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.
3 Things You Need To Do To Dominate 2026
Every January, most people look back at the last year, decide they want a better next year, and make New Year’s resolutions to be better.
The problem? By February 1, all of those resolutions have gone out the window.
To ensure that you actually dominate 2026 and it doesn’t become “just another year,” we’re going to pull back to reflect on 2025 now and make a plan to dominate 2026 (way ahead of everyone else).
4 Entrepreneurs I'm Constantly Learning From
I love learning new things.
This year started like many others with lots of things I wanted to learn more about, watch, and read. However, one major things was different: I was also focusing on implementing the ideas in my life and business. Instead of reading and watching, but doing nothing—which is just entertainment—, I challenged myself to actually put what I was learning into practice.
3 Hidden Costs Preventing Your Side Hustle From Being A Profitable Small Business
You've already discovered many of the little costs of building a business, but you might not be seeing some of the big hidden costs that's keeping you from pushing through to the small business level. Most of these have nothing to do with opening your wallet, but with allocating your time and focus correctly. Your time and focus is your most precious resource as a side hustler, so let's use it efficiently and get the most out of what you have.
To make your side hustle into your career, you'll need to minimize or eliminate these hidden costs.
3 Ways Maker Content Creators Can Leverage AI To Grow Their Businesses
You're a Maker, which means you cannot leverage AI since it's a digital tool, right?
Wrong. While AI is not able to build things in your garage (yet), you can still leverage it to handle time consuming tasks on your computer.
Use AI to give you more time in your shop and working on your edits (and get one step closer to your own personal protocol droid).
Top 3 Mental Frameworks That Have Helped Me When Things Seem To Be Hard
Some days, you feel like everything is going right and anything you do will win. Unfortunately, most of the time you feel like your efforts are in vain, nothing will work for you, and you should just quit (at least that's been me lately). The good news is, both ends (most amazing and most disastrous) are likely more built in your head than a reflection of reality.
3 Hard Truths To Answer Before Turning Your Maker Hobby Into A Business
Everywhere online, you see people who took their hobbies and turned them into profitable businesses and you want it too.
Whether it’s to leave your full-time job or just bring in some side-hustle money, bridging the gap between hobby and business is no small feat. Social media makes it look effortless and like you can’t avoid winning big. Unfortunately, the reality can be much more difficult if you aren’t honest with yourself about what you’re getting into.
5 Hidden Fears Keeping Your Maker Business Stagnant (And How To Push Past Them)
You've posted some content on social media, built a website, maybe even have a low-cost product or two to sell, but your Maker business just isn't growing.
The insidious thoughts creep in.
Maybe you aren't cut out to turn your hobby into a business. Maybe people just don't understand your genius. Maybe everyone else who succeeded had an unfair advantage.
Or maybe, you aren't being honest about what's really holding you back (hint, it's you).
3 Reasons Articles & Newsletters Could Skyrocket in 2026
Visual content is more accessible than ever, so why would written content like articles and newsletters be on my radar for 2026?
Top 4 Mental Frameworks For Creating A Successful Maker Business
Business building influencers love to talk about how all it takes is a good idea and you'll be a millionaire by next year. Sifting through the noise to find real entrepreneurs who share the failures along with the wins can be challenging, but they are who you should be watching. These people don't sugar coat how much hard work and failure comes along with building a business, but that you can break through it.
What Makers Aspiring To Be Entrepreneurs Can Learn From A Red D20
If you're trying to build a business, it can be tough to face failure after failure after failure.
Most people online talk about success, so no one might have prepared you for the number of failures you'll encounter before even 1 success. Failure is part of the game, so you have to keep playing in order to have any shot at winning even a little.
Don't just take my word for it.
3 Reasons Your Maker Businesses Won’t Grow As Well Without A Newsletter
Taken the leap and are trying to turn your Maker side hustle into a business, but it’s not growing how you want?
Don’t worry, every entrepreneur has run into this and Maker businesses are no different.