THINKING vs DOING!
Do you ever find yourself thinking about all the things you’d like to do, rather than well, actually doing them? Or maybe you’ve got loads of half-started projects left unfinished occupying valuable space in your brain? And, as time goes on, the ideas and the projects mount up, until you’re not even sure which ideas are good, which to start or which to finish, and you end up spiralling into frustration and crippled by all of the creative possibilities? Well, I do! And I’m sure I’m not the only one. So, I figured I’d explore a few ways of remedying this frustrating problem I’m having, and maybe some of the tips might help you as well if you’re suffering from the same thing.
OK, so I might have made that sound a little more dramatic than it actually is, but it’s a problem for a lot of creatives I know. And it's one that I’ve been dealing with recently too. Over the last couple of months, I’ve gotten into the habit of thinking about, and viewing lots of art but, not actually creating any myself. I’ve visited gallery openings and private shows. Immersing myself in all sorts of different art genres and styles. I’ve been inspired by so much work that I’ve now got too many ideas and projects I’d like to try. But, also projects half started, lingering in the background needing to be finished.
Now, I could make excuses about how I’ve been busy with lots of commercial shoots, which I have, and how daily life has gotten in the way, blah, blah. But, they'd be just that, excuses. I’ve got all these ideas so why aren’t I doing any of them?
STOP PROCRASTINATING.
Thinking about an idea, and all the elements around the idea, rather than actually creating it, is a form of procrastination. So is not finishing projects that you’ve already started. But don't worry! We all do it! I’ve procrastinated over writing this blog for what seems like a month now! But why?
Now, I can only speak from my own experience, with a little armchair psychology thrown in for good measure. But, our brains are highly complex and designed to keep us safe through the choices we make. Perhaps this can sometimes stop us from trying that new or different thing, or from getting out of our comfort zones. Maybe we fear the unknown, or maybe we fear what people will think of us for doing something different. Either way, our brains interpret that fear as danger. It’s much easier and less dangerous to think about doing something than actually doing it! So, perhaps procrastination is a part of that safety mechanism. A way of managing or protecting our egos from failure or, in some cases from success. A little deep I know so, I’ll leave that one for you to think over for yourself.
Enough with the psychology chat! ‘How do you stop procrastinating?’ I hear you ask. Well, these are a few things I’m going to implement in the next few weeks to try and help me break the ‘Thinking vs Doing’ cycle a little.
SIMPLIFY AND START SOMETHING!
Easier said than done, I know, hence the blog. But, if you have loads of ideas then just pick one and, if it’s complex, then try simplifying it. No excuses about not having the right kit or materials you need to help you create it etc. All excuses! Do what you can, with what you have right now! Choose something and start. Action is the key to beating procrastination. So start something!
GIVE YOURSELF SOME STRUCTURE.
Now you’ve picked an idea allow yourself time to create or work on it in some way every day. For those of you saying you don’t have time every day, it doesn’t have to be a long time. You can try setting a timer for 10 minutes or 20 minutes even, whatever works for you. Small daily actions will get you much closer to finishing a project than not doing anything at all.
It’s about changing our mindsets and treating creativity more like a daily practice or a habit. And remember, creativity begets creativity! It’s like a muscle, the more you do the stronger it gets. Doing something is always better than doing nothing towards your goals.
FINISH SOMETHING!
This is the goal! Done is better than perfect! By working on something, and finishing it, you’ll discover whether you want to do more of it or move on to the next idea. But, finish something! And it doesn’t matter if it's shit! Especially if you’re experimenting and trying new ways of working or new mediums, then, most likely, some of it will be shit. But, it’s about trying lots of things and seeing what fits and works for you. As we said earlier, by not finishing anything, and never putting anything out into the world, you might be shielding yourself from failure but you might also be shielding yourself from success.
It doesn’t matter what you do. What matters is you start, and apply effort over time towards the things in life that you want to create and put out into the world. This can apply to any goal in life and not just to creative projects.
TAKING MY OWN ADVICE!
So, with all this being said, I’m going to implement these techniques over the coming few weeks. I’m going to stop procrastinating, and allow myself time every day to create. I'm going to experiment with some new mediums and ideas I’ve had. Start and, more importantly, finish some new projects but also, finish an old project that has been taking up that valuable space in my brain I was talking about. A project that was started, shamefully, a year and a half ago and still isn't finished.
Talk is cheap! I know, and now I’ve written it down for you to read I’ve got to act on it all. So keep an eye out on here, and on the Creative Nowhere Land social media over the next few weeks to see what projects I finish.
Look, I realise it's very easy to tell people how to be creative but actually being creative can be difficult. But, hopefully, some of these simple ideas I share here on Creative Nowhere Land will help you if you’ve found yourself in a similar position to me, thinking more than doing!
Thanks for taking the time to read the blog and I hope it’s encouraged you to start acting on some of the projects, or ideas you might have. Sign up for the Newsletter below and follow us on Instagram to stay up to date with all things Creative Nowhere Land. So, until next time…