“Do you ever have so many ideas for projects that you want to do all of simultaneously and so you end up feeling constantly overwhelmed but never doing any of them and what do you do to break out of that?”
Girl, you sound like someone who likes to talk about it but never be about it. Anyways, pull up close and let me drop some knowledge on you.
Hey Onicia is a series where I tap into my type-A side and answer questions from my friends about this starving artist life. If you find this helpful, share with your twitter homies or thank me with ice cream. Want to chat or collaborate? Holla at me!
So, you want to do all the things but end up doing none of the things? My solution is simple: pick one thing, set a deadline to revisit the others (1 year), and then just start.
Das it? Yup, das it!
Think about it. Your life is okay without doing any of these things right now. So, just pick one. You can always do the others later. Trust me. I have commitment issues. I’m also very ambitious. I know the struggle.
Jessica Abel has a create post about the concept of ‘idea debt’. “Idea Debt is when you spend too much time picturing what a project is going to be like, too much time thinking about how awesome it will be to have this thing done and in the world, too much time imagining how cool you will look, how in demand you’ll be, how much money you’ll make. And way too little time actually making the thing.”
Sooo, the questioner wasn’t convinced that being decisive would help her unlock her creative to-do list.
“The thought of doing that actually makes me really unhappy. Maybe just the timeline?It's too long. Feels like something is being kept away/taken away from me...almost sort of punishment?”
“I've thought about putting all those projects on slips of paper in a cookie jar and just drawing one out when I have a couple of hours to spare. Intuition tells me this might help, but I haven't gotten around to trying it yet.”
This was a social media post, so other friends with similar problems and mindsets chimed in. At that point, I had to mute notifications because they didn't really want to do the work. They just wanted to daydream about getting ish done. Keep reading if you're about da werk.
Yo, I don't understand why TEMPORARILY limiting yourself to one or two things feel like punishment. Did they not understand that they still had the option to do the other things just, you know, later???
That week I had been reflecting on Terry Crews and his drawing skills. I'm sure if he went hard at it, he could have had a career in illustration. But he didn’t. Instead he chose to focus on football, then acting, and eventually, he decided to share this drawing gift with the world.
Terry Crews reminded me that we are multifaceted. We can be good at more than one thing at a time. My blogger friend Tamara Holder from BaydianGirl.com says not everything has to be a side hustle. We can enjoy drawing without aiming to put in 10K hours or have it associated with 1040-ES forms. Nothing is forever.
Besides, my fellow lady in comedy Samantha Garcia says “when your hobby becomes your career, you need to find a new hobby.” So, yeah be careful what you wish for.
Oh yeah, and once you decide, DON’T TALK ABOUT YOUR ART. That’s lesson #1 from Mia McCullough’s Transforming Reality. It’s a book similar to Julia Cameron’s The Artist's Way, but way easier to get through. I’ve read both. Highly recommended.
Well, that’s it. That’s how I’ve been able to complete many of my bucket list items.
Want more reassurance? Cas Sigers-Beedles shared how you have to just start working on your passion projects and trust that your intuition will help prepare you for the right opportunities.
Well, that’s it. That’s how I’ve been able to complete many of my bucket list items.
Want more reassurance? Cas Sigers-Beedles shared how you have to just start working on your passion projects and trust that your intuition will help prepare you for the right opportunities.
What do you think? Tweet me questions using #HeyOnicia
I'm a creative with type-A tendencies who tried working in a call center but realized I'd rather help creatives get organized. I'm pimping out all my marketable skills to fund my art and ice cream habit.
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