Thread by @Erinkyan

Hello! Inspired by a Discord discussion, I want to write a little thread on the three most common problems I've noticed in people not completing creative projects (a lack of planning, scope issues, and perfectionism) and some ways to combat them.

The first is practice. Finishing things is a skill, it's not something that we naturally know how to do. Our inspiration will fade at points in a project, and if we don't have a plan to get through the times when we just don't want to work on it, we won't finish.

So you need to make sure you have a plan. Figure out HOW you're going to complete a project before you start. That way, when you're annoyed and bored with the project and Just Don't Wanna, you can just consult your plan and know what step needs to be taken next.

Creative work is still work, you can't expect to feel inspired all the time. A lot of getting things done comes from just sitting down and Getting The Damn Thing Done.

The good news is that this is something you can learn! So don't go "oh, but I'm bad at discipline, so I guess I can't". Nope! You can definitely learn!

The best way to learn is start with smaller projects. Start with things you can finish in a day, then maybe in a week.

Every small project you finish is leveling you up in the "finishing things" skill. Once you've finished some things, you will have the skills you need to start a bigger thing. Just like any skill, if you practice on smaller things, you can work your way up to bigger things.

I'm not going to give you any "work on it every day" advice or anything like that, because that type of advice isn't applicable to everyone. Work on it however works best for you. But figure out how you're going to finish it, and then stick with that.

And truly, stick with it. I know it's hard. I know it sucks sometimes. But the feeling of FINISHING a project is SO GOOD, once you do it a few times you're gonna LOVE IT, and it's going to be easier to work towards that goal in future.

You CAN learn to finish things. You just need to realize that "finishing" is a skill in itself, that often requires practice, just like any skill. Once you work towards improving that skill, finishing things will become easier. I promise!

So let's talk about scope.

A lot of projects fail because the creator did not realize the scope of the project - that is, they didn't realize how much work it would be.

Scope is a project management term, and it basically means "your resources, and your ability and capacity to implement those resources".

So, obvious things like "how much money do I have", but also things like "how much time do I have" or "do I have the right skills".

You need to think about the scope of your project at the beginning. Because otherwise you're going to get halfway through and realize you don't have the resources or the ability to actually finish this thing you set out to do.

We've all done this at some point. We've started a thing and then somewhere into it we go "actually, I don't have the time to work on this" or "oh damn, this is going to have to wait till I can afford [thing]".

Be *realistic* about your resources. Don't go "I'm going to work on my novel every day!" if you don't have the time to do that. Don't go "I'm going to make a short film!" if you can't afford to hire or buy a camera. Because you're just going to disappoint yourself!

DO go "Well, I can work on my novel on the weekends, so I need to figure out how long that will take me to finish". DO go "well, I can't spend a LOT of time drawing, so I'll just do five minutes after breakfast every day".

DO go "I can afford to hire a single camera for one weekend, so I need to make sure I write a short script and that I can organize all my cast and crew for one weekend to get everything done." DO go "I don't know how to edit this, but I can afford to hire an editor".

If you know your scope and stick to it, your chances of finishing are much, much, much better. Because you know you can realistically do it!

So let's get to the The Big One, that most people struggle with. Perfectionism.

There's a lot written about perfectionism and I'm not going to give you a cure all or in depth therapy, but here's some small advice that might help.

Make garbage.

No, seriously, go make some garbage.

Don't even THINK about that project that you've been passionately working on in the back of your mind since you were fifteen. That is SACRED, and you KNOW you want it to be perfect.

So don't work on it yet.

Start with something you don't care as much about. Make a few things as practice. It's a lot easier to accept that something doesn't have to be perfect if you're not starting with an idea or concept that's really, really special to you.

The thing is, you're a creative person. You're good at coming up with ideas. I know that about you.

So come up with a new idea. Something small and interesting, but not something that sets your heart on fire, because you gotta practice some detachment.

And DELIBERATELY SET OUT to make it a practice project. You're just doing this one to practice. So it doesn't have to be perfect. It's practice!

You don't even have to show it to anyone if you want! (This is YOUR garbage. You can do whatever you like!!!)

HAVE DEADLINES AND STICK TO THEM. If you need to have [thing] by [time], well... when [time] comes along, you better have [thing]. Even if it's not as good as you want. It's just gotta be there.

The reason deadlines are so good is that they force you to practice letting go.

I know it's scary. I know you're worried about being judged.

But whatever you make is not intrinsically tied to your worth as a person or as an artist. I promise.

Your project is a thing you made. It's not YOU.

And the thing is? That garbage you made?

Yeah, most likely, your audience doesn't think it's garbage.

And even if they do? People LOVE garbage.

I have garbage things I love and I bet you do too. Something being garbage doesn't make it unlovable.