Hi! Welcome to the 4 CreativeWheels newsletter — your weekly dose of insights on creativity and fuel for your creative journey.

Week 17 & the “Take it, Learn it“series continue! Last week was a pleasure. I was glad to read all your positive feedback. And I hope you’ll also enjoy the future episodes! Plus, we have some news at the end. ;)

This is Part 2 of the first episode. And happy 4th of July to my American fellas!

In this week’s issue, we continue with our guests Chef Auguste Gusteau & Remy.

Without further ado…

Let’s start the ride!

(Missed Episode 1 Part 1? Here you go!)

Main Wheel

4. Read Chef Gusteau's book

We often misunderstand taking inspiration from someone and studying someone.

Remy did know the difference.

Of course, Remy took a ton of inspiration from great cooks, especially chef Auguste Gusteau. However, he did not stop himself there. Remy studied Chef Gusteau. He read his book and always tried to learn more of him and from him.

He studied how Gusteau cooked. He learned what he liked and disliked to do. Additionally, Remy asked him for advice even though Gusteau was imaginary.

Many creatives fail to do this. They go from the first point to the third. They feel excited and ready. However, they notice that they are not progressing forward. Or they are not progressing at the pace they wanted.

To study the greats is to learn from mature experience. You get to learn practices you would have discovered after years of practice. You get to avoid mistakes that could have cost you in the future. This propels you to another level.

It's a must for anyone who wants to be a fearless and great creative. It's a part of the journey of all of those seeking greatness. As Sir Isaac Newton once said, “If I have seen further, it is by standing on the shoulders of giants.”

4+1. Cook like a chef whenever you have the chance

To move even further, you have to apply the tasting, learning, and studying.

And yes, that means cooking like a chef whenever you have the chance. Again, Remy understood that from the get-go. There is no instance where Remy cooked and did not give his best. He always cooked the best meal he could.

Yes, practice does not make perfect. True, practice makes improvement. But it's not any practice. It's deliberate practice that makes improvement.

And the best way to reach it is to practice consistently, take risks with novelty, and do your best. Not once, not twice, but every single time you get the opportunity to practice your craft or work on your idea, goal, or dream.

By practicing consistently, you develop the discipline and muscle of experience in your craft. By taking risks with novelty, you open up space for growth and new lessons and challenges. You discover and grow. And by doing your best, you squeeze every drop of benefits from the experience. Furthermore, you ensure that your standard will continue to rise.

With his practice, Remy became confident in his taste and himself. He even once went against Colette who insisted on using Chef Gusteau’s way to cook a certain dish. He believed that his way tasted better. And he was right.

So, practice, practice, practice, and let the confidence in yourself and ability grow.

4+2. Don't give up on the restaurant

Of course, there is no journey under the sun without conflicts. Remy had his fair share of troubles before Alfredo Linguini’s success and after it. After people started to regard Linguini as a great cook, he forgot who was the true cook. Remy’s relationship with Linguini took many hits. And Remy still had other issues to deal with.

But Remy did not give up. Fortunately, Linguini did not give up as well. Both of them, plus an army of rats, cooked and served multiple clients. He was present when it mattered. The icing on the cake is among those clients was Anton Ego waiting.

He was waiting to review and see if the food in Gusteau’s restaurant actually deserves the new hype. And he wasn’t disappointed. He was marveled by what he tasted and ate. The taste of Remy’s ratatouille transported Ego to his childhood and memory of his mom’s cooking. For the first time in a long time, Mr. Ego enjoyed a meal.

These events happened because of Remy’s grit. He did not give up even when it was dark. He kept believing in his craft and love.

Remy stood against the opposition. He cultivated his strong love and interest in cooking. He used his interest to find what is good and great. He then took inspiration and studied the greats. With amazing practice, he dedicated himself to his craft.

Remy wasted no opportunity to be the best chef he could ever be. And he did not give up on his idea, vision, goal, and dream.

To create anything is hard. To bring something from your mind to the real world is a daunting task. The journey is difficult.

But when you cannot move forward without creating, when the regret of abandoning the project is stronger than working on it, all you have to do is move forward.

Yes, Remy had awesome support. Without the support of his family and friends, he would have never got the wonderful review from Ego. However, he only could get the support as he did not throw the towel. The support came in his journey.

It’s when we prove how much we want and how much we love something, that others can feel ready and willing to help us out. The desire like a fire will light others up. And they will join in to support you fueled by your belief.

And that's how you become great and fearless. These are simple to say or read, but difficult to implement. The secret lies in their execution.

Do not mind if you're bad or strange at first. Just do the thing, the creative thing. Create without fear because that's where growth is and masterpieces are born.

We all have the chance to be great and fearless creatives. Yet, only those who are willing to truly care are the ones who will be great. As Ego said, "Not everyone can become a great artist; but a great artist can come from anywhere."

Fin! See you next week!

Here ya go, Episode 2 (Part 1)!

Inspiring Wheels

Here are two (or more) creative works that you’ll not regret checking out:

• "go look at the sea" - Ultra Sharp | This beautiful film-like video is about one essential truth of life. No further explanations. You just gotta watch it.

• "How Studio Ghibli Makes Animation Feel Alive" - kaptainkristian | If you love great films and animation, you surely love Studio Ghibli. This studio has been releasing wonderful and impactful animated movies for decades. In this amazing video, kaptainkristian explored one of the reasons why Studio Ghibli is great.

Collaborated Wheel

As some of you know, I’m in buildspace s5 of nights & weekends. A fellow creative and maker reached out to me about a collaboration. I want to hear your opinion to decide on it.

His name is Dev. He wants to create prompts from this newsletter's content. You, our precious readers, will input your problem. The service will help you apply the newsletter's content in real life and get suggestions using that content with your contextual problem.

If you desire this collaboration, a link will be added to future issues' end.

I’m looking forward to hearing your opinion. You can reply with a “Yes” or “No” so I know where you stand. Feel free to ask questions and clarifications.

Want to share this issue of 4CW with a friend, colleague,… any human being? Just copy and paste this link: https://4creativewheels.beehiiv.com/p/july-4-2024 😉 😃

Thank you so much for reading! 

As always, feel free to reply to this email & share your thoughts, stories, and any experience related to this topic. I’d love to hear them!  

C ya next Week! 

Embracing Creativity™,

Richard M.

Want to work with me? Contact me here