Future skills Process book
Laura Kim Kassin
Table of con 4 6 8
AMFI roadMAP
16 18 24 26
Future skills
Overview of the last two years
Starting point Semester goals Purpose model
Self testing
Personal estimate Meta skill hand test comparison Adobe creative type test
Selection and planning
Experiment one Publishing a cookbook
Experiment Two Miracle morning routine
Experiment Three Weaving experiment
ntent 34 36 38 40
Experiment four Bullet journaling
Experiment Five Marketing
Reflection Sources
Sources that contributed to my self-development
AMFI ROADMAP 1.
2. The world - really liked the balance between teamwork and working on your own as we handed in our own process books but presented as a group - gained collaboration, communication and research skills
2. 1. Dear Fashion - made me aware of the problems in the fashion industry - challenged myself not to buy any clothey for six months - gained technical drawing skills
3. Personal Development 3.
4. Covid outbreak I was coincidentally visiting my family for a weekend when suddenly all borders closed. Then I was stuck back in Austria with just hand luggage. even though I didnʻt have a lot of things with me I really enjoyed the time I could spend with my family. Nevertheless, COVID slowed down our classes quite a bit as everyone had to adapt to distance learning. This challenged my adaptability as well as gave me time to work on my self-development.
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I really enjoyed PD classes as they were scheduled tomes to reflect on yourself. It made me learn a lot about myself and made work on my emotional intelligence and self-development
4.
5. 5. Labs The labs were a great way to tackle all the possible dimensions we could choose from. I enjoyed that each week was so deverse and we were tought so many different things. I improved my non-verbal communication as well as my storytelling skills. Throughout the entire process I worked on my creativity as well as my flexibility as each week offered something new.
7. America Today project This semester was super challenging for me. We were divided into groups with people we did not know and had to work in this group for the entire semester. Luckily I can say that I could not have been happier with my group. We were all completely different people which is probably why we complemented each other so well. Not only did we motivate each other and worked efficiently, but also we enjoyed the process and had fun.
8. Future skills The future skills class was a great motivation to work on my self-development and explore where I can see myself in the future further. I proavtively took action for myself to develop and learned how to motivate myself.
8. 7.
6.
6. In-depht labs To choose my in depht labs I tried to reflect on all of the labs individually as well as think of where I want to be in the future. I made the decision that even though I was most likely going to choose management, I will go for a mix of design and management labs as this reflects what I love doing and what I am good at the most.
9. 9. Adidas Project As much as I love the group I am working with, I have to say this project is really frustrating me at times. One of the main reasons is that all classes are still online. It is crazy to realize that some of my group members which I see close to everyday through zoom I have never met in person. Besides, our schedule is often a mess and not well organized which makes it hard to be on top of things. Nevertheless, we are trying to make the most of it.
Starting point During my last year at AMFI I learned that creativity is a habit. You canʻt use it up, you just have to start to develop it. Wheather it is by drawing, sewing or even making food like I realized when learning to live on my own last year - as long as you do something, you are already one step ahead. The more you use it - the more you have it. Nevertheless there are still quite a few things I discovered that I still want to improve.
My main goals for the 2nd Year are:
- Improving my dreaming skills (one of the meta skills I am lacking) - Working on my time management by writing to-do lists, scheduling work slots for each day and getting up earlier. - Getting a clearer picture of where I could see myself in the future
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Purpose Model What I love: observing, sewing, styling, cooking, photography, graphic design, calculating, organizing, researching What I am good at: visualizing, organization skills, managing What I want to contribute to: cleaner fashion industry, people beeing more educated about fashion and health, people living a healthier/happier life What I could be paid for: styling, , organizing, content creation, planning Passion = What I love + what I am good at Mission = What I enjoy doing + what I want to contribute to Profession = There is a demand and I could be paid for it Calling = My skills and what I could be paid for
My strengths & weaknesses Self-reflection
For me it is easier to communicate with visuals rather than words. Nevertheless often I tend to pack too much information in too litlle space which ends up being a bit confusing.
I am a quick lerner and am willing to try new things.
I am good at writing list as it is essential for me to have a clear overview of what needs to be done in order to not loose focuse.
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It is hard for me to hand work to others. Thats why I often tend to do many things myslef. The good side is that I push myself out of my comfort zone and try new skills but the major disadvantage is that giving work to others would be way more time-efficiant and often the work would be better.
I often stress about little details for too long even though I am probably the only one noticing them. However when it comes to important decisions I have a strong opinion and am not afraid to state it.
I often tend to procrastinate even though I know I will then be stressed in the end. Nevertheless I always manage to get my tasks done in time.
2019
Reflection All in all, I am not really surprised by the outcome of the quiz. Seeing and making are definitely my strengths. I tend to systematically plan things through and get connections pretty fast. Also, I am good with working with my hands – craftsmanship if you will. However, I am surprised that I didnʼt score higher on learning. In general learning new things is pretty easy for me especially since I am interested in so many things and very determined to achieve my goals which often requires learning new skills along the way. I scored lowest in Dreaming – which doesnʼt surprise me. Would I have taken the test 10 years ago things would probably completely different. I wouldnʼt be surprised if back then this category wouldʼve even been my highest. I had ideas after ideas and was constantly experimenting to develop them. However, as I grew older I somehow slowly stopped sharing my ideas because of the fear of failure or judgment.
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comparison
2021
Reflection Unlike last year I was very much surprised when I saw the outcome of my hand test. But the longer I thought about it, the more sense the result made to me. I made progress in the three categories I scored lowest last year and even though it is only a few percent, I am proud of it. Especially when it comes to feeling I can really tell a difference in my day-to-day life. I used to be a very introverted person when it came to my own feelings - kind of like my mom. When it comes to others I always had an open ear for them and a shoulder to cry on but when I was struggling myself I tried to deal with it myself as I didn't want to bother others and did not want to seem weak. Not only do I allow myself to feel my feelings stronger but also I am not afraid to share them anymore. I realized that showing your true emotions and letting others know when you are struggling is actually a positive thing. It doesnʻt make you seem weak, quite the opposite, it makes you relatable and makes you connect with people on a deeper level. This development was driven by one of my dearest friends, Antonia, who I met on the first day of Amfi. I made the test after the third semester. This semester was full of research and theory. With the addition of all classes being online my desire for working analog was immense. I very much think this desire is why the shift from seeing to making happened.
Adobe Creative type Test first try The Maker
Committed to your craft
Driven, focused, an MAKER has maste in three-dimension of maker types, wh innovations that the
One of the hardest always busy solvin meaningful goals, a that bring you more crafting things and in design, crafts, ar with business and t
You’re driven by tan quiet type, you en alone so you can fo
Creative Strengths
Focus and dedication, ability to achieve mastery
Untapped Potential
Taking creative risks, finding joy and play in the process
Ideal Collaborator
The Visionary
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You how to play the unglamorous legwo value over time. Yo achieving mastery in your field.
Your biggest challe intuition and emot and original work. P great work—the ot dream, imagine, an and mechanical.
Combine forces wi creativity to new he gives you permissio impossible—and to a reality.
nd dedicated to the creative process, the ered the art of manifesting ideas and visions nal form. Society greatly benefits from the work ho develop the systems, structures, tools, and e rest of us rely on.
t workers of all the types, the MAKER is almost ng problems, making headway on personally and completing projects. There are few things e satisfaction than applying your brain power to d making progress in any form. You tend to excel rchitecture, and other fields that blend artistry technology.
ngible results, and you know how to deliver. A joy collaboration but generally prefer to work ocus on your own creative process.
e long game, and you’re not afraid to do the ork that goes into building something of ur gifts of focus and dedication can lead to and coming to be seen by others as an authority
enge? To connect more deeply with your tions in order to bring forth ever more authentic Productivity is only half the equation of doing ther half is inspiration. Creating the space to nd play can keep your work from becoming rote
ith the enterprising VISIONARY to take your eights. The VISIONARY’s soaring imagination on to dream bigger and envision the o fearlessly risk failure in order to make it
Reflection
The Adobe Test was really inspiring. With all the visuals and sounds I felt like it connected all of my senses and I could somehow Feel the questions. I think the outcome matches my personality very well. As the meta-skills already reflected my strongest skill is making. I like to work hands-on, get dirty and do the work. I try to find solutions when problems occur. Having the end product in mind and seeing it develop is what drives me.
Creative Types mycreativetype.com
Brought to you by Adobe Create
Share your type using #mycreativetype
Second try
The Thinker Deep thoughts, big questions
For the THINKER, the examined life is living. Ever the perpetual student, y endless opportunity for learning, disc
Driven by an insatiable intellectual cu the quest for knowledge and truth a l big questions and abstract thinking, y electrical activity going on in that bra your inquisitive mind more than a w elegant solution, and you’re content t alone, studying topics that fascinate inner world of ideas.
Your greatest gifts are your sense of perception. You can see the big pict of almost any situation in a way that f challenges? Getting out of your head theory with practice. Try not to get to abstractions, dear THINKER. Great id to life. Creative Strengths
Intellectual curiosity, ability to find and create meaning
Untapped Potential
Bridging theory and practice, applying ideas in real life
Ideal Collaborator
The Adventurer
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Seek out the company of ADVENTUR perfect counterbalance to your intros The infectious energy and playful spi remind you to embrace the joys of cre get your hands a little dirty in the proc
s truly the only one worth you experience the world as an covery, and truth-seeking.
uriosity, the THINKER makes ifelong pursuit. With all those you’ve got some serious ain of yours! Few things satisfy well-formulated question or an to spend much of your time you and engaging with your
Creative Types mycreativetype.com
Brought to you by Adobe Create
Share your type using #mycreativetype
f wonder and depth of ture and the deeper meaning few others can. Your biggest d and learning to balance oo caught up in concepts and deas are meant to be brought
RER types, who provide the spective and analytical nature. irit of the ADVENTURER eation—and to not be afraid to cess.
Conclusion After a few months, I decided to do the test again, just out of curiosity. I was not surprised that the result changed. This past semester I feel like I have not been making very much with my hands. All our projects were very research-based and that all classes were held online accentuated this even more. There was hardly any assignment where we actually had to use paper and a pen. Researching a brand for multiple months definitely made my curiosity grow. I found it interesting to research a subject for such a long period of time and always wanted to dig deeper. Nevertheless, it also made me realize that working exclusively with digital media is not for me. I always need a balance between digital and analog.
Future skills
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Experiment one One of the things I am most afraid to do is share my process during my work and in general, get my work out there. I tend to talk myself down and tell myself that others can do the same. This, and the urge to develop my skill dreaming were drivers for my first experiment which is publishing a cookbook.
Experiment two I am a very empathic person and always there for other people, however when it comes to handling my emotions and especially stress I tend to shut down and things get to my head easily. With my new morning routine, I want to start my days relaxed and well-balanced.
Experiment three
This semester there were times where I felt really uninspired. Pressing the keyboard of a laptop is just not the same as working with all kinds of materials - touching and feeling textures. I feel like I was lacking creativity. Therefore decided not only decided to finally work with materials - but to create my own surface.
Experiment FOUR When times get stressful or I have a lot on my agenda I tend to lose focus. It is like losing control of my own life. This is what I want to change. I want to actively take action to have control of my feelings and how certain things influence me. To achieve this goal I started bullet journaling.
Experiment Five Throughout the last years, digitalization developed as fast as ever. One major incentive for this was the pandemic we are living in right now. As people had to social distance everything had to be handled online. It had become more important than ever to adapt and to understand these changes. This inspired me to create an online presence for my momʻs store.
Experiment one
Writing a cookbook
mission = enjoy doing + what you want to contribute to
Goals - practice the skill dreaming - believing in myself - getting my work out there - practice creativity outside of fashion - letting my fear of failure beind me - not focusing on what others think - collaborating, sharing, helping others I realized that the lack of the skill dreaming is really holding me back from opportunities and things I actually want to do. I used to keep telling me that I am just a „realist“ and donʻt do certain things because I am not naive and know of the consequences, while in reality I was just afraid to fail. So the possible bad outcome and what others might think kept me from doing things. I set myself the goal to change that. I want to work on my confidence. Do things for me and focus on my opinion rather than the one of others. From an early age on I was put into this box of the „creative child“ that wants to become a fashion designer. As I grew older my goals changed as I donʻt see myself in design anymore since years. Since starting my studies at AMFI I finally realized that creativity is not only design nor is it just fashion and drawing. So I decided to challenge myself to carry out my creativity in a completely new area. I decided to make a cooking e-book. Not only was it my goal to work on my own creative process but also help others with this book. My whole life I struggled with food. I was diagnosed with hypothyroidism at the age of 10 which forced me to change my diet completely. Within the past few months I feel like I finally could develop a good relationship with food and I want to share this with others. My book is focused on healthy, balanced and not to forget tasty recipes. I substituted my
sewing machine and pencil with ingredients to create creative recipes
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like gnocchi made out of cauliflower or pizza out of chinoa.
lemon protein breakfast buns
Avocado Chocolate Frosting
Chia Jam
Avocado Chocolate cake Banana Peanut Butter Oat Cookies
Breakfast Sweetpotatoe
During my process I came across a company called “Steinberger Naturprodukte“ offering organic, local, superfoods. They had a competition going where they were looking for innovatiove unconventional recipes to-be-published in their e-book and since I was already in the process of stepping out of my comfort zone I thought why not give it a try. And lo and behold - my recipe was choosen and published on the cookbook!
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Process It feelt so right to finally just go for something and realise an idea I had without listening to my inner fear of failure. I did something a am truly passionate about and pushed myself into cold water, not knowing anything about food photography and editing. It was nice to be able to implement and improve my learned graphic skills from the labs last year as well as getting comfortable using InDesign. It was such a different approach to let out my creativity. Rather than focusing on where to draw lines I focused on where to arrange certain props for the photos, how to decorate and present the finished meal and rather than choosing special fabrics I opted for special ingredients and created very unconventional recipes that make me feel good, and hopefully others too. I shared some snipets of my process online and was not only surprised by how positive the response was but also by how suddenly it was so easy for me to share my process. Not that I wouldnʻt have continued if nobody liked the idea - cause I did this project primarlly for myself - but seeing how many people are interested in the e-book underlined once again how stupid my thoughts were that kept me from just trying new things and stepping out of my comfort zone.
Finalization creating a website to sell my e-book
This was a very stressfull process but it tought me a lot. Especially calculating prices, comparing providers and writing things like a privacy statement for the website made me tackle challenges I have never came across before. Besides, through designing the website I could again work on my visual branding skills.
Launch
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I canʻt even discribe the feeling when I was finally done and ready to launch my e-book. It was so rewarding to see orders coming in but what excited me the most was people sending me feedback and pictures of the food they made. Especially in times like this, where itʻs hard to see your friends it was a nice way to reconnect and bring a sense of community in each others lifes.
Worldwide launch on amazon Since the response of my e-book was so good and many people asked for a printed version I managed to publish it on Amazon worldide. This further deepened my knowledge in publishing.
Conclusion
Overall I am super happy that I started this project. What started as a small experiment became so much more. Besides the obvious hard skills I gained like food photography and graphic design skills I learned so many business related skills on how to market, price and present a product. I also realized that I love to help people develop. The most rewarding part of my process was when people started sending me pictures of what they recreated and how much fun it suddenly is for them to eat healthy. This opened new perspectives to me as I now think that coaching for example could also be something I could see myself doing in the future. It also again showed me that I am really adaptive and like trying many roles which made the Minor Fashion and Editorial Branding even more appealing to me as a possible choice for next year.
Miracle Morni Experiment two Goals - Self-development - Productivity - Visualization - Stress relief
Starting Point
I started this experiment for various reasons. It was one of my personal leraning goals for this semester to plan ahead and be organized. During the covid lockdown I got somewhat lost and was stuck in this unhappy mood, not being able to focuse and get done what I had to in a way that satisfied me nor made me happy. For my birthday my dad gave me the book Miracle Morning which apperantly will lead you to a more productive life and you becoming the best version of yourself. Since that obviously sounds more than appealing I decided to give it a go. The goal is to create a morning routine for yourself which you love so much that it actaully wants you to get up earlier. It should kind of provoce the feeling you have when you wake up on your birthday or christmas.
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ng My miracle morning routine 7:00-7:05
Get up, wash your face, brush teeth, drink warm water
7:05-7:15
10 minute workout to kickstart day
7:15-7:25
10 minute meditation
7:25-7:55
Reading
7:55-8:00
Facetiming my sister
Due to COVID, I was not able to see my family throughout this semester which was really tough as I used to go back home around once a month before and am really close to all of them. Especially my sister was not feeling great when I saw her the last time around Christmas which made not being able to be there for her physically even harder for me. The last time I was with her and her anxiety was really bad I said “letʻs dance“ to try to distract her and surprisingly it really helped. So now every morning during the week at 7:55 we facetime and dance for five minutes.
Reflection It might seem a bit excessive or even stressful at first sight to scedule your morning so precisely but I have to admit - it is life-changing. When I started reading the book I was close to putting it away since everything sounded so cliché and american. However since it is really hard for me not to finish a book once I started it I decided to keep going and I couldnʻt be happier about it. One of the phrases that struck me the most was “If the first thing you do in the morning is snooze your alarm you are basically saying I donʻt want to live this day and rather sleep“. Having a set routine you actually look forward to in the morning helps not only do wake up earlier but also to be more productive throughout the day. I love reading but was always so stressed that I barely had time for it. After two or so pages at night I fell asleep and here went my attemt to read. Through miracle morning I have a set time each day to read and since itʻs in the morning, there is no “day-stress“ that could possibly make you tired yet or makes you not have time at all. I can happily say that not only did this routine help me to be more productive, but it also made me happier and proud since everyday I am working on myself. This showed me once again how valuable it is to share information and help others with your experiences.
Experiment Thr goal
- trying a new way of working - experimenting - combining different dimensions - create balance to all the online classes Passion: What I love doing and am good at.
All the online classes and the research-based assignments made me miss working with my hands a lot. I missed touching and feeling materials and textures, so I thought of sewing something. But as I was thinking about what to sew I questioned my way of working in the past. Usually, I always design something and then go shop for fabrics. Why not challenge myself to do it the other way around? Create my own fabric and then make something out of it. This way I have creative freedom all the way.
Sketches & Try-Outs
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ree Combining 2D with 3D Elements
Challenging myself to try to weave every evening for a few minutes really reminded me once again how important it is that I use my hands during a creative process. I realized that when I start solely digital, the process is kind of too planned ahead and I canʻt let things “happen“ along the way. Besides, it was a very theraputic process. During this time I could really switch off from everything I had going, relieve my stress and just focuse on creating and my creative process of this piece. I had so much fun doing it that I decided to take it to the next level and try to create an actual woven garment.
Concept board
Stitching Try-outs
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inspirational images
drawing samples
Weaving process
Weaving close-up
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reflection One of my friends volunteered to model for me so I can take pictures of my finished piece. As my created piece was all about different materials and from every perspective, it looked different I had the idea to shoot the pictures in the Museum of Illusion. Taking and editing the pictures again was a challenge as all of my knowledge in this field is self-taught but I am really proud of the result.
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reflection This project has probably been the most fun outfit I created in my whole life. I always felt a bit bummed when I had ideas in my head but couldnʻt realize them in the way I wouldʻve wanted to since I couldn't find the right fabric or material. Approaching this from the other side, creating the material yourself was such an inspiring process. You are fully in control of how the piece will look like, yet with weaving, there is still room for “letting things happen“. I had so much fun during the process, trying different techniques than just drawing to sketch ideas (e.g. stitching). I learned to reflect on my way of working and challenged myself to approach it differently. Besides I learned to combine various dimensions like 2D and 3D into a project.
Experiment fou Bullet journaling Goals - Self reflection - Stress relief - Observing my concerns - handling my emotions - Collect + visualize my thoughts
Starting Point
I started this experiment for various reasons. It was one of my personal leraning goals for this semester to plan ahead and be organized. Somehow over the weeks this habit has taken over too far and I realized that it is counter-productive to keep writing all those to-do lists when in the end it stresses me out so much if I canʻt keep up with them that I am getting myself down way more than usual. Not only with covid but also everything going on in my personal life I got somewhat lost and was stuck in this unhappy mood, not being able to focuse and get done what I had to in a way that satisfied me nor made me happy. Thatʻs why I decided to start journaling. I want to start off with 5 minutes before I go to sleep. No other rules than that. Just writing what is in my head and reading it after.
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ur Reflection
Writing down what concerned me was really helpful not only to detect what causes me to stress but also to get a clear head of things. I realized that I tend to stress about little things and let something that could be handled within five minutes get me down the entire day. Having everything on paper and reflecting on it before going to bed showed me that I can take controll over things. I still want to keep my organization which I built throughout the last months. I decided to start making a bullet journal to combine reflecting and solving problems with organizing and planning. I realized that it works way better for me to keep track of things which motivates me to do more rather than planning huge tasks ahead and getting frustrated when not achieving them.
Marketing goal
Starting Point
- Increasing sales - working with modern media - working true to brand identity - Applying and combining graphic design, image, word and business skills
Due to the pandemic, many shops had to close, including the one of my mom. After months of shut doors, she is finally allowed to open again at least partially. Nevertheless, there are hardly any tourists in Vienna right now so who will go shopping? I took this situation as an opportunity to apply and combine the skills I have gained throughout the past two years and create not only a website but a social media presence, in general, to get people's attention about the new products and adapted shopping methods. I created an online ordering system for where you could pre-order ice cream (since in-store ordering was not allowed) and an Instagram page keeping people up to date about new arrivals, offers, and developments within the business.
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ExperimenT five Proffession/Calling: Demand I could be payed for and I enjoy doing it.
reflection
Even though it evolved bad circumstances I was happy to have the opportunity to take my gained knowledge to action. I created captions, photos, marketing and selling strategies, and simple advertisements. It was also interesting as well as challenging to work in line with the brand's identity. Of course, since it was my mom's store I was familiar with the brand's values and philosophy but nevertheless creating content that supports the brand wasnʻt easy. I am really happy that I could help my mom to increase her sales and work on my skills at the same time. What was the most challenging is that there were actual stakes involved. It was not theoretical but an actual company I was working for.
Reflec
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ction
This semester was full of ups and downs. One major down was of course the pandemic which put us all in exceptional circumstances. I found it hard to stay motivated and inspired with all classes being online and all assignments being digital. My experiments helped me to get my motivation back. I immediately felt how I am flourishing as soon as I start a project not using my computer but my hands. This showed me that in my future career I can not imagine sitting in front of a computer 24/7. I want to be in contact with people, see and experience things. I can see myself in the publishing industry as well in technical design or product development. I could even see myself as a coach to help people or brands to achieve their goals, do better and reach their full potential. This year has taught me to be proactive, and take action if you are unhappy with something. Not only do you regain your happiness during the process, but you develop yourself and you as a creative along the way. For my flexible program, I again wanted to have a balance between something very creative and something management-focused. Therefore I chose the SPECIALISATION MAKE & BUY and the MINOR FASHION AND EDITORIAL BRANDING. I am really excited and curious to see what the next year will bring and canʻt wait to start my specialization.
Source
That contributed to my per development this year
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es
rsonal
Books: - “Lean in“ by Sheryl Sandber - “The war of art“ by Steven Pressfield - “Turning Pro“ by Steven Pressfield - “Do the work“ by Steven Pressfield - “The artistʻs journey“ by Steven Pressfield - “Itʻs not how good you are, itʻs how good you want to be“ by Paul Arden - “Miracle Morning“ by Hal Elrod
News: - “Der Standard“ - “Die Zeit“ - BBC news
Podcasts: - “Woman at work“ by Harvard Business Review - “Makers“ by Crew - “Say something worth stealing“ by Dave Curry - “99% Invisible“ by Roman Mars