Newsletter

Mitchel Lensink

Systemic thinker, photographer, writer.
Newsletter

Archive

A timeline of the work. Browse every post in reverse chronological order.

Dialogue
Dialogue
Monologue
Monologue
Essays
Essays
Field
Field
Studio
Studio
Office
Office
2026 Recent posts
✦ March

Knowing what to stop →

So far, we've been talking a lot about the way open loops accumulate, how they become an issue, and what you can do to solve those issues. But a large part of tackling those problems is also defined by what you decide to stop doing.
2026 Recent posts
✦ March

Define the shape of your work →

If you can imagine the final form your work should take, you can determine how much time and effort you should invest right now. Projects should be smaller before they become bigger. Loops should be shorter before they become longer.
2026 Recent posts
✦ March

Do not 'keep your options open' →

Keeping your options open is useful when starting something new. But when you're stuck, it becomes your biggest enemy. Commit, follow through, learn from the outcome, and adjust from there. Repeat this until direction becomes clear. Prefer finished over perfect; that’s where you actually learn.
2026 Recent posts
✦ March

You're too competent to finish things →

If you’re reading this and you feel stuck, there’s a good chance you already know something important: the problem isn’t that you can’t do the work. It's something much more profound and therefore difficult to spot.
2026 Recent posts
✦ March

Why this framework exists →

You have ideas. Probably a lot of them. But if they stay in your head, they don’t really mean anything. At some point, it’s on you to turn them into something real. You do that by finishing things, even if they’re rough. That’s how you build proof, figure out what works, and achieve your goals.
2026 Recent posts
✦ March

Introduction →

Before we start, let's make sure that what you're about to read and (hopefully) learn, is in line with your expectations. If you are a creative person with a myriad of ideas that don't seem to fully come to life the way they're supposed to, this framework should help you break through that cycle.
2026 Recent posts
✦ March

March 20th, 2026 →

I've recently become unemployed, and it's fine. I enjoy it, actually. It took a month-long
2026 Recent posts
✦ March
Featured

How to tell stories online →

For years I thought I was simply exploring and taking photos. Only later did I realize I was repeating a pattern: go out, collect, return, interpret, publish, repeat. This issue maps the loop that turns wandering into a creative practice.
2026 Recent posts
✦ February
Featured

Mexico, a retrospective →

A look at a country I like a lot, but no longer love. And "it's not you, it's me" I want to tell it, if countries had ears to hear it. Because it really is me and who I am today. But, who knows, another 10 years might do wonders.
2026 Recent posts
✦ February

Playa del Carmen (yes, I am sorry) →

Hey man, let's be real: Playa del Carmen is a tourist hub. It's fake in all
2026 Recent posts
✦ February

Mérida, Yucatán →

Oh wonderfully interesting but, apparently, forgettable Mérida. Forgettable for me, specifically, I must say.
2026 Recent posts
✦ February

Puerto Escondido →

Or Punta de Zicatela, more specifically. Because that's definitely the place you want to be right now if you come here.
2026 Recent posts
✦ February

Spanish →

Just enough to keep us afloat. That's my level of Spanish. At least it was during our first few days in Mexico. Some skills acquired about ten years ago and slowly eroded since, now carefully getting its dust wiped off.
2026 Recent posts
✦ January

Monologues are back →

The briefest of entries so far.
2026 Recent posts
✦ January

San Agustinillo and Mazunte →

I cried tears of joy and relief when we decided to come here. The mere sight on the Pacific Ocean
2026 Recent posts
✦ January

Oaxaca de Juárez →

So strange that I have so little memory of my previous visit, some ten year ago, other than not liking the mole at Mercado 20 de Noviembre as much as I hoped. I think I was wrong. I sincerely hope I was wrong. About the city as well as the mole.
2026 Recent posts
✦ January

Long lens, silly lens →

It's day two of our Mexico trip and I already regret some of my choices. But there's nothing I can do about them now. Just gotta learn to make it work. And frankly, this is also kinda by design.
2026 Recent posts
✦ January

Mexico, 2026 →

After a ten-year hiatus, it's time to revisit. See how much the country has changed. Or rather, my perspective on it. But mostly, to see if I can find something I am looking for without properly knowing what that would be. A stream of consciousness to record the process.