Got an idea for a creative project but you’ve just never ‘gotten round’ to starting it?
Hi!! So I’ve been sitting on the idea for this blog for a really long time…
Today I’m going to explore some of the barriers I’ve encountered in starting this creative project and hopefully provide you with some helpful tips to get you on your way as well!
I’m a classical musician and creative spirit who’s been thinking about life, as you do, and I want to make a blog about creativity. I’m interested in how being creative (as a job and as a hobby) affects my and other people’s lives and I want to explore this and share it online.
I brainstormed, chose a name, bought the domain and even wrote a few drafts for posts months ago but lost momentum and I haven’t published anything yet. Sound relatable?
Here’s what I think happened:
Trying something new was a little scary for me
Blogging, IT stuff, and being active on social media are mostly new for me and a step outside of my comfort zone.
I wanted it to be perfect
I miiiight be a little bit of a perfectionist? I wanted to make sure my first blog posts were super well-written and that I had at least a couple up before I launched the blog. When I’d finished a post I asked some friends to read it and give me feedback, after which I reworked the post. All of this is great to do, buuut ultimately, it was getting in the way of me getting started. I was worrying too much about the details and getting stuck.
I was too ambitious
I had a ton of ideas about how I wanted the blog to be, how often I would post, I wanted to make a logo etc. Super cool except that it was too much for me to do all at once and again, I got stuck.
Life got in the way
I’ve been dealing with some personal/mental health issues which made doing things way harder for me than usual. Finding motivation and confidence was hard and I put off starting the blog.
Now that I’ve explained my barriers to getting started, I’m going to explore some possible solutions. I don’t claim to know all the answers, but if you’re reading this then there might be something to them!
New = scary
Getting out of your comfort zone is great! It means you’re trying new things, which could be really fun, interesting, and/or cool. But it can also be a bit scary because we don’t know what it will be like until we actually do something. And we don’t always know if it will work.
First I would suggest doing some research on what it is you want to do. Seeing how others do things and getting tips from them can help you feel more familiar and give you more of an idea how to start.
For this blog I looked up tutorials and articles online about how to start a blog. I also looked at other online content creators to see what they were doing and if I could imagine myself doing the same thing.
Then, once you have a bit of an idea what to do, just start. If I wait until I magically know everything about blogging, am awesome at writing, and it’s not scary anymore… then yeah it’s not going to happen. If I make a start and accept that I will be learning as I go there’s a much better chance that I will get somewhere with my project!
Perfectionism
Having high standards is great, but if that’s stopping you from doing anything at all, it’s a problem. If I spend too much time and energy making everything perfect then there’s a good chance I’ll lose momentum and stop.
I’m tackling this by loosening up just a bit and focussing on doing something instead of how good it is. I accept that my first blog post may not be as polished as it could be, but at least I’m doing it and I’ve started my project. As I keep creating I’ll get better and better and the quality of my writing will (hopefully) improve over time.
Too Ambitious
Having awesome ideas is one thing, but implementing them is another. A sweet logo probably would make my blog look more professional. But not having the skills or budget to create a logo should not be the reason not to write a blog. I’ve decided to start without one and, if things go really well, maybe I’ll fix a logo somewhere down the line.
I won’t forget my big ideas, I’ll just keep them in mind for later 😉
Life Happened
This is a tough one. Life can throw all kinds of curveballs. Sometimes it is necessary to put things on hold when you’re dealing with something difficult. And sometimes having a creative project to work on can keep you busy, give you something to work towards or help you heal. The key thing is to listen to your own needs and adjust your project accordingly.
In my case, the blog was a project I thought up when I needed something new to engage with, but it still proved too much. Now that I’m giving it another go I’ve adjusted my plans and expectations slightly to make it more doable and fun for myself. This includes things like not worrying about it being absolutely perfect and starting small, like I’ve described above.
One ambition I had was to read widely and write really well-researched articles about creativity. However, at the moment I don’t have the focus or energy for this. Instead, I’m going to read/listen/watch as much as I feel like (or don’t feel like, as the case may be) and write about whatever I find interesting. The big juicy articles will come in good time, or maybe I’ll find I prefer doing it this way.
So those are my thoughts on this for today. If you’re reading this post then you’ll know some of it worked! I hope you’ve found it helpful for your own creative journey. What creative project are you starting or thinking of starting? What holds you back? Let me know in the comments!
Stay posted for more creative musings and happy making!