicate balance between creativity and practicality. Writing down my realizations and discoveries has been a game-changer, helping me connect the dots in unexpected ways.
Today's conversation is all about harmonizing creativity with the need to follow through. It's a challenge many of us face, but I'll share insights on defining your ideal client, testing assumptions, and the importance of reviewing and refining.
Persona work is a topic I'll explore too. We'll discuss how to define an ideal customer persona and why it's crucial, while also being aware of its limitations. It's a hypothesis that needs proactive reflection and validation.
My decade-long experience has taught me the importance of understanding who I thought my ideal client was versus the reality of who they are. Stress-testing these assumptions and evaluating the variables are part of the game. We're unique in that we can keep the elements we enjoy and discard the rest.
Now, let me introduce you to the "Magic Colour Maker." This persona embodies the best attributes of an entrepreneur, visionary leader, and difference maker. They create not solely for profit but for personal fulfillment. They are specialists with a generalist mindset, big-picture thinkers, and fearless boundary-pushers.
This is the new truth for me right now, and if it resonates with you, you might be a perfect fit to work one-on-one work with me. Test out this hypothesis and see if it aligns with your path:
https://www.davidschmeikal.com/

124 - Are Rituals Essential or Ornamental?

Welcome!I have a new curiosity I am exploring, for the next little while I will be speaking about the often misunderstood world of rituals.This came about when I sat down and had a conversation with Tanya from Body Art Motion and Jai from Zephrym about the upcoming art and performance showcase they're hosting called Ritual Arts.
It's a little ironic that I will be using my own ritual of exploration to explore the practice of rituals.
There is a lens of which I've viewed that term, like all of us. Mine comes from how I was raised and the religious context I observed the world growing up. 
There were rituals that were deemed right and those definitively wrong.
Regardless of where you find yourself, the world of rituals is a fantastically huge realm to explore.  A worthwhile pursuit to decode the way in which our global collection of cultures describe, honor and display their deepest values and beliefs.
These have been a cornerstone to our evolution and will continue to influence how we honor our individuality while attempting to coordinate with aligned purpose as a collective.
 

123- Our Unseen Emotional Drivers

What happens when good intentions lead us down unpredictable paths?
In today’s episode, a loss of a beloved 🐾 feline friend and a surprise adoption 🐱❤️ highlights the powerful connection between logic and passion.

122 - The Balancing Act: Control & Integrity

🎨 The Balancing Act: Control & Integrity 🌟
Humans seek freedom in their work, but often feel paralyzed. This stems from the interplay between control and integrity.
💡 Control: The Power to Influence
Stability & Predictability Efficiency & Flexibility
🔍 Integrity: Honesty & Authenticity
Authenticity & Connection Longevity & Meaning
Finding balance can be challenging, as these forces sometimes clash. Embrace both control and integrity on your creative journey.
 
 

121 - My 4 Characters

Picture this, you’re having a stroke
The left side of your brain is turning off
You’re leaving the linear external world
Your identity is gone
Your ability to communicate is gone
All your past memories and your future aspirations, 3/4 of what defines you as a human being poof!
And for 8 years you navigate pure bliss, free of morality, judgement and the need to adapt to our environment
 
Let’s explore that for a moment
Sources:
My Stroke of Insight
https://www.ted.com/talks/jill_bolte_taylor_my_stroke_of_insight?language=en
Whole Brain Living by Jill Taylor Bolte
https://amzn.to/462la69

120 - The Art of Sensemaking

Some say we're spending about 82hrs per week consuming and collecting information. 
That's a staggering 69% of our waking hours.
So many great ideas, yet so much missed meaning.
So many really impactful moments I promised myself I would hold onto to be able to look back on, only to have it slip through my fingers.
Not because it was no longer relevant but because I just can’t recall what it was or where I stored it.
I desire to make sense of the world around me and find myself almost drowning it the magnitude of this venture.
 
Let’s explore the practice of sense making and personal knowledge management.
 

119 - Know Thyself

If the objective is to live your life by your design, then you should consider asking yourself this question:
Who do you want to be known as, and who do you know yourself to be?

118 - Telling a Great Story

As an artist, I think the biggest opportunity for you and for me is to learn how to tell our story.
To reveal who we really areThe experiences we've gone throughThe struggles that have defined usand the awareness, or confusion that's brought.
The seeds of doubt that have settled inThe influences that directed our focus, the deeper restlessness that continues to go unresolvedAnd the parallels between what's true and what's been manufactured.
This is far from easy work though.
 

117 - What’s true for you?

You say you're open, but you're really not.
You're excited to share, but won't dare get caught.
You've made discoveries, but stick with the familiar.
what's true for you is not always aligned with your actions.
As creatives, the opportunity for you is to lean in and put yourselves, your thoughts and your work out there for more people to interact with.
This is the second mapping the mindstream.
Today I want to talk about truth and having your ideas challenged.

116 - Unraveling What’s Next

To live a finite life in an infinite world...
Defining who we are, what we do and the contribution we seek to provide in a constantly shifting world is a hard question to get absolutely clarity on because we ourselves are constantly evolving and changing.
New discoveries, new priorities and new curiosities leave yesterday’s clarifying moment a distant memory.
That is the game of life.
Just new levels to unlock.