The Mindful Creative Year is an online workshop and a year-long intimate community focused on applying a measured, systematic effort to develop a better-informed narrative for our coming days, weeks and months and wrapping it into an ongoing conversation with the fluidity of our lives.

The workshop will provide insights into a sustainable framework designed to align our inner compass with our actions and strategically map out our aspirations, while the community and group calls throughout the year provide support on our journey of achieving a fulfilling personal and professional year.

enroLlment for the upcoming 2024 sessions is open until JANUARY 14, 2024, Midnight (PST)

Introduction

As discerning creatives, we know that the amateurs wing it, and the professionals have a system.

We might have a systematic approach for our client projects, but we forget to apply similar intentionality to our own aspirations and the days and months ahead of us. We often just wing it. Or, at best, we set a few vaguely defined New Year’s resolutions, which is nonsense; we are all aware of it.

However, something to that new year’s momentum urges us to think about what we could improve or change.

That’s why I created the Mindful Creative Year, a series of practices aimed at bringing greater intentionality to our personal and professional aspirations.

With the Mindful Creative Year, I use that momentum strategically, and instead of ineffective New Year’s resolutions, I make an iterative and inspiring roadmap for the months ahead. And I make it an ongoing practice that I’ve been doing privately for almost a decade, and in recent years, through this workshop, with the small community of creative individuals.

It’s the process of diving deep into all aspects of our professional and personal life, evaluating what worked and what hasn’t, and mapping out those conclusions, ambitions, goals and practices into a working document that becomes our guide in the year ahead. 

I’ve been developing and using this framework for the last eight years with tremendous benefits. With that said, please note that there are no secrets or shortcuts to this. 

Success is based on maintaining a vision and cultivating motivation for its execution. There’s work ahead, it’s worthwhile, and it has to be directed well. So, if you are looking for hacks and are unwilling to walk the talk, this program is not for you.

If you do the work and commit to the process, during the Mindful Creative Year workshop, you’ll learn how to align your inner compass and actions, strategically map out your aspirations, and gain more control and ability, all bringing you closer to achieving a fulfilling personal and professional year.

Ultimately, this is a long game, so it’s crucial to implement a system to keep this going, month after month, year after year, and make it a sustainable, ongoing process.

Through the Mindful Creative Year, I’ll share those core principles I’ve learned over the years. I’ll show you my yearly planning system and the mindsets behind it. It’s a seemingly straightforward process. But the challenge is to do it, and this workshop provides that setup and accountability. 

The Mindful Creative Year is much more than an online course—it’s a workshop and a year-long intimate community.

We all dream of living our best creative lives, but it’s unlikely that will happen by pure chance. Most people overestimate what they can do in a day or a week and underestimate what they can achieve in a year.

These coming months might be a great time to step back, take a mindful inventory of your personal and work life and prepare for your next leap.

I hope you’ll consider joining us,
Mario Depicolzuane

Curriculum

1.

Video Lectures

Year-long access to 3 HOURS OF PRE-RECORDED VIDEO LESSONS

Over the first four weeks of the workshop, on a weekly basis, you’ll receive four modules which will dive deep into the Mindful Creative Year framework.

2.

4x Group 60-min Q&A Calls

WORKSHOP CALLS

During the first four weeks, on Thursdays in January and February, we will meet for live group Zoom Q&A calls (followed by the recording, in case you miss it).

• January 18, 2024, 5:00 pm (Central European Time)

• January 25, 2024, 5:00 pm (CET)

• February 1, 2024, 5:00 pm (CET)

• February 8, 2024, 5:00 pm (CET)

3.

6x Group 60-min Follow-up Calls

CHECK-IN CALLS EVERY TWO MONTHS FOR A WHOLE YEAR

Six live group Zoom Q&A calls, which will happen every second month after the end of the lecture period, on Thursdays, according to the following schedule.

• March 7, 2024, 5:00 pm (Central European Time)

• May 16, 2024, 5:00 pm (CET)

• July 4, 2024, 5:00 pm (CET)

• September 12, 2024, 5:00 pm (CET)

• November 7, 2024, 5:00 pm (CET)

• January 9, 2025, 5:00 pm (CET)

4.

Exercises & Templates

DOING THE WORK

This is not an online course; it’s a workshop. During the first four weeks of the workshop, you’ll receive timely exercises and needed templates, so it’s easy to get started and work on your vision and execution for the year.

5.

12-month Access to Private Community Space

ONLINE COMMUNITY FORUM

We use a user-friendly Circle platform to host the course and the private online discussion forum. It’s a place to continue the discussion from the lectures, ask questions between the group calls, share your progress, and connect directly with fellow creatives. This workshop gives you year-long access to the private Mindful Creative Year online community.

6.

Max. 30 Participants Per Year

INTIMATE CREATIVE COMMUNITY

We aim to create an intimate and engaged community of kindred creatives and provide ample support and attention through the workshop. Hence, we are limiting the number of participants in the workshop to only 30 students per year.

7.

C.V Archive Daily Journal + Plain Notebook

BEAUTIFULLY PRODUCED JOURNAL & NOTEBOOK

Each participant gets our exclusive Daily Journal and Plain Notebook, the essential creative tools—whether for journaling, brainstorming, sketching and planning or simply jotting down those never-ending to-do lists. Worldwide shipping is included with the workshop’s tuition.

Meet Your Instructor

Mario Depicolzuane

FOUNDER OF STUDIO8585 & CREATIVE.VOYAGE

Mario Depicolzuane is a Europe-based art director and graphic designer from Croatia. Previously, he worked for a design agency Bunch and as a lead designer and art director for Kinfolk and Ouur Media. His clients include Kinfolk, Audo Copenhagen, SPACE10, Harvard GSD, La Cabra, Design Hotels and The Poster Club. Currently, he leads a design consultancy Studio8585. Also, he is the host of the Creative Voyage Podcast.

Work Featured In

FAQ

Experience From Our Alumni

Our creative workshops have been attended by over 150 INDIVIDUALS from 5 continents and 25+ countries, including full-time employees (agency and in-house), freelancers, creative business owners, entrepreneurs and students.

Participants are working in diverse fields, including design (product, graphic, digital…), photography, creative/art direction, architecture, marketing, interiors, research, UX/UI, production, content creation, art and more.

The common thread is that all our students are looking to grow, learn, collaborate and create.

100% completion & satisfaction rate.

The workshop helped me carve out dedicated time for myself and my goals, thinking big and drilling deeply into details. In an immediate sense, it also reminded me to revisit many habits I had formed in the past, like a habit tracker. It was also cool to participate in a cohort of designers around the world.

Kate C. (USA), Design Research Lead, Design Professor

The things I do have become more diverse and organic. I have developed flexibility while cherishing my own pace at the same time. Answering some fundamental questions about myself and the people around me has been transformative. The answers I’ve reached permeate everything, and the results are beautiful—so many new things, exciting times ahead.

Jovana S. (Serbia), Photographer

After the workshop, I’ve questioned and redefined my ideas of success. Hence my goal-setting process changed. One of the thoughts that have been in my mind ever since we talked about it was the idea of embracing the work and the learning experience you get when pursuing a goal rather than achieving the goal itself. This simple shift has made me more open to unexpected results and less limited in my creative practice.

Roberto S. (Mexico), Illustrator, Graphic Designer

The workshop permitted me to forget how busy I was and focus on some important things. Things like what I am working towards, what’s holding me back, what I want to accomplish, why I want to achieve it? Usually, I probably wouldn’t give myself time to reflect on big questions like that. Doing this at the start of the year gave me a positive outlook on what I was moving towards.

Carey M. (USA), Graphic DesignER

The workshop allowed me to put things in perspective and approach my personal and professional life in a more strategic and balanced way. I try to allow more time for thinking and assessing instead of throwing myself into a task. This proved to be very successful. Also, I trust myself and my choices more. I recognise patterns in my process better now and let them evolve naturally. In the past, I didn’t have that confidence.

Monika S. (UK), architect, interior designer

The workshop helped me grow by presenting tools that were easy to customize and put to use. Throughout the year, knowing what direction I wanted to head in and my goals for the year, I felt a sense of relief and was able to track my progress and/or adjust my ambitions. It wasn’t only about career goals or measurable aims. It was also about personal development, interests of mine and about reminding myself of the importance of relationships.

Rebbeca N. (Denmark), Architect, Designer, Consultant

Forget about New Year’s resolutions.

Instead, together, we can take greater responsibility for our schedules, with a year-long dedicated community and a space for reflection, intent, strategic planning and creating.

Will you let another year pass without intentionally approaching your ambitions in work and life?

There’s work ahead, it’s worthwhile, and it should be directed well.

We start on January 15—join us.

Launch Special
Limited to First 8 Participants (50% Off)

SOLD OUT

Early Bird
Until December 27, 11:59 pm, PT (25% Off)

695€