So much on my mind today — and last night. I actually had trouble sleeping last night because my mind was racing around…well…everything. I’ve been slowly expanding my network with people who I can have transcendental relationships with — relationships where we both benefit.

Essentially, I’m trying to build a tribe that is greater than the sum of its parts. Collaborators, not cooperators. And since discovering this idea…I haven’t been able to turn my mind off.

But…that’s not what I really wanted to talk about today. Today I was incredibly low on energy, the day didn’t go anything like I’d planned, but I still managed to celebrate a few micro-wins today.

For instance…I didn’t do a warmup page today. I came to the cabin while I was behind on my studies, so I turned on the video I was watching, and this drawing was still open on my tablet screen from yesterday, so I started sketching around while I was taking my class.

Normally, this is a bad idea, because I have trouble focusing on art while I’m listening to a class, but when it comes to rendering…sometimes it’s easier to just turn my brain off from the art and go through the motions.

One thing I DID discover while working on this, though — I have an unlimited amount of custom tools with a digital workflow. I absolutely HATED the smudge brushes that came shipped with Krita. They destroy the texture of the pencil tool and I hated the “plastic” look they gave me.

So I made my own textured blending tool to preserve as much of the texture as possible! And it worked!

That just goes to show — the right tool for the job makes the job incredibly more enjoyable and increases the quality of the work.

What went well?

• Tons of time rendering today while I was catching up on studies.
• I’m realizing how amazing the right tribe of people can be.
• Celebrating small wins.

What needs work?

• My energy. As excited as I am — I can’t let it DESTROY my sleep.

What did I learn?

You are the average of the people you spend the most time with. Their values will create the lens which you see the world through. So be careful about who you surround yourself with — from your friends to the people you hire for your team.

Surround yourself with stars and you’ll become one, too.