Embrace Your Weird

Beat the three enemies of creativity

Instructions

Beat procrastination. Procrastination often happens when a task feels too overwhelming or complex. To overcome it, start by taking one of your bigger creative goals and breaking it down into smaller, manageable steps. Write down your goal on a piece of paper and below it, jot down the simplest first step you can take to get started, something you could do right now. Then, continue writing down actionable steps that are within your control. Keep expanding the list until you've connected the first step to your end goal. Remember, if you can do the first step, you have the power to complete all the steps and give yourself a chance at achieving your dream!
Let go of perfectionism. Perfectionism can hold us back by making us believe there's only one "right" solution. To combat this, challenge yourself to generate multiple alternatives. Treat it as a game—open the floodgates and come up with as many different iterations or ideas as you can. If you're stuck on a painting, grab a sketch pad and create twenty different versions to push past the block. If you're writing a novel, write a paragraph in ten different ways, then keep going. The goal is to distance yourself from the notion of perfection and allow yourself to explore different possibilities. Embrace your inner smartass and let it guide your creativity.
Overcome your fear of failure. Confront your fear of failure by creating a "What If" scenario on paper. Write down your greatest fear related to your creative pursuits, and then in the next column, write down what would happen if that fear came true. Ask yourself "What then?" and continue to explore the subsequent steps or outcomes. By visualizing and acknowledging the potential challenges, you can develop strategies to cope with them. Remember that failure is a natural part of the creative process and an opportunity for growth. Take small steps forward despite any fears, knowing that there is always a way to navigate through challenges.