Mind of a Maker
A daily blog inspired by Matthew Dicks
“Every action you take is a vote for the type of person you wish to become. No single instance will transform your beliefs, but as the votes build up, so does the evidence of your new identity.”
To become better at something, you have to practice. What better way to become a better writer and storyteller than to practice by making a habit of writing daily?
In this daily blog, we’ll discuss Maker-related topics as well as what inspires projects, including YouTube videos, Movies, TV Shows, Disney, Star Wars, LEGO, Books, and more. Everything is on the table, and nothing is off-limits.
Disclaimer: The thumbnail images featured on this blog are often AI-generated. See Disclosure page for more information.
The 1 Reason You Need To Embrace Boring To Grow Your Business In 2026
I get it, I don't like to be bored either.
In fact, I successfully failed to grow my Instagram account past 8.5k subscribers since 2017 because I got bored creating Maker content on a consistent basis. I wasn't even consistent with the types or themes of my builds over the years because I was so boring-averse. I was all over the place, and the flatline of my Instagram growth is a direct result.
I failed because I didn't want to be bored, but you don't have to make the same mistake I did.
3 Reasons Business Owners Must Lean Into Hard Things
Owning a business, unfortunately, comes with doing things you don't want to.
You have to keep your business legal by keeping accounting records, file taxes, and submitting legal documents. Not to mention creating content, finalizing products, and refining your business strategy. Even if you aren't avoiding anything on those lists, it reminded you of something you are.
We spend so much time avoiding hard things, but going into 2026, you should lean into those hard things you are avoiding.
Notification & CTA-Only Newsletters Are Dead
Most people fundamentally don't like email newsletters.
Our email inboxes are already crammed full of bills, orders delayed in shipping, the 3 themed days for our kid's school this week, and updated terms and conditions for some streaming platform. Why would we consciously add even more things to sift through till we get to the emails we actually care about? And that's just our personal inboxes.
The 1 Thing Successful Entrepreneurs Have In Common With Batman Begins
Recently, I've been rewatching the Christopher Nolan Batman trilogy and have picked up on several themes that have inspired me as a Maker and aspiring entrepreneur.
I love how Bruce Wayne and Lucius Fox identify problems and iterate on existing designs to come up with new solutions (like Batman being able to turn his head). It's inspiring to see Bruce refuse to be beaten as he tries again and again to climb out of Bane's prison, The Pit, despite failing several times. Both of these examples are what Makers and entrepreneurs face every day.