Focus on Your Dreams Friday: February Flow State Part 1
February 6th & 7th 2026
Hello City Of Creatives, Happy Flow State February, and Focus On your Dreams Friday. I intend to write and complete this newsletter before Friday arrives, but I often write it after my Friday morning walk because I'm always inspired by new information. This is also a hybrid walk journal.
In the aftermath of a major snowstorm, some snow has turned into solid ice, but most sidewalks are clear. There's a cold, wet feel in the air because snow showers are expected today. I was really sleepy and low on energy this morning, but II'mglad I pushed myself to go for a walk and get some fresh air.
At the end of my walk underneath where I live, i'm in the small parking garage, I'm recording a video summary for a newsletter I haven't even written yet. So I record a YouTube video in one take, and it gives me the foundation for what I'll write about, even though the core concept was already in my head. It's a summary and synopsis that you'll get the link to as you read further.
We are in February, in which many celebrate love and Valentine's Day. My personal idea of love has evolved because I hhaven'tbeen in a romantic relationship in years. Either love, infatuation, or vices will get you. Maybe both. We're always trying to fill gaping voids. A thought-provoking vlog I was listening to while walking stated, "Don't focus on outcomes; focus on the process." Many get the love they dream of, only to feel empty when they reach the zenith. Shout out to Soul Immortal.
Flow state is constant and continuous; it cannot be contained or controlled. It's a feeling that can't be captured in a bottle. If it were an organism, it would be a butterfly. Its blessings are unpredictable. You just have to be open to receive its wave when it comes in.
Here are some of the things I personally experience that put me in a flow state.
Faith & Spirituality
1. Watching or experiencing a sermon and being blessed by God's living Word. Many times, that comes from a conversation with my Mother, who is a pastor.
2. Quality time with God. Prayer, Praise, and Worship.
3. Waking up in the stillness of the morning just to say Thank you
Health and Nutrition
Having a healthy meal made with love. I can feel that transfer of energy; that's why you can't eat everyone's food.
Morning walks, mindful self-talk, and exercise open the door to the most states of flow I've had the pleasure to experience.
Sleep. There's nothing more euphoric than getting deep, quality sleep. That call that sleeps the delta phase. I track my sleep, so my score is calculated based on deep sleep and how many times I wake up. Feeling restored and energized is a flow state I wish we all could experience daily.
Nature and Weather
Here are my favorites where I figuratively paint and experience my Outdoor Canvas.
1. Rain . I'm a Pluviofile, meaning a lover of the rain. I experience Instant euphoria whether inside, outdoors, or watching or hearing it.
2. Cool, dry morning. I love a clear, starry night or a deep blue sky with zero humidity.
3. Cool full moon night and morning. I have a deep love for when Luna lights up the darkness.
4. Light snow when it seasons the grass and melts on the pavement, I immerse myself in its serenity.
5. Fog. I love getting lost in its ominous abyss. My light bulb is lit as the clouds just come down for a closer visit. My introspective interests and imagination get illuminated by the palest mist.
6. Windy fall or spring day. These days are living, breathing poetry in motion
Art, Hobbies, and Entertainment
1..Creating as a multi-media artist . Always excited about my next project.
2. Listening to and supporting new emerging film and music. I love discovering amazing indie music.
3. My peers: City of Creatives: I carefully curated a community of like minds that I share all of the projects with, and I'm inspired by theirs. They speak life over me with their words of affirmation.
4. I enjoy watching sci-fi / dystopian shows and finding the official podcast to listen to as I walk. That gives me so much joy. Dune: Prophesy was my favorite. An HBO MAX show.
5. I love listening to audiobooks that are autobiographies by musicians or self-help books that focus on productivity. I started a hardcover collection of my favorite books to cuddle up in my warm bed and read as the blustery winter wind howls. It's actually howling as I edit this.
These are just some of the things I find in flow state. When the frequency arrives, you can barely put it into words. I'm glad I found some text to explain the unexplainable.
What are you working on?
I’m currently organizing my files for the final edition of my book, The Blood of My Pen. The Definitive Edition. The hardcover version. I’m preparing and mixing my next podcast episodes. Also, I'm creating a shorter clip from my three-minute Moonlight Monologue video, which I posted on YouTube.
What have you completed?
It would be greatly appreciated if you could support by clicking the two links. Thank you so much!
I created a short three-minute reel called The Moonlight Monologue, a poetic excerpt from podcast episode 12. I use various visual effects to immerse the audience in a true story that I narrate.
YouTube Short: Flow State February Part 1. It summarizes all that I speak of in this newsletter.
https://youtube.com/shorts/kcTuH4pqlg0?si=KF1aH2RKVY7hCN_Z
Moonlight Monologue video. It's an excerpt from a podcast episode that blends art, music, poetry, motion elements, and FX to tell a sonic and visual story. A mindful message with music and motion.
https://youtube.com/shorts/
Projects to complete
1.) Mix and Upload All the Way Podcast: A breakdown of one of my most popular singles of all time.
Bonus to do list
A. Upload The Truth is the Sun Album
B. Add to and continue to organize the document of The Blood of my Pen : The Definitive Edition
C.Upload new podcast episodes
What is your flow state? What is that recurring and unpredictable feeling of euphoria you experience that's not easy to explain? Everyone isn't a poet, so sometimes we can even comprehend the joy that comes upon us.
Until next week
Thank you for reading
Walter P.o.p. Matthews IV
Immerse yourself in your imagination.
Please write
down the vision,
make it plain, and then run with it.
Happy Valentine's Day
The Sound of a Writer, an Instrument of Poetry
2-20-2026- 2-23-2026
I apologize for the delay in this newsletter. On Friday, I was doing something that took up my day and was very important to my family. That's life. Life is lifing. The irony is that I was proactive and wrote this very early in the week, thinking i'm finally going to get one out a day early, and I was actually later. So whatever day it falls on, I've committed to writing these weekly. I can really see how many distractions (good and bad) await me daily, but I will always keep pushing through.
Focus on Your Dreams Friday: The Sound of a Writer, an Instrument of Poetry
2-20-2026- 2-23-26
My mindful message for today is to tell your own story, or someone else will tell it for you. You were born with a voice, so use it.
I'm speaking to myself. After years of not liking my recorded speaking voice, I'm getting more comfortable with using it. Why? I practice by recording podcasts and videos. I get better by pressing record. Taking action. I'm a fan of narration like Morgan Freeman, and I'm currently listening to the greatest Hip Hop voice of all time, Rakim. In my opinion, his audiobook is a masterclass in narration.
It inspires me to keep working on my voice. I love it. The irony is that one of my favorite audio memoirs of 2025 was by Cudi. When I first started listening to it, I did NOT like the way he narrated. He was monotone and robotic-sounding—no dynamics in his voice. Then I stopped being distracted by that and began to listen, and I started becoming more immersed in his story.
Cudi's life started to mirror mine, and I began to embrace his imperfections. That's his unique voice, and he's using it. Now I'm using mine . The first time I felt confident speaking in front of others was when I read the daily proverb in my family's church. To help me with my nerves, my Mother advised me to say "Praise the Lord" at my opening. It broke the ice and got me out of myself.
I began recording vlogs in 2022 and my audio podcast in 2024. I'm getting better and better. My voice is getting stronger and clearer. There were content creators along the way who helped me step into that beautiful unknown of public speaking. A woman from India who blessed me with my first podcast interview in 2020. A young lady from Jacksonville, Florida, who gave me my first live video IG interview in 2020. In 2021a m writer and Dallas, who gave me a video conversation so influential that a couple of weeks later
I recorded my first vlog. There's no confidence builder like a supportive and encouraging man. Salute to my brother. Then I had my brother from Greece, whom I listened to faithfully on my Saturday walks, who shouted me out in the podcast I was listening to in 2022. It was such a euphoric moment because the podcast that inspired me every week took a moment to acknowledge and pour into me.
Then, later in that year, a powerful Puerto Rican voice from The Bronx invited me into her prime time stream. I was rarely on video or spoke in public, so it was new for me. I remember her gently telling me, " P.o.p, come out of your cocoon". I did too, and I'll never forget how she told me she was impressed with me.
That breathed life into me as a speaker. Then, at the end of 2023, this YouTuber from Toronto, elevated by her imagination through her introverted vlogs and travel videos, had me locked in to every video. She started an audio podcast in December 2023, which sparked my long-awaited podcast in January 2024. The first episode was titled "The Beautiful Unknown."
I had no idea I was going down this rabbit hole of my own history, but I wanted to let you know how far I've come with public speaking and narration. I didn't get here alone. I listed everyone who helped me get here. All this comes from finishing the mix of my Episode 14 podcast and feeling so proud of how far I've come. I'm also very excited about where I'm going. The best is yet to come. Walking while listening to audiobooks and podcasts is a state of flow. Now I'm recording my voice to bless others, just as I've been blessed. I'm living the dream.
What are you working on?
That's a great question. What am I working on? I've been learning how to successfully create a seamless video loop. I'm creating seamless loops for my podcast content. I have some great ideas to mix visuals with my monologues and messages. Once I perfect making video loops seamless, that will cover new content for my Cue the Score YouTube channel and my P.o.p. Presents channel. I have to lock in. I have a lot of work to do.
What have you completed? I've uploaded two new podcasts, and i'm already thinking about the next few episodes. Every podcast, I create, my voice and my audio mixing skills are getting stronger. So my goal going forward is to upload at least 2 episodes per month. Have a mixture of vocal-only and a mix with music. My goal is to have one of each monthly. Here are the newest episodes, each with a separate email. Please play and download these.
Episode 14: 2026!
https://open.spotify.com/episode/4hMbYab57E2S7TNVXudFp8?si=36lpmX4dQSmQpTiXvHX0VA
Episode 15 : Bedroom Canvas Mic Check
https://open.spotify.com/episode/2BiHM07FzDnSVm7IZPxUGx?si=1dbRcewBQdSHFTv4zRhQ4w
Projects to complete
1.) Opus video clips of Moonlight MasterMind EP. 12 for YouTube and Social media. Perfect, making a seamless loop.
A. Upload The Truth is the Sun to Bandcamp and My Website.
B. Finish Trilogy of February Flowstate Walk Journals.
C. Write and finish the final newsletter of the montha nd attach a YouTube clip to go with.
Until next week
Thank you for reading
Walter P.o.p. Matthews IV
Immerse yourself in your imagination.
Please write
down the vision,
make it plain, and then run with it.
Flowstate February Finale: Love Your Craft
By Walter P.o.p. Matthews IV
2-27-2026
There's a whole lot of links. Be kind and feast on them,, City of Cretaives. I appreciate you.
To "Love Your Craft" is to honor the evolution of your own vibration. As we close out February, I am looking back at the decades that built me—from the 80s cartoons to the 2020s prose—and looking forward to the new branches of the P.O.P. PRESENTS world. This is 10 years of building.
Here is the synopsis of the saga so far.
🎙️ Music Meets Poetry: The Legacy Brand
From 2007 to 2015, I lived behind the boards, producing 20 full-length albums. To celebrate that chapter, I am returning to the source.
The Launch: I am re-releasing the album that started this saga: The Truth is the Sun.
The Vibe: Pure, raw poetry recited over original music. This is where my experience as a producer meets my soul as a poet.
https://soundcloud.com/search?q=Music%20Meets%20Poetry
👁️ Creative Visionary
What began as a self-publishing company has matured into its own dedicated publication on Medium. This is the home for the "Real Work"—the long-form exploration of what it means to be a visionary in a noisy world.
https://medium.com/creative-visionary
🎧 P.O.P. PRESENTS PODCAST
Hosted by Walter P.o.p. Matthews IV
I moved away from the title The Beautiful Unknown because my spirit refused to be boxed in.
The Concept: Mindful monologues. Sometimes with music, always unscripted, and always recorded in one take.
The Canvas: This is my Sonic Painting. Whatever is in my imagination and my spirit at the moment is what hits the airwaves.
https://creators.spotify.com/pod/profile/pop-presents/
🖋️ P.o.p The Writer: The Core
This is the soul of my company. My life can be measured in the ink I’ve spilled:
The 80s: Writing original stories for afternoon cartoons.
The 90s: Transitioning from Raps to Alternative Singer-Songwriter songs.
The 00s: A return to Rap followed by a deep dive into Poetry.
The 2020s: The Return. Articles, Prose, Walk Journals, and now—The Sonic Writer.
The New Frontier: The Sonic Writer combines music history, film reviews, and poetry into one high-frequency experience.
🎬 Cue the Score!: Music and Motion
“Evoking Emotion by Combining Music and Motion”
It started with John Williams’ Superman and Vangelis’ Chariots of Fire. It evolved into my first original score, Lucifer’s Theme, in 2008. In 2015, a solitary Christmas Day led to the birth of Cue the Score!
The Future: I will be releasing instrumental albums under the Cue the Score! banner, serving as the soundtrack to my own unique version of Lo-Fi YouTube experiences.
https://www.youtube.com/shorts/1x6UwBlIAEI
https://soundcloud.com/cue_the_score
The Sonic Writer: Combining music and movie reviews, poetry, music history, and personal memoirs.
The Sonic Writer was born from a written review of a Jeff Buckley song named "Grace" that evoked an emotion I had felt before, but I didn't realize what it was. I transformed his song into a living, breathing organism as I drove along a winding road to apply to the recording engineering school, Sheffield Institute. This brand gives me a chance to bring my skills as a writer and poet together with my love of music and film.
The Painter of Photos: This name came from my evolution from a painter to a photographer. When I was young, I didn't have a camera or a smartphone, so I had to draw, sketch, and paint the surroundings that I loved. Once I had access to a high-resolution phone with a video camera, I could capture photos in the moment. My own original photography has become the visual backdrop for my walk journals and poetry. I shoot the photos just like I have a paintbrush, and that's where the name comes from.
https://www.pexels.com/@painter-of-photos-599940558/
The Closing Note:
Whether it’s the bare-bones snare of a new producer or the hauntingly beautiful keys of a cinematic score, the goal remains the same: to seize the moment, no matter what the outside looks like. Your power is always within.
Walter Matthews IV
P.O.P. PRESENTS
What are you working on?
I'm working on a special conceptual series for The Focus on Your Dreams Friday Newsletter. It will be six episodes, spanning six weeks. Having the series done will give me a chance to catch up on other projects I want to get done in March. This will be a strong end for the 1st quarter of 2026.
Finishing 3 amazing February walk journals, two of which I just recently wrote. I can't wait to share them with you.
What have you completed?
Two YouTube Videos.
Love Your Craft
https://youtu.be/VGfESBDGbEI?
Flowstate February Finale
https://youtube.com/shorts/
Projects to complete for the week
1.) I have to finish my February Walk Journals . They're already written, and I plan on having them done by February 28th.
A. Mix instrumental album Warm Digital Soul
B. Mix instrumental album, The Cosmos and The Canvas
C. Upload and release The Truth is the Sun for a March 13th Release
This concludes Flowstate February, and my month may have been cold and snowy, but I endured and had so much to write about. Thank you for coming on this journey with me. See you in March! The best is yet to come!
Which one of your crafts do you love the most?
Until next week
Thank you for reading
Walter P.o.p. Matthews IV
Immerse yourself in your imagination.
Please write
down the vision,
make it plain, and then run with it.
What's coming for March and April!
