you know what doesn’t feel good? thinking and dreaming of an idea, and not following through… and not following through on what you said you were going to do, especially after your ego self already told others how hype it’ll be.
what a time to be alive with so many options, so much information at our fingertips — oh, even the many paths you can take. how lucky are we that we can talk to each other without having to see each other, without in-person with another warm being.
the urge to create in this creator economy grows as i see my possible selves fade with time. i feel extreme guilt not making everything i can. there’s a reason why i work so hard. i come from a first-generation immigrant family. my parents escaped war to have me made here, this U.S. that’s constantly uttering Anarchy.
(is it possible for someone to fall in love with your writing? i imagine if you knew who the writer was, and read their writing, you could imagine a conversation with the bounds of their voice. how poetic.)
i am empowered to create because of the people before me. they gave me opportunity and new ways of thought that allow me to jam the way i do, dance the way i do, shine the way i do when i enter that room. boy, that takes practice. when you came from where we did, you gotta work for that confidence. friends who’ve seen me tear up that dance floor, i want to thank my ratchet cousins for showing me the way. you leave that poor mentality one dance floor (and bedroom at a time…HA sorry dad who may be reading this).
creation is my path to freedom. i see no other way to show the previous generation my gratitude. progress the next generations, jump those income brackets, lower them tax brackets. to be fully yourself, making whatever you want to see in the world, is a magical, tiny rebellion. “no matter the situation, yall can’t bring me down” typa mentality.
so imagine my disappointment when i can’t deliver consistently. let me be clear, there is a big problem when you’ve got 39 Drafts and 20 Published. get out of your own way already, Yunny.
(sidebar, i’m listening to this DJ set by Joe Kay as i write this and it is a BOP. mm giddit giddit giddit)
(those reading this, yall the homies. if you a homie, text me HOLLAH so i remember you A1)
i had to intervene, have a sit-down-we-need-to-talk with myself. Yunny…you are…creatively…constipated. i went in mayday mode reading Second Brain by Tiago Forte ([insert amazon link]), then restructured my whole entire OS Notes and Reminders app. yo, i got folders for every project and To-dos for every goal. i couldn’t be more ready to shove creativity down my. yeah, it’s great.
here are the things i pulled out as “useful”.
One? Organization. get your systems to reflect how your brain thinks then add over time. each thought you had on the project is useful. log it in one note. then, when you’re ready to deliver you hit Go, turbo mode until it becomes a reality. if it’s not time, let it sit in your Notes app. no worries, you can Search the Note when you’re ready. gathering inspiration as you think about details keeps the idea alive.
Two? Fear navigation. it’s a wild road out towards “Your Most Creative Self” so you gotta get your map. if you’re feeling like your work isn’t good enough, ship anyway. throw that fear in the trash as what makes a great artist great is their focus on QUANTITY.
work, over time (QUANTITY) → CREATES QUALITY
when you’re creating, you must focus on Shipping, yes with the capital S. Ship your work. push it out in the world even though you don’t feel like it’s “perfect”, “ready”, “done”. there’s beauty in your details that even only you know about. don’t be afraid to put yourself out there. the world will receive your efforts and show you what good fortune looks like. trust. try to trust when you don’t want to. believe that your work, your word, your way of dancing around this Earth matters. your human experience in its deepest sense is a valuable story to tell, no matter what you think.
you know what helps? social pressure. when you tell your buds and get their influence on purpose, take the social animal in you and construct a social system that encourages that positive behavior. your friend will call you OUT when you are not delivering on that creative promise you gave yourself. the best of friends will CELEBRATE you when you honor yourself to create the damn thing. bless those people who chant as you push that Publish button, boo.
tell your friends what you want to do. tell them the timeline you want to deliver on like they’re your project manager. pitch them on your dream and promise to buy pizza for you and the gang when you hit those milestone. it brings intimacy, accountability, and people to celebrate with when your arrow lands the bullseye. send them the links/art/article/finalproduct/works-in-progress even if they don’t click on every one. great friends share what they find that could help you on your journey…yeah, like giving their life, respawning you when you know sure as hell that they’re better off playing without you (Cuphead). i wish you luck in being able to identify those gold needles in the haystack.
i hope that answers all your questions on the topic. if not, throw your thought in the comments and we can discuss.
to our Most Creative Selves.
love,
YUNNY