6 Tips for Getting Your Creative Project off the Ground
As parenting goes, I often feel like I get it wrong most days, but I knew I had nailed it this time.
My six-year-old daughter got her first pair of roller skates last weekend. We told her she needs to practice on the living room carpet to get used to balancing and get the basics correct with a softer landing.
Of course, she wanted to go straight to our driveway. Our commitment to her was to move her practice into our driveway once she has fallen ten times.
I have never seen anyone so excited about falling, and each time was a victory to her.
This experience taught her that falling means she’s trying, and failure is feedback. What can she do differently next attempt to get a better result? This approach gave her permission to make mistakes and not fear them.
I mention this story because, as a professional coach and trainer, I hear so many stories from my clients about how they have a passion for something creative yet are too scared to pursue it.
The ideas range from creating kids colouring books, non-profit organisations, new apps, tours for writers, or simply launching a blog in their field of expertise. These clients don’t necessarily want to quit their day jobs but want an outlet for their creative pursuits.
The common reason for procrastinating on the idea is a fear of failure. If this resonates with you and there is an idea you dream about daily but can’t find the courage to make it a reality, then this is for you. Here are some thought starters to plant a seed for your creative quest to become a reality:
Don’t fear judgement.
Creativity does not mean you need to be an artist or a writer. It is a practice of transforming an idea into a tangible reality, either a product, service or experience.
Anything created by you comes from a deep place within, so sharing it with the world is daunting. Your natural fear is judgment. How will this be received? What if I damage my reputation or lose my credibility?
Reframe the fear of judgment by reminding yourself that this idea has come to you for a reason. Instead of being terrified of it not being good enough, ask yourself what good will it be if it remains inside of you.
The truth is, your inaction is what causes your anxiety. It’s in not acting you feel trapped. If you make your intention about contribution and how it will benefit your potential audience, it is no longer about you; it is about your impact on their lives.
“ If you never make anything, if you make only what you’re comfortable making, or if you make but you never share, you’re hiding. Once you start hiding, you stop growing. Part of you goes to sleep.” Chase Jarvis
Give yourself permission.
No one else can permit you to call yourself a writer, an artist, a blogger, a coder, a chef, a painter, etc. When I first started blogging, I struggled to call myself a writer when people asked me what I did. The coach and trainer label was okay because I had competency and a track record in those areas.
I was new to writing, so how could I call myself a writer because I felt like I hadn’t earned the title. The way through this mental hurdle is by taking daily doses of action.
Author and entrepreneur Chase Jarvis says that you need to do the verb to become the noun. Writers write, and that’s what I did. I started to create evidence that I am the kind of person who can become a writer.
It was soul-destroying to keep my article ideas inside the notes app on my phone and not put them out into the world.
Make your passion part of your identity.
Try it out when you meet someone new. What can seriously sabotage you is making this new identity known to your existing network. Perhaps you have always been in a particular business or industry, and now you have decided to change careers to an artist or move into a completely new industry.
It’s the fear of how your new role will be received that stops you from acting. Don’t let other people’s opinions of you hold you back.
When you create evidence for your new role, people will begin to accept this change and see you in this new light.
Allow yourself to be a beginner.
Author Niel Gaiman says that every writer has one million bad words inside them. To become a great writer, you need to purge them. You need to go through the process of expelling these awful million words out of you to make room for the great ideas to come through.
I loved this analogy because it permitted me to suck. It made my initial bad drafts feel validated. Like my daughter feeling excited to fall ten times, I was able to view my progress as part of the process. I wasn’t meant to get it right on the first few attempts; I had to sit in the discomfort of aiming for progress rather than perfection.
Whatever you want to begin with, allow yourself to be a beginner. You cannot be proficient in the skill of the initial efforts. First, make something, produce the first draft, and figure out how to do it better.
Perfectionism is a fancy form of procrastination. Don’t convince yourself that you cannot put your work into the world until you have figured out how to make it flawless.
Most of the apps on your phone started in a simple format with basic features. Over time, they added new features like filters, editing capabilities, break out rooms, etc.
Have the courage to share your blog with all its imperfections. Again, it comes down to intent. If you made it because someone else will benefit from your experience, then that’s enough to justify its existence.
Don’t overcomplicate it.
Founder of Netflix, Reed Hastings, was charged for a late return of a DVD before Netflix was even a thought. Infuriated and frustrated, he shared his idea with colleague Marc Randolph to mail movies as an alternative to traditional rentals. To test the idea, they made it as simple as possible by placing a DVD in an envelope and mailing it to himself.
When the DVD arrived undamaged, that was the day Netflix was born. Today, Netflix is the go-to place for movie and TV streaming. According to Fortune.com, Netflix services constitutes around 15% of the world’s internet bandwidth.
Consider how simply this empire began. Reed and Marc could have over complicated this with thorough business plans and intensive market research. Instead, they simply wanted to prove the concept that DVDs can be mailed successfully.
Over time, their vision expanded along with the business but had they not begun in this way, who knows if Netflix would ever exist.
How can you apply the concept of simplicity to your idea? What is the easiest way you can begin?
Do you really need a full website? What about launching a Facebook page with your product or service? Can you start writing short articles on your Facebook page or LinkedIn? Have you considered reaching out to existing channels that have an established audience?
Don’t overwhelm yourself with producing a full catalogue; what is the first product you want to launch with?
Forget advertising; how can you use LinkedIn to build up a network in your industry? Can you send samples to potential clients, so the product gets into their hands?
Create something that fits in your world.
“ Pursuing small, imperfect, playful habits today — having a regular creative practice — is far more important than chasing a long list of perfect things you want to create tomorrow” — Chase Jarvis.
What is your intention for starting this practice? Is it to make some extra money, eventually change careers, or put your creative spark out into the world? Is this something you are doing for the pure joy of it?
This is important because it will determine how you approach it mentally. It should be there to add value to your life, not create additional stress. I had a client who was concerned that two products wouldn’t be enough to please her potential customers.
This is a lifestyle business for her and not part of her income plan. She only wanted to dedicate a few hours per week to this craft as she loved her full-time job. If she started with a massive catalogue, she would land up resenting it because it would take more time than she had available.
Make sure this is going to fit into your world, not complicate it.
Dream big but start small.
The way forward is to take one small step and create your micro win. Think of this step as the first Lego brick towards a master creation.
Can you write the first paragraph, go and buy the materials for your product, create your Facebook page?
Thinking big is a myth because this is going to paralyze you. Think small — I don’t mean have a small vision but the simpler you can begin, the better chance you have of actually seeing it through and permitting yourself to start.
Here’s to doing the verb to become the noun,
Warm wishes,
Lori