Design with Flow

In late 2022, Niek van Esch sent his manager a message of five words: “I am done. Out. Empty.” He had stopped drawing, stopped building and stopped playing music. It took him years to rebuild. Along the way he noticed that the same six qualities were present whenever his work went well, and missing whenever it went flat.

When people burn out, their skills usually stay. What goes first are the qualities that make those skills worth using. Niek calls them the Six Graces: Good, Great, Gracious, Gritty, Clarity and Curiosity.

In this workshop you work with paper, a pen and one real project:

• See where you are, with a quick drawing and a simple curve
• Hold one stuck project up against the six qualities
• Choose one small experiment to try next week, with a built-in way to find out whether it failed

You leave with: words for where you are today, one stuck project seen more clearly, one experiment to try, and a neighbour who knows what you are trying.

Bring: yourself and one real project that feels stuck. Paper and pens are provided, no laptop needed. You share only what you choose to, and you can step out whenever you need.