Now, are you still going to put off doing something creative with your ideas?
To put off writing, designing or drawing is human nature. Robert Russell put it best in his freshman novel, Pretty Little Things, when he described why the main character, Travis, did not write. “Travis was afraid of what he might write, of what he might discover about himself if he started.”
Travis fancied himself a writer, but hadn’t actually written anything for years. Now what do you think he was afraid of? Discovering he wasn’t any good? Learning that he wasn’t a writer, just another hack? The prospect of that can be frightening for anyone.
Sound familiar?
Fear is a major obstacle to starting anything unknown. And since the creative process is essentially creating something where nothing existed before, it’s very easy to put off taking the first big step.
That’s why it is essential to create a feeling of urgency. What happens if someone else does something with this idea before you? What happens if you meet an investor or publisher on the bus and you can’t pitch something solid? How many opportunities will you miss?
That feeling of urgency, the feeling that you absolutely HAVE to get the ideas out of your head will go a long way in helping you overcome your fear. Now you know the secret to success of the innovators and creatives you admire.
If an idea for a scene hits Charlie Kaufman, you know he’s scrabbling for a pen and paper to write it down. Steve Jobs was brainstorming for what comes after the iPhone a long time ago
Once you’re in the “urgency” mindset, you’ll find yourself writing down ideas as they come. You’ll have many more ideas than you ever would have before because you’re not dwelling on one single idea. You no longer can say to yourself, “Well, I can’t have any more ideas because I still have to do something with the one that’s been in my head for five years.”
You’ll have more unfinished projects and half-thoughts too. That’s a key factor in eliminating your fear.
If you’re having trouble getting into this mindset, try setting a deadline. When I’m making a short film, I always make sure there’s a film festival or a competition I am making it for. Whether or not I win isn’t important. What’s important is that I made one of my ideas come to life, and I learned how to do it better next time.