Master Your Digital Canvas: Clarity in Emails

On Threads, Tattoos, and Taking Control of Your Digital Canvas

Hi, I’m Mickey Schlick. I run Montana Tattoo Company here in Missoula, and I spend a lot of time thinking about clarity. Clarity of line in a tattoo design, clarity of communication with a client, clarity of vision for a piece of art that will last a lifetime. It’s a principle that guides everything in our studio, from the first consultation to the final bandage. Lately, I’ve been thinking about how that same desire for clarity spills over into other parts of our lives, especially the digital spaces we inhabit. Specifically, I got curious about a common, modern frustration: the tangled web of “conversation view” in our email and messaging apps.

It’s a funny parallel to my world. In tattooing, a “thread” is the literal filament that carries ink from the machine to the skin. It’s a single, controlled, intentional line. In our inboxes, “threads” are something else entirely: they’re digital conversations that get bundled together, often creating confusion, hiding important messages, and making a simple task feel like an archaeological dig. For many of us who need to manage projects, client communication, and the logistics of running a creative business (or just living a modern life), this automated organization can feel less like a help and more like a hindrance.

So, I did what I do when I want to understand something: I looked into it. I researched how to untangle these digital threads across the platforms we all use. What follows isn’t about tattooing directly, but it’s born from the same ethos that defines our studio: the empowerment that comes from understanding your tools and configuring your environment to support your work, not complicate it. It’s about taking control of your digital canvas, so you have more mental space for the real, human, creative work. Like designing your next tattoo.

The Philosophy of Unthreading: Why Clarity Matters

Before we get into the “how,” let’s talk about the “why.” Why would someone want to turn off a feature designed to create order? The answer is deeply personal, much like the choice to get tattooed. For some, conversation view disrupts a linear, chronological workflow. A client’s important follow-up email from yesterday gets buried under a chain that started two weeks ago. For others, it’s about visual simplicity. Each email as a distinct entry is easier to scan, flag, and process. It’s the difference between seeing a forest as a single, blurry mass and being able to identify each individual tree.

Here in Montana, we have a profound respect for the individual element. A single aspen leaf, the specific curve of a trout’s back, the unique grain in a piece of reclaimed barn wood. We don’t see just “a forest” or “a river”; we see the components that create the whole. Disabling conversation view is a digital application of that principle. It’s choosing to see your communication as a series of distinct, meaningful events rather than a merged narrative. It’s a preference for manual curation over automated aggregation. And in a world of constant digital noise, reclaiming that kind of clarity is a small but powerful act of intention.

Navigating Your Digital Workshop: A Platform-by-Platform Guide

Just as every tattoo artist has their preferred machines and needles, every one of us has our preferred digital tools. The method for finding control, however, is often tucked away in settings menus. Let’s walk through the major platforms, step by step. Think of this as learning the maintenance of your tools, a skill as crucial for the modern professional as knowing how to sterilize a needle bar is for me.

Microsoft Outlook: Taming the Corporate Inbox

Outlook is the workhorse of the professional world, and its threading can be particularly persistent.

On Your Computer (Desktop): The path is usually found in the “View” tab on the ribbon. Look for “Conversation Settings” or a checkbox that says “Show as Conversations.” Unchecking this is the digital equivalent of clearing your workbench, laying each tool and sketch out where you can see it individually.

On Android Phones:

• Open the Outlook app and, from your message list, tap your profile or mail icon in the upper-right corner.
• Tap “Settings.”
• Tap the “General” section.
• Find and tap the “Threading” option under the “Inbox” category.
• Toggle “Organize by thread” to OFF.

On iPhones (iOS):

• Again, start in the message list and tap your profile icon.
• Go to “Settings,” then “General.”
• This time, look for “Email Organization” under the Inbox settings.
• Toggle “Group Emails by Conversation” to OFF.

It’s a straightforward process, but the relief it brings can be immense. Suddenly, your inbox is a list of actions, not a series of nested puzzles.

Gmail: Decluttering the Universal Inbox

Gmail practically invented the modern conversation view, so it’s fitting that it also gives you a clear off-ramp.

The Quick Method:

• In your Gmail on a computer, click the gear-shaped Settings icon in the top right.
• In the “Quick Settings” panel that appears, scroll down.
• You should see an option for “Email threading.”
• Simply toggle conversation view OFF. Gmail will refresh, and your inbox will transform.

If You Don’t See It (The Full Settings Method):

• Click the Settings gear and choose “See all settings.”
• Make sure you’re on the “General” tab.
• Scroll down until you find the “Conversation view” section.
• Select “Conversation view off.”
• Don’t forget to scroll all the way to the bottom of the page and click “Save Changes.”

This shift can change your entire relationship with Gmail. It moves from being an AI-curated experience back to being a tool you command. It’s the difference between riding a horse on a guided trail and holding the reins yourself on an open path along the Clark Fork River.

Mozilla Thunderbird: For the Purists and Power Users

Thunderbird is for those who value open-source software and deep customization. It’s the analog tattoo machine of email clients: reliable, repairable, and entirely under your control. Unthreading here feels like a precise technical adjustment.

The Menu Path:

• Select the specific email folder you want to modify (like your Inbox).
• Click “View” in the menu bar at the top of the application.
• Select “Sort By.”
• From the sub-menu, choose “Unthreaded.”

The Power User’s Shortcut (Keyboard): This one has a satisfying, technical feel to it.

• First, select the folder in your folder list.
• Hold down the ALT key on your keyboard.
• While holding ALT, press the following keys in sequence: V, then S, then H.
• This is the shortcut chain for: ALT+V (View menu), ALT+S (Sort By), ALT+H (Non-threaded).

This kind of control is gratifying. It’s a reminder that you are operating the software, not the other way around.

Apple Mail: Simplicity with a Quirk

Apple Mail is known for its clean interface, but its conversation view can be tenacious.

The Basic Toggle:

• Simply select a mailbox in the sidebar.
• Look in the menu bar for “View” and find “Organize by Conversation.”
• Click it to turn the feature off (the checkmark will disappear).

Here’s the quirk, the little burr in the saddle: if you use the search function in Apple Mail, it sometimes automatically re-enables “Organize by Conversation” for the search results. It’s a minor but notable frustration, like a pencil that constantly needs re-sharpening.

A Clever Workaround (Creating a Keyboard Shortcut): If you find yourself toggling this often, you can build a faster tool.

• Open System Settings (or System Preferences on older macOS).
• Go to “Keyboard,” then “Keyboard Shortcuts.”
• Select “App Shortcuts” from the list on the left.
• Click the “+” button to add a new shortcut.
• In the “Menu Title” field, you must type the exact text of the command: Organize by Conversation.
• Assign your preferred keyboard combination (like Command+Shift+O).
• Now you can flip this setting on and off with a quick keystroke, mastering the app’s behavior on your own terms.

Google Messages (RCS Chat): Beyond Simple Texting

This one is different. It’s not about email threads, but about the modern “chat” features (Rich Communication Services, or RCS) that make texting look more like messaging apps (think typing indicators, read receipts, high-quality media). Some people love it. Others find it glitchy, invasive, or a battery drain. If you’re in the latter camp and yearn for the simplicity of plain old SMS/MMS, here’s how to step back.

The Standard Method:

• Open your Google Messages app.
• Tap the three-dot menu in the top right corner.
• Go to “Settings” > “Chat settings.”
• Toggle “Chat features” to OFF.
• While you’re there, set “Default message type” to “Text (SMS/MMS)” or “Multimedia message (MMS).”

For Samsung Device Users: Samsung sometimes layers its own system on top.

• First, go to your phone’s main Settings app (swipe up from the home screen).
• Navigate to “Connections” > “More connection settings.”
• Look for “Rich Communications” and toggle it off if it’s active.
• Then, follow the steps in the Messages app above to ensure it’s disabled there, too.

A Important Note: Deactivating RCS has a consequence. It suspends those advanced features, and if you are in any group chats using RCS, you will be removed from them. You typically have about 30 days to reactivate “Chat features” on the same device to rejoin those threads without starting new ones. It’s a commitment to simplicity, not unlike choosing a bold, traditional tattoo design that forgoes trendy flourishes for timeless clarity.

The Connection to a Creative Life in Missoula

You might be wondering what any of this has to do with a tattoo studio in Western Montana. On the surface, maybe not much. But dig a little deeper, and the connection is everywhere. Running a studio like mine is an exercise in managing complexity. We’re handling artistic collaboration, scheduling, medical-grade sanitation, aftercare education, and client relationships—all while trying to stay inspired by the world around us.

Every setting we adjust, every digital knot we untangle, frees up cognitive bandwidth. It reduces the low-grade friction of daily life. That reclaimed mental energy is the very resource we need to be better artists, better business owners, and more present humans. It’s the space where a new tattoo design is conceived during a hike in the Rattlesnake Wilderness. It’s the focus that allows for a truly attentive consultation, where we’re listening to a client’s story, not mentally sorting through a chaotic inbox.

The desire to configure your tools, to make them work for you in the most intuitive way, is a fundamentally creative act. It’s the same impulse that leads someone to choose a custom tattoo over a pre-drawn flash. It’s a declaration: “My environment, my body, my communication—these things should reflect my needs and my style.” It’s about rejecting passive defaults in favor of active choice.

In our studio, we apply this philosophy to everything. Our booking and aftercare systems are automated not to be impersonal, but to be impeccably consistent and available 24/7, giving us more time for the irreplaceable human conversations. Clients get perfect, clear information every time, and they always have the option to speak directly to me. The structure supports the art; it doesn’t constrain it. Disabling conversation view is a micro-version of that same principle applied to your digital life. It’s creating a structure that supports your focus.

Beyond the Inbox: The Lasting Mark of Intention

Ultimately, this isn’t really about email settings. It’s about intention. It’s about the small, daily decisions that shape our experience. A tattoo is a permanent mark of intention—a story, a memory, a belief, rendered in ink. The way we set up our digital lives is a series of temporary, but no less important, marks of intention. They define how we interact with the world, how we process information, and how much energy we have left for the things that truly matter.

Whether you’re an artist managing client commissions, a professional coordinating projects, or simply someone who feels overwhelmed by the digital clutter, taking these small steps toward clarity is a form of self-care. It’s cleaning your brushes. It’s sharpening your pencils. It’s preparing your canvas. And from that prepared, clear space, truly meaningful work can emerge. Work like the art we have the privilege of creating on skin every single day at Montana Tattoo Company.

This post topic was inspired by the Tattoo Apprenticeships Blog. At Montana Tattoo Company we host independent tattoo artists who run their own businesses and create work with intention. We are not hiring apprentices but we enjoy adding to the discussion. Call 406-626-8688 or visit any of our artist pages to start the consultation process. Every project starts with a conversation and a vision. Choose the artist whose style fits your idea and reach out directly. Connect with Mickey Schlick, James Strickland, Noelin Wheeler, Nicole Miller, and boldbooking.io" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">BoldBooking. Book a consultation, explore portfolios, and bring your idea to life. I have completely automated the studio side. Aftercare, directions, booking links 24 hours a day with completely consistent customer service. At any interaction you are welcome to ask to talk to Mickey directly and you will either be connected to me or I will get back to you asap.