As a writer for M Pire Magazine and an artist myself, I can most certainly relate to the mental battles that we as artists fight, that many others may not understand even if we explain it to them. One popular issue is spreading ourselves too thin...
When you are, as I put it, a "Creator" by nature, you "create", whether it's intentional or unintentional. The blessing/curse that comes with the role of the Creator includes having ideas consistently stream in and out of your mind, usually at the most random times. These ideas could be as small as a melody of a song or a sketch, to as big as a fortune 500 company or movement. This blog post was an "idea" for me, which is why I'm writing it. Usually, when you have an individual with both creativity and drive, you'll usually end up with a very busy individual, trying to get all of those ideas off the ground, and in extreme cases, an individual who has spread themselves too thin.
Here's what others may not grasp about us: Anyone can look at a driven Creator, such as you and I, and say "simply stop spreading yourself too thin". Simple as that, huh? The core of this vicious cycle is, we are attached to each and every one of our ideas because they are our own, like children. If any one of these ideas do not get executed, a huge part of us either feels incomplete or feels like we're "wasting away". Unfortunately, that comes with the territory. It's the "Universe's" way of making sure we are doing what we were put here to do, and that's to change the world (cliche, I know, but you get my drift).
Now, there are very many ways to deal with this situation. I can share a couple with you that has helped me deal with my scattered brain and keep a sense of peace at the same time.
- Write Everything Down: I have a notebook for just about everything. One in particular is an "idea" book. My biggest worry is forgetting a good idea that crosses my mind altogether, or losing that idea among all the other ideas that come to mind. So I carry a small notebook with me everywhere I go, or I download an app on my phone that I can use to record all of my ideas. This is usually my first (and most important) step to keeping track of and organizing all my ideas. You want to record all your new ideas as well as the ones you are currently executing.
- Evaluate Yourself and Your Ideas: There are layers to this one. We all know logically that everyone has their limits. Somehow, to us, we subconsciously believe we have none, which is why we're in this situation. Some of us have been told for so long that if we have an idea, that it must mean we are meant to do it.... which is true to some degree. The reality is, we come up with an idea because we have the capability to do it. However, capability and capacity are two different things. Here are some things you need to consider when dealing, and ultimately filtering, your ideas.
- Reflect on the many things you are working on currently, then evaluate your physical schedule. First, find out how much time it will take to invest in each of these ideas, then look over your schedule. What I like to do is create a 24 hour chart. I take out the hours I use to sleep, eat, work my regular job, run regular errands, and time to myself. How many hours are left? A more accurate way to do this is to keep a time log for the next couple weeks of where your time is going, like a balance sheet. If you find that these ideas collectively take away too many hours out of your daily schedule (which should never be at capacity), or if any of these ideas are being neglected due to lack of time, it's time to cut down.
- In filtering the ideas you are currently working on, prioritize them. Which ideas mean the most to you? Which ideas do you want the most to be executed? Which ideas can wait?
- Focus on One or Two Ideas: From that list, pick only one or two ideas (preferably one or two long-term ones), and focus your drive/energy on those one or two ideas. There's a scene in Man of Steel that pretty much summarizes our chaotic situation and how we deal with it. In this scene, towards the end of the video, Superman confronts villain Zod, who is having trouble controlling his superpowers on our foreign planet, and Superman gives him some pretty interesting advice that connects to this topic:
- Create a Timeline for the ideas you want to work on now, as well as a future timeline for the ideas you want to work on for later. That way, everything will be done in a timely manner, and you won't have to worry about missing a beat or losing your mind.
- Know That It's All In Your Head: If you're still fighting that irritating demon that tells you that you are a "failure" if you don't execute a particular idea due to your capacity, you need to learn to talk back to that demon. The existence of this demon is fueled by fear.... but fear of what?
- "You'll be a failure and a bum".... Let's look at the bottom line here: How exactly are you a failure and a bum in this case? You're already executing a couple of really great ideas which are probably blooming already. You may not be at the level you want to be, but everything takes time. Learn to appreciate the progress you've made instead of worrying about not reaching your final destination. If you train yourself over time to remember these things, I promise that "failure" demon will eventually be replaced with inner Peace and Gratitude.
- "So and So is much further along than you are, so what's wrong with you?" - The fact that you're even comparing yourself to someone else in the first place is your demon's livelihood. Of course you know this already, but let's look at this a little deeper: You don't know that person's full situation, or what they went through to get where they are. It may have taken them decades, where you may have only been in this business for six months. Their resources, mentorship, education, etc may have also been different form yours. There is nothing wrong with that, and there most certainly is nothing wrong with you because of it. What I like to do to help deal with this mentality, is look up some of the most well-known companies, and research how they first started, and nine times out of ten, it's no where near where they are now. Daymond John started out hand-sewing hats and selling them on the streets of New York. Over 20 years later he's a multi-millionaire. It's always best not to compare your situation with someone else's, and revert back to point number 1 about appreciating your current progress and enjoying the moment!
- "You don't want your friends and family thinking you're a failure" - There's an expression my brother and I always say: "Your opinion is not putting a single dollar in my pocket." Need I say more on this one?
I really hope this posts helps someone! Feel free to give us some feedback on this topic, and share some of your experiences and advice in the comment box below for us and some of our other readers! Outside of that, if you subscribe to M Pire Magazine's monthly newsletter below, you'll be entered into a pool from which three individuals will get a full page feature in our next issue. Also, if you send three people to sign up, your name and web link will automatically be listed in our next issue. So subscribe away below!
