Become a Creative Doer, Not Thinker

© Krista Stryker 2011

Everyone loves a great beginning.

At the beginning of a new diet, it's easy to be motivated (not so much so after a few weeks).

At the beginning of a new relationship, both people easily look over one another's faults, spending their energy instead on the intoxicating feeling of new love.

At the beginning of a road trip, driving sounds fun (not so true by the end).

Let's face it: beginnings are exciting.

And the conception of a new idea is one of the most exhilarating beginnings of all.

But when it comes to ideas, not only is it important to be passionate and motivated at the start, it's crucial to stay enthused throughout the process of making the idea happen, or you'll risk turning into a thinker, not a doer.

Committing to an idea

When creative people first conceive a new idea, the idea is treated as if it's the most brilliant, exciting thing ever dreamed up.   As someone with an idea, if you're really passionate about it, you may find yourself jumping up and down, telling all your friends and family, and becoming obsessed with the idea. It's going to be the greatest business/book/website/product ever, you'll tell yourself.

But as the reality of actually doing the idea sets in, your enthusiasm will most likely fade.

You'll realize it's going to take a lot of work.   It may also take time, and money, and make your friends and family mad at you because you no longer are focused on them, and take away any social life that you previously had.

In fact, after giving it a lot of thought and maybe even trying out the beginning stages of creating your idea, you may start to doubt that this idea was ever that good in the first place.

If you're a freelancer, or thinking up a project outside of your normal workplace, you'll become highly aware of the fact that you are trying to tackle this idea on your own, with no one to be accountable to, no one to tell you what to do, and worst of all, no outside support.  You may suddenly realize what you hadn't fully thought of before: it's all on you to complete this idea.

As if all that isn't enough, you'll also become hit with the reality that this idea, if you actually try and do it, will take over your life, leaving you no room to tackle any other brilliant ideas that may come your way. Everything else will be put on the back burner - this idea, if you make it happen, has the potential to take up months, years, even decades of your life.  (Whoa!)

Facing Resistance head on

The actuality of completing an idea and all the work that you'll need to put into its creation is scary enough in itself, and Resistance doesn't make it any easier.

Steven Pressfield, author of The War of Art, explains Resistance as the negative force that keeps you from doing your real work.

Resistance will undoubtedly show itself differently to different people, but here are some of the ways Resistance may show up when you try to make your idea happen:

• You may all of a sudden think you're not a good enough writer/artist/musician/businessperson to complete your idea
• You may be so obsessed with being "perfect" that you never actually ship your idea to the world
• You may encounter writer's block (if you're a blogger, novelist, etc.) or a block in your creativity 
• You may become deathly afraid of failure
• You may become deathly afraid of success 

Resistance can show its head in countless other ways, but it always acts as a form of doubt - the voice inside your head that tells you that you can't do something.

Don't let Resistance steal your dreams

Don't give into the Resistance.  Yes, attempting your idea will take a lot of work, time and maybe even money, but if you're really passionate about it, if you really believe in it - it will all be worth it in the end, I promise.

Don't think.  Do.

The world needs you to make your idea happen!

The Most Effective Way to Face (And Conquer) Your Worst Fears

© Krista Stryker 2011

Last night, I did something I never thought I had it in me to do: I went to a Meetup.com event.  By myself.

The event was part of Worldwide Linchpin day, part of Seth Godin's brilliant plan to get creative and innovative thinkers to come together and make connections with one another.

I heard about the meetup a couple of weeks beforehand through Seth's blog, and clearly marked it on my calendar.  But as the day grew closer, I continuously found myself making up excuses of why I wouldn't be able to go.

Seth won't even be there, so why go?  I thought.

The event isn't organized - what will I possibly get out of it?

The thought that most often came into my head: Everyone will hate me. 

Conquering your childhood fears

To someone without an extreme social anxiety disorder, my fear of going to a harmless three hour event in a bar no doubt sounds silly and baseless.  But I've been shy since I was a little kid, and though I've working on becoming more outgoing over the years, I still freak out before I have to go meet new people, go to a party, or do anything that involves me talking (I much prefer the written word).  

It doesn't help that I have a quiet voice and no one ever can understand that my name is Krista not Christina, Chrystal, etc.  Or that I am often still carded at bars because I look young and prefer dressing like a teenager rather than getting done up (I'm lazy and just don't care enough).

To me, going to an event without using my husband as a crutch or hiding behind my family members was just about the scariest thing I could do, aside from public speaking.  It meant exposing myself to others, and my biggest fear - saying something stupid.  The latter was an even bigger risk in a group full of Seth Godin fans since I assumed they were all bright, talented and successful people who would hate me (here we go again) if I said something less than brilliant.

Facing fears head on 

I ended up dragging myself to the event, though I nearly stopped myself at the front door.  I'm sure I ended up saying a few stupid things, but I'm also pretty sure no one cared.  I freaked out a little when everyone else had business cards and I didn't (what would they say? Creative generalist?), but I even let that one slide, realizing it really wasn't that big of a deal.

Overall, it went pretty well.  I even talked to people.  A lot of people.  I got some business cards and e-mail addresses and actually intend to e-mail the people I met in order to try and keep in touch instead of pretending like it never happened and officially turning into a hermit.  

Whoa.

It's not as bad as you think it will be!

I came home from the meet up glowing.  I had done something really scary.  I had proved to myself that I could actually function in a crowd of smart, interesting people and not come out looking like a total idiot.  No one called me names, no one judged me or made fun of me when I explained what I did with my life.  Only one person even mentioned my age, and that wasn't even a big deal.  I had faced one of my biggest fears - social interaction with intelligent people - and survived.

Having an irrational fear of something usually means it's something that we need to deal with.  Whether you're afraid of heights, public speaking, being creative, or asking that cute guy/girl out for coffee, the best way to get over that fear is to actually face it head on.  It may seem like the worst thing you could ever imagine, but once you do it, even if you fail you'll realize the world won't end.  You'll come out okay, and gain a newfound confidence in the process.  

The best thing is that once you realize you can get past these big fears, the little things won't bother you as much anymore.  You'll be able to do anything, and fear won't hold you back any longer.

Go face your fears.  You'll be amazed what you can do.

The Struggle of Balancing Life and Your Creative Passions

It happened again this week.

This was the week I was going to get my act together.  I was going to finally do all the things I've been wanting to do - things that will help to satisfy my creative cravings and get me closer to a creative career where I'll be able to do big things and actually make money from them.

© Krista Stryker 2011

But then life transpired.

Obstacles, obstacles 

Yesterday, my husband woke up sneezing like crazy.  It's officially allergy season in New York City, and he decided it would be best to work from home.

Of course, in our tiny New York apartment (tiny is a relative term - our place may seem big to native New Yorkers but seems small to us native West Coasters), two people working from home causes problems.  And since he's the one with the job that actually brings in the money to pay for our New York lifestyle, he gets priority.

By the time I cleaned the house (to help stifle his allergies), took the dog on a few walks (since we don't have a yard), took care of some boring adult responsibility stuff, and made a meal or two, my workday was shot.  Sure I got some reading done, and worked on my website a bit, but nothing that took a lot of deep thinking.

I gave it another try today.  I got up bright and early thinking I would slam some stuff out before the rest of the household woke up.  I put on some oatmeal to cook, turned the teapot on, and sat down to work.

But of course that didn't happen.  One thing popped up after another - responsibilities that had to be dealt with, lest our little family be thrown out on the street with no place to go because we couldn't manage our bank account, pay our bills, etc.  Before I knew it, it was 11 am and I hadn't gotten any actual work done.  I still had to exercise, grocery shop and meet a client in just a few hours.  Creative work would have to wait.

Where does the time go?  

Finding a balance between life, work and creativity is not an easy thing to do.  And especially since because my creative interests are not bringing in the dough (yet!), they're usually classified as second priority.  

Logically, I know the answer is simple: make time. 

There are plenty of authors and famous artists with day jobs and families.  They often get up at 3 or 4 in the morning, sacrificing their sleep (and probably health and longevity) for their art.

But extremes have never worked out well for me.  I know myself well enough to know that if I start trying to get less than six hours of sleep each night I will get burnt out quickly, and everything - my work, my creative drive, as well as my responsibilities - will go to shit.

The most puzzling thing to me is that I don't even do the things that "normal" people tend to do.  I don't go out much.  I don't have much of a social life.  I rarely watch TV (with the exceptions of 30 Rock and The Office).  I could cut back on the amount of exercise/dog walking I do, but those are the things that keep me sane, so that would probably be a bad idea for everyone.

I haven't figured out the solution yet.  I'm sure there will be a lot of trail and error.  But I'm determined to find a balance, and not let life's responsibilities get the best of me.

Do the Work

Do the Work by Steven Pressfield

I finally finished Steven Pressfield's follow up to The War of Art: Break Through the Blocks and Win Your Inner Creative Battle today.  Do the Work took me three days to complete, but only because I was simultaneously reading three other books.

It was well worth the read.

Like Pressfield's previous book, Do the Work focused on the forces that keep us from doing great things.  He calls these forces Resistance, which he loosely defines as fear, self-doubt, procrastination, addiction, distraction, timidity, ego and narcissism, self-loathing, perfectionism, etc.  

I can relate.

Excuses, excuses

How easy is it to say that we don't have the time/money/motivation/support/desire to do big things?  Too easy.

The following passage particularly struck me as I was reading:

You may think that you've lost your passion, or that you can't identify it, or that you have so much of it, it threatens to overwhelm you.  None of these is true.

Giving in to Resistance  

Growing up, I would get so passionate about things (saving the world, photography, education, animals, etc.) I could barely hold the tears back.  I was overwhelmed, and didn't know how to put that passion into action, so much of it was wasted.

Then, a few years back, I moved to Europe.  It was an amazing experience, don't get me wrong, but I lost my passion somewhere along the way.  I thought I had missed my opportunity somehow; that I was meant to do big things, world-changing things, but alas, I'd chosen to get married and move to Europe instead so I'd deliberately directed myself away from that path.  It was too late for me, I'd cry to my husband - I was no longer a passionate person.  

Feeling empty and void of ideas didn't suit me particularly well.  I became depressed and hopeless.  But I now know that the feelings I experienced weren't due to actually losing my intelligence and passion for life - it was just Resistance talking.  

Finding your passion (again)

I may not know exactly where I want to put that passion yet (i.e. can't identify it), but I know it's there, and I'm doing all that I can to bring it forth.  

And you can do the same.

PS.  I would highly recommend Steven's book.  It will get you off your butt and doing those amazing things you always wanted to do.  Plus, the electronic version is currently free on Amazon, curtesy of GE.

Overcoming Obstacles: How the Possible Loss of My Right Arm Made Me Cherish Writing Again

Last night I woke up in the middle of the night with someone else's arm underneath me (not my husband's).  I panicked.  Whose arm was this?  Why was it in my bed?

It took me a few groggy seconds to realize it was my own arm.  But it had fallen completely asleep.  I've had limbs fall asleep before, but never anything like this.  It felt like jello was attached to my shoulder.  I couldn't feel or move it.  The thought, "am I going to lose my arm?" came to my mind and I nearly screamed.

Of course, it took a second (longer than normal, mind you - this arm was really asleep), but I soon felt the blood rushing back into my hand.  It was a strange experience, almost like I could feel all of my blood vessels that had previously been empty and on the verge of dying refill with life.  

I'm happy to say I have a working arm today.  But I can't help but think the experience was my body/mind/subconscious trying to tell me something.

Lately, I've awoken from a writing slumber.  I've always considered myself a writer, but in the past few years thought maybe I'd just run out of ideas, that I had nothing to say.  It took an online course given by Mark McGuinness (thanks Mark) to help me realize that I was a creative person and I would never be content in a boring, unchallenging 9 to 5 job (such as the ones I'd recently interviewed for).  

I'm right handed, so the loss of my right hand would have been pretty debilitating.  It may have even quelled my desire to write (at least for a while).  Could this have been what Steven Pressfield (author of The War of Art and more recently Do the Work), calls Resistance*?  Could certain forces been trying to stop me from writing by taking away my most useful writing tool - my right arm?

It won't work.  Not this time.

*In his book, The War of Art: Break Through the Blocks and Win Your Inner Creative Battle, Steven Pressfield defines Resistance as the naysayer within that creates roadblocks for any creative endeaver.  This internal foe must be defeated to achieve the greatest success and reach the highest level of creative discipline.