Join us in this book review of Pause, Breathe and Grow – Notes on mindful creative life by Radim Malinic is the perfect companion for anyone with a creative and inquisitive mind.
The book was released on 1st December 2020 and is aimed at people working in the creative field from students learning the craft, through to experienced graphic designers, illustrators, web designers and developers.
I would personally like to thank Radim for sending us an advanced copy of the book.
Before we jump in to the books content, let’s take a look at the cover design. I have said this about all of Radim’s books, but it needs to be said again.
At first glance you know it’s a Brand Nu publication and Radim Malinic book from its design and that’s a good thing from a consistent design and identification point of view.
The cover features one of those beautiful mock-up scenes we are used to seeing on the covers of Radim’s books, with the green tone colours, and familiar gold foiled text really does make the book stand out.
Green is also considered a healthy and natural colour so it works well for the book’s content.
This guide provides a blueprint for changing the way we view our work and ourselves as creative.
The 192 pages of the book are for anyone regardless of their current stage in their creative career or life who is striving to think more clearly, enrich their creativity, enjoy their work more, become more resilient and achieve a greater sense of calm.
Pause, Breathe and Grow – Notes on mindful creative life has been written by seasoned designer and creative director Radim Malinic, author of the popular book of ideas, book of ideas vol 2, and Book of Branding, so you can trust in its quality of print and information provided.
The foundations of Pause, Breathe and Grow lay in making progress in small stages and realistic increments.
The book has been designed for you to use alongside your work schedule, with each of the pages focusing on one thing that you can achieve each day.
As Radim says:
“I’ve run myself into the ground so many times in the past because I was lacking a clear sense of structure.
It can be easy to feel we have to work all hours of the day. It’s tempting to fight fatigue and stress that arises from doing that with things that only make matters worse, like running on caffeine and sugar, losing sleep or pouring a couple more glasses of wine.
Significant, long-term changes are just the sum of numerous small but powerful steps. Often, we don’t notice the incremental progress we’re making until we see tangible effects.
Building new, more mindful habits isn’t always easy, but trust in yourself that you’re improving – the results just might not be immediate.
Doing something differently can feel like an inconvenience, but just two minutes today, and the next day, and the ones after that make for a lifetime of positive change.
Be kind to yourself, allow your mind the space it needs to enjoy the present moment, get perspective on the past and live a better future.”
I have been there myself plenty of times, unfortunately this book was not available at the time. I have been to the point where I have just dropped to the floor unable to pick myself up, and literally like the saying goes worked myself to the ground. Scary stuff I never want to experience ever again.
It’s not nice to hear from a doctor that you seriously need to take a break because you’re not doing yourself any favours by overworking, and if you continue down this path you’re going to be in trouble and all your hard work will be for nothing!
It hit me like a bulldozer going downhill, and I knew it was time to sort things out.
Pause, Breathe and Grow – Notes on mindful creative life contain a host of prompts to enable the reader to try a new exercise each day for four months. The book also includes spaces devoted to tracking moods and habits, and to jotting down daily notes and reflections.
The idea of these prompts is to aid in helping the reader avoid overloading your tasks and creating endless to-do-lists that never get completed.
These prompts offer new ways and ideas for improving your workflow, but most importantly for helping you find peace with the world.
By following the easy step by step advice, you will be able to approach your creative tasks with clarity, thoughtfulness and creativity.
The book helps you untangle your mind from knots of seemingly impossible deadlines and unshakeable doubts.
The book also comes with some bonus downloadable content that includes some guided audio meditations by Adiba Osmani, a bonus PDF book with extra prompts, and some wallpaper images that are featured in the book you can use as a screensaver.
In my opinion it’s a very unique concept for a book, if you’re a creative individual or a fan of Radims books I would highly recommend it to you, consider who you are today and think about where you want to be tomorrow.
This book will help you make time for your thoughts, plans and ambitions, and start leading a more mindful creative life.
Purchase Your Copy of Pause, Breath, Grow by Radim Malinic.
