ASLU 003: Masking Fear with Procrastination & Perfectionism
In Episode 3 of the And She Looked Up Creative Hour, Lisa and Melissa kick of a month of episodes that focus on the theme of “courage”.
What do procrastination and perfectionism have to do with courage, you may ask? Well we have a sneaking suspicion that they’re both manifestations of fear. The fear of taking the next leap in your business or your art or maybe even the fear of simply starting something new.
With most creative work there is a lot of vulnerability in putting out work that includes so much of your heart and your personality - especially when you are opening yourself up to other people’s judgements, opinions and criticisms. Some days it can be really scary to hit the button that send your work out into the world! In other words, it takes courage!
And so we often put up barriers in our own minds - whether it’s trying to make something absolutely perfect (which it never will be) before we put it out there or whether we keep putting off doing something we really want to do because there’s always some small, but not necessarily important task that needs to be done.
How do we get past these mental blocks of perfectionism and procrastination? How do we even recognize that’s what’s going on in our head?
In this episode we talk about recognizing when fear is holding you back through either perfectionism or procrastination (Melissa is the procrastinator and Lisa is the perfectionist in this duo!).
We also leave you with some strategies to help you overcome these mental blocks and either put yourself and your creativity out there for the first time or move yourself forward on your journey of being an artistic entrepreneur.
14 Tips to help creatives Overcome Perfectionism and Procrastination
Indentify which type of person are you? Do you procrastinate doing something that you know has the potential and power to push you forward? Or do you hold off on putting anything new out there by making a million tiny little changes to it because it’s “not quite there yet”?
When you feel resistance to putting something new out there, take a step back and ask yourself what’s going on in your head. Is that font colour really what’s bugging you? Do you really need to pin 10 more pins on pinterest or are you avoiding something bigger?
Walk yourself through the “what if” scenarios. You can do this in a journal or even in your head. Ask yourself what the worst thing that could happen if you go ahead with something - there’s comfort in playing out the different scenarios in your head and feeling a bit more prepared. But you might also realize that nothing really that bad is going to happen!
Recognize the you may just be overestimating your own importance (we all do this!) and maybe, just maybe, people aren’t watching every single move you make. Those little mistakes that feel like glaring errors to you, probably won’t be noticed by anyone else!
A lot of people connect very strongly to the imperfect - you can use that to your advantage. Imperfection is more relatable and more approachable. It helps people connect to you and that can translate into more interaction and even sales.
Consider working with an accountability partner or even an accountability coach who pushes you to hit the goals and milestones you’ve sent for yourself. Mastermind groups, mentors or even a small community group of other creatives or entrepreneurs can help with this. These people can also have a bit of emotional distance from your work which can be really helpful.
Think about creating a small beta or pre-launch group to test out your newest products or offerings on - some authors even have beta reading groups. Give them free access or access at a heavily discounted price in exchange for honest, productive feedback. People love to feel part of the creation process and they love to give their opinion. This is a great way to test something out before sending it out to the world.
Give yourself time to sit with feedback you receive. Don’t get upset at criticism - look at it as a gift that can help you improve your work. But also realize, you don’t have to implement the feedback - you can go with your gut because you know that’s what feels right to you.
Try a “daily challenge” project like The 100 Day Project or a 365 Photo a Day Challenge or NanoWriMo that encourages you to create daily and then share it with the world. It’s a great way to push yourself outside your comfort zone and get your work out there even if you’re not 100% happy with it. It’s also a great way to improve your craft because you’re working in daily practice increments. At the end of the time frame you’ll have a tangible and visual record of your progress which can be a huge confidence boost!
Don’t be afraid to put a piece of work aside for a few days or even a few weeks. Sometimes we become so immersed in what we’re doing that we can no longer “see” what’s happening. Stepping away for a short time and coming back with fresh eyes can help you spot problems and see new solutions but, it can also make you realize that what you’ve created is actually really good!
Better Done That Perfect: sometimes you just need to put something out there. It’s ok to lower the bar. You can’t move forward if you don’t produce something. There are times we just need to make a leap or borrow from Nike and just do it.
Put your goals out there - it can be in a journal or planner. It can be on a vision board that hangs in your studio or office or bedroom - even your kitchen fridge. Write yourself a letter with your goals and give it to a friend and ask them to mail it to you in 3-4 months as a reminder of the goal you set for yourself.
Be careful of the content you consume on social media. Social Media, particularly visual social media like Instagram or Pinterest can really reinforce the idea of a perfect aesthetic. There is a very fine line between inspiring and unattainable
If something you make today doesn’t turn out quite how you had hoped, remind yourself that you get to create something new tomorrow and the day after that and the day after that. The opportunities to try again are almost endless. So you have one bad day today. Maybe you even have a few bad days in a row. You won’t give yourself the opportunity to have a good day if you stop trying.
Resources and Items Mentioned In This Episode:
On Boards by Lisa Bolton
Small Giants: Companies That Choose To Be Great Instead of Big by Bo Burlingham
Some Daily Challenges You Can Try
NanoWriMo (National Novel Writing Month)