I’ve recently realised I run a pretty serious operation here in my studio.
Not because of the work itself — that’s the usual blend of ideas, tech tangles, writing sprints, and questionable snack choices — but because I now have a full-time team of assistants.
Yes, a team. Four of them. Unpaid. Highly motivated. Surprisingly organised. And strangely devoted to me and whatever I’m doing.
I never officially hired them. They just… showed up one day, settled into their roles, and have been shadowing me ever since like a tiny, silent productivity task force.
I have special names for them… nicknames that they would never resond to, but hey, let me introduce them. (Or at least, the names they go by in my head.)
First, there’s Minky — the head of the family.
Minky is the matriarch. The leader. The boss. She’s got that calm, observing energy of someone who’s convinced they run the place… and to be fair, she’s not wrong. She supervises from a distance like a seasoned operations manager: rarely interrupting, always watching, quietly judging my life choices.
Then we’ve got the twins — and yes, they really are twins. Sons of the matriach. Identical but not, almost identical in temperament, but with two very different personalities once you get to know them.
Stumpy is named appropriately. He lurks, drifts, and keeps to himself more than the others — the solitary type, but not in a dramatic way. More in the “I’ll be nearby, but you won’t notice me until I move” kind of way. He’s a pure black shadow that completely disappears at night, but during the day he reveals himself as an almost perfect behavioural clone of his uncle, Uno. The resemblance is eerie, actually.
Sox — spelled SOX — got his name because of the white fur on his paws, just like little socks. Add in the white whiskers and the flashes of white on his belly, and he’s the only one in the family with proper flair. Otherwise, he’s pure black like his brother. He’s got a slightly more playful, observant energy, like he’s constantly evaluating the room and preparing a cheeky report for later.
Both boys tend to sit somewhere behind me, silent and invested, as if their job description reads:
“Maintain presence. Observe activities. Provide passive moral support. Blink occasionally. Do not disturb the boss unless absolutely necessary.”
But the real number one, the elder statesman of the team, is Uno.
He wasn’t my first assistant chronologically, but he was my first companion — the original. Younger brother to Minky, from another litter, which makes him the twins’ uncle. And let me tell you: he carries himself exactly like an uncle. Wise. Patient. Quietly authoritative. He has perfected the slow, deliberate approach, drifting into the room like he’s doing his rounds and ensuring the younger staff members are performing to standard.
Now normally, when someone tells you they’ve got assistants following them around the house and watching them work, it sounds creepy or expensive or both.
But mine?
They’re quiet. They’re devoted. They’re strangely comforting.
And they never interrupt when I’m deep in flow — they just settle behind me, forming a silent semicircle of judgement, support, and the occasional nap.
Sometimes I swear they’re evaluating my creative decisions. Sometimes they’re asleep on the job. Sometimes they’re all staring at the same corner of the room like they know a secret I don’t.
But mostly, they’re just… there.
My loyal, ever-present, always-nearby little studio entourage.
People ask how I stay focused, grounded, and strangely productive in the organised chaos of ADHD & OCD life.
The truth is simple:
I have a team behind me. Literally. Every day.
And now that you’ve met them — Minky, Uno, Stumpy, and Sox — it’s probably time to reveal the thing I’ve hidden until the end.
My assistants are not remote workers.
They’re not interns.
They’re not coaching clients who never leave.
They’re not part of some new productivity app subscription.
They’re cats.
Just four incredibly attentive, unusually loyal, always-around-me felines who have appointed themselves as my studio support staff.
Honestly?
They’re the best team I’ve ever had.
