In the quest for creative living, we often overlook a transformative truth: our lives are a canvas, colored by the everyday experiences that define us. Much like Picasso proclaiming himself the notebook, we have the power to weave creativity into the very fabric of our existence and seize every creative idea that comes our way. Life isn’t about passively waiting for inspiration or the perfect moment; it’s about actively creating, exploring, and embracing the curiosity that guides us. By becoming the notebook, we explore creative living, and we become the architects of our stories, crafting a life where every thought, experience, and dream contributes to an ever-evolving masterpiece.
Life isn’t about finding yourself. It’s about creating yourself.
In one of his sketchbooks, Pablo Picasso wrote the words, “Je suis le cahier.”
(Meaning: “I am the notebook.”)
With these four words, Picasso was claiming an identity—that his life, thoughts, and actions were the raw material and canvas of creation itself.
We tend to think of notebooks as external tools. Spaces to store our ideas, sketches, and to-dos.
But Picasso flipped the script.
He became the notebook by living in a constant state of curiosity, capturing fragments, failures, impulses, and breakthroughs. He took creative living to an entirely new level.
He understood that creation is not separate from living. It IS living. And a life worth living is one filled with ongoing exploration, deep observation, and joyful experimentation.
When we embrace creative living, we release the pressure of productivity.
Creators often think they need to produce something “worthy” every time they sit down to work.
Entrepreneurs feel pressure to generate only refined ideas, scalable solutions, and polished pitches.
But if we are the notebook, we’re free to be messy, playful, and curious. Our life becomes the sketchpad. Our thoughts, rough and real, become valuable material. We stop filtering everything for perfection and start capturing everything for possibility. We embrace creative living at its core, and in turn, it embraces us.
There is no perfect moment to create. The moment to create is always.
Picasso didn’t wait for the pristine moment to create. His notebooks were filled with doodles, half-formed ideas, and evolving thoughts. He lived his art, and his art lived from within him.
For entrepreneurs, this means not separating “work” from “inspiration.” Note: This isn’t about glorifying constant hustle. It means being alive to ideas.
Our travels, conversations, dreams, and even doubts belong in the notebook, too.
Some of the best ideas don’t come in boardrooms or alone at our desks, but on napkins, in journals, or while walking through the world.
The most powerful creations don’t come from what we already know. They come from the questions we dare to ask.
Not knowing is the doorway to discovery.
Our notebooks are more than a record of conclusions. They are spaces to explore uncertainty.
Instead of fearing the unknown, meet it with curiosity.
Go to your life and your notebook not for perfectly-formed answers, but for experiences, collisions, and clues. That’s where innovation is born—in the courage to not know and yet to keep going.
Being the notebook means constantly absorbing, recording, and reflecting. Don’t dismiss the rough sketches, late-night ideas, or strange thoughts. That messy collection is our goldmine.
Over time, dots connect in surprising ways. What seems like randomness today becomes clarity tomorrow.
Great art, innovation, and enterprises are rarely born from a single lightbulb moment—they emerge from a rich landscape of accumulated insight.
I challenge you: become your notebook, and watch how creative living naturally follows.
When we see ourselves as the notebook, we’re not waiting for inspiration. We are the source. We’re not seeking permission. We’re creating our own language.
Every day becomes an act of authorship.
Whether we’re building a brand, a novel, or a new product, we already have what we need. We are the lab. We are the process. We are the notebook.
So carry your notebook—the physical one, yes. Fill it. But more importantly, be it.
Live with openness, courage, and trust that nothing is wasted.
Making and living aren’t separate. Let your work emerge as an echo of your being.
The notebook isn’t just what we write in.
It’s who we are.
Hey, Authors + All Who Are Working on a Book!
Did you miss the webinar, “Your Book’s ROI Formula,” that I co-hosted with publishing expert AJ Harper? Watch the Replay Here. It’s gold!
