finding your creative spine

Happy New Year!

And welcome to 2026 🙌

I’ve got big plans for this year and I hope you do too.

Before we get to that, though…

It should come as no surprise that anytime I see one of my favorite podcasters do an episode on creativity…

I’m immediately locked in.

(at 1.2x speed, of course ;)

Case in point:

I recently spent 2 hours listening to Andrew Huberman interview a dancer and choreographer named Twyla Tharp.

I’d never heard of her before…

But she's 84 years old, still hits the gym at 5 AM every single day, and has been choreographing iconic dances for 60+ years.

Quite a resume lol

Also, she could apparently deadlift 2x her bodyweight well into her 60s.

Which is legendary.

Anyhow:

Early on in the interview, she introduced this concept of a "spine” as it relates to art and creative work...

Essentially, the “spine” is what’s at the center of everything — both laterally and vertically.

Just like the human body.

The spine is what grounds you and provides stability so the rest of you can move.

And you can’t challenge anything or ask it to bear load without that grounding and stability.

It’s such a simple concept…

Yet it really resonated with me.

Because having a spine isn't just about dance or creativity…

It's about knowing your “center” in everything you do.

Without that grounding, you're just reacting to whatever comes at you.

You waste time, energy, and years going in circles without ever making real progress.

Or worse:

When you attempt to stretch yourself…

The whole system comes crashing down because there’s no solid foundation underneath.

It’s a pattern I see with plenty of entrepreneurs too.

They've got the ambition and the drive to do big things…

But they're pulled in 47 different directions…

Trying every new growth strategy they see on LinkedIn or IG.

They're in motion, sure…

But they're not moving OFF a center.

Because they never established one in the first place.

Make sense?

On the flipside, when you DO have a spine…

Decisions get faster…

You finally have clarity about what’s a ‘fuck yeah’ and what’s a ‘hell no’...

Which leads to more progress on the stuff that matters…

And less burnout.

Momentum instead of plain old motion.

As it happens, this is where my Personal Review System comes in handy.

It forces you to identify your center — your spine.

And it helps you evaluate every decision against that center.

So you can stop drifting and start building with intention.

If you want to see how it works...

Just reply to this email with the word “REVIEW”.

I'll send you a video walkthrough plus all the templates you need to duplicate it for yourself :)

In the meantime…

I’m still recovering from the festivities from last night 😅

So I’m off to laze on the couch and watch Now You See Me 3.

Cheers ✌️

Jim Hamilton

P.S:

After listening to the interview…

I grabbed a few copies of Twyla’s book for myself and friends.

It’s called The Creative Habit.

And so far, I’m really enjoying it.

You can find it on Amazon if you’re interested