For the record, I’m literally doing this post because it’s something that I struggle with this All. The. Fucking. Time. I feel like most artsy/creative folks do. But considering my blog comes out on Thursdays, and it’s 4:47 pm on Thursday and I’m just getting started, it seems an appropriate topic. I’ll be damned if I’m gonna let you guys down on month 1.
I think it's fair to note that my tardiness isn’t due to a lack of thinking about what I was going to write. Actually, it’s quite the opposite. This will be the third post I’ve started working on this week. Not that the other two were bad (I’m sure I’ll finish them and put them out in the coming weeks), but the thinking shit get’s in your head, and before you know it, I’m unsatisfied with the direction of the topic, and I’ll have to rip it apart and rebuild from the ground up. It’s really a vicious cycle.
Which brings us to the resounding theme of this week's title.
Do. Shit.
It’s so easy to get caught up in details that truly don’t matter in the long run. Creatives know what I’m talking about. As a collective it’s certainly our Achilles heel. No matter how awesome something we create turns out to be, it’s never good enough. There’s always a flaw. There’s always something that can be better. We make excuses for delays and why things need to be pushed back when in reality most of us are just nervous about how people will respond to our work. It’s hard not to be when you’re so emotionally invested in your art. It’s a piece of you.
Personally, I do it in music all the time. I’ve been hung up on parts of songs before, that were so irrelevant most people would never even notice they existed. It’s laughable in hindsight, but somehow I continue to do it more often than I’d like to admit. Everybody does it, though. We desire something in life and then overthink the shit out of the details until we psych ourselves out of actually going for it. How many people have you heard say they want to travel and then never go anywhere because they don’t have the money?
So save some money...
Most of the things people make excuses for never getting to aren’t rocket science, just unknown, and that can be scary for a lot of folks. Think about anything you’ve ever done for the first time. Maybe it was the first day at a new job? You were excited about new opportunities, but you were nervous. It’s a new environment, you’re not sure if people are going to like you, and you don’t know how things work there yet. Now think how normal that environment became the more time you spent there. It’s easy because you understand how it works.
Most things in life turn out to be that way.
I’ll bet there’s something that’s been on your mind for a while that you’ve wanted to try/explore/experience/do and I’d just encourage you to not pass that idea by. Don’t overthink all the what if’s and give yourself a reason to doubt. If you want to learn to cook, Whole Foods has classes. If you want to learn a new language, Duolingo is free and you just have to put in the time. If you want to take that trip to Thailand you always dreamed about, put a date on your calendar and start saving a little bit of money every week. It will shock you how fast it adds up. And hey, if you want to write a blog, just do it. You might be surprised how many people are interested in what you have to say. I certainly am.
xoxo
Vance
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