Julie R. Neidlinger: Lone Prairie Art Works

Failure to complete.

written by Julie R. Neidlinger 0 comments link this post

I am often discourage at my inability to finish projects. I also know that this is very much the norm for creative people: far too many ideas -- some started and some not -- than we'll ever be able to bring to completion.

Creative people are never short for ideas, then, but they are also never short for things that block those ideas and keep them from completing projects or goals.

Too many ideas: The proliferation of ideas is something that can overwhelm me. Though I have moments of writer's block/artist's block, it isn't for lack of ideas. Generally, it comes from too many ideas and lists of "shoulds" that have built up and clogged the gears, so to speak. There's no room to work with them all, since shuffling them around to process one or two of them means I might forget or lose or misplace one.

I hate to forget an idea, whether it is an art idea or a concept or theory I want to explore more in my writing. But I have to get them out of my head or I will grind to a stop and be unable to do anything. I can't press on. I have to deal with this overload or I will soon find myself focusing on my failure to institute the ideas instead of enjoying that I had them to spin around in my head in the first place.

Fear: Fear of failure, fear of success. Both paralyze me. Fear that I'm operating in some kind of void or vacuum and that no one is even on the same wavelength or interested in my silly little idea. Fear of rejection. Fear that I don't have the necessary skill, that I lack the chops to pull off an idea that was mine. Fear of being laughed at. Fear of being too well-liked and having to deal with compliments and people who glom on.

Time: Time management is key. I don't even think I have to expound on this, except to say that the concept of time management is a lie. It's not about managing time, but spending time. Time is money, and we spend it. Once spent, it's gone.

Help: I usually find myself fluctuating between needing help and not knowing where to find it, or not wanting help and needing to do something on my own and having people interfere with too many good intentions.

I don't have a solution for these, though I do have a few suggestions of things that I do that help a little bit as far as the first "problem", that of having too many ideas.

When I have too many ideas, I feel panicky inside. The ideas build up and I know I'm going to start forgetting the good ones. The absolute best outlet for this is a journal or sketchbook (whether you are a writer or visual artist). Until I've found a way to let the ideas out of my head, whether I end up doing anything with them or not, they sit and fester and eventually bring me to that standstill I described.

Let the ideas go. Get them on paper and forget about them. You can come back to them later, with fresh eyes, and see if they're worth the time or if maybe in need of a few changes. Regardless, you can free up space knowing that you wrote it down and can refer to it later. You can start thinking about new things and then write those down, too. There's something about that process of turning non-material thoughts into something dimensional and "outside of the moment" by writing it on paper and looking back on it five years down the road. It's an exercise in and of itself that ends up creating a fabulous work of art or writing.

It is so nice to be able to let ideas go. To forget about them, knowing they are in the safety of a journal.

Unless your house burns down. Or you lose the journal.

But that's a post for another day.