Three Rules for Starting a New Creative Project

30 Jun 2025 #misc

Search YouTube for journaling or note-taking, and you’ll almost certainly land on Field Notes.

Field Notes makes pocket-sized notebooks. Yes, the old-style pen-and-paper kind of notebooks.

I have to confess that I don’t use them (yet?). For my 10 bad idea lists, I use a cheap, ring-bound notepad that fits in my pocket. Still, their story resonated a lot with me.

While reading how the two creators started Field Notes, I found out they had a simple framework for starting creative projects:

1. It should make money
2. It should be something you’re proud of
3. It should teach you something

For them, Field Notes checked the three boxes. And those three rules work for a design studio and for any creative project: a side hustle, newsletter, or book. OK, we can negotiate the first one a little.

If you’re starting a creative project, use your fingerprints and don’t forget about this law.