Red paintbrush stroke with the word 'SALE' written in white capital letters.

THE
MESSY
MIDDLE

THE CHAOS.
THE PIVOTS.
THE PART NOBODY TALKS ABOUT.


WE DO.

Anonymous, unfiltered stories from doers across every industry. The breakdowns, the breakthroughs, the moments that don't make the highlight reel. The proof you're not alone in the mess.

Handwritten note on torn paper with red tape on top right and bottom left corners describing a retail reset project, mentioning install, surfacing issues, tension, client onsite, and a solution involving a Broadway piano bar detour.
A torn piece of white paper taped with brown tape shows a handwritten quote with sender attribution. The quote reads, "I pitched the same idea three times before anyone listened. The fourth time, it became our ‘biggest’ project."
A handwritten note on torn notebook paper with a black and white photo of a cluttered music studio, including a keyboard, mixing equipment, and a laptop. The note reads, "I stopped waiting for permission. That's when everything changed." 
DRAG.
A piece of torn beige paper with a handwritten quote in black ink that says, 'I've learned more from what didn't work than what did. And I've broken a lot of things to get here, even our agency website,' signed Nicole, with a piece of brown tape at the top.
A piece of torn white paper with a quote that reads, 'My process looks like chaos to everyone else. To me, it's finally making sense.' signed 'B.', with layered torn paper and tape. 
MOVE.
A scrapbook-style page with a handwritten note and black-and-white photographs taped onto the page. The note discusses building moodboards in layers and the process of understanding and iteration.
A handwritten note on lined paper with a quotation about a draft, with red doodles around a word, and signed by Karen.
Handwritten note on a torn piece of graph paper taped with red tape, describing a scenario of a big client call taking place in a school parking lot that was unexpectedly scaled down, signed by Beth.
A handwritten quote on lined notebook paper with torn left edge, reading, 'I rebuilt the whole thing the night before the deadline. Not because I procrastinated, because I finally understood what it needed to be.' attributed to Anonymous.
A red sticky note with a quote written in black handwritten font that reads, "Some days I'm a genius. Some days I'm Googling syntax. Both are part of the job." attributed to Anonymous. 
MAKE A MESS.
A torn piece of lined notebook paper with a handwritten quote that reads, 'I cried in my car after a client call, then went back inside and nailed the revision,' signed 'Anonymous.' The paper is taped to a surface with a piece of gray tape at the top. 
THAT’S THE POINT.
A handwritten note on crinkled white paper, taped with red tape at the top, with the quote: 'I said yes before I knew how I figured it out on the way. Still my best decision.'
Torn lined notebook paper with handwritten quote in green ink, circled and underlined in red, mentioning students, sleepless nights, and an agency campaign, attributed to an anonymous source.
Handwritten note on crumpled lined paper taped to a surface, with a black and white background of office supplies.

YOUR TURN.
SPILL IT.

A torn piece of lined paper with handwritten text taped over a cluttered desk, including office supplies and papers.

Someone out there needs to hear this to survive their Tuesday.

Handwritten note on torn lined paper taped to a cluttered desk, describing fixing a frame after measuring it three times.

Get The Full Scoop.