Okay, so I’m back after a whole year of planning the thing, another year of ditching the thing, and another additional year of rebranding the thing, I’ve finally had the guts to go ahead and launch my blog!

In celebration of this feat, here’s a reference guide that I’ve devised for myself for those times when I lose momentum/forget how to get the Creative thing done:

1. Develop a personality

In writing, we call it developing your own voice — that which distinguishes you from all the rest. So how do you go about developing your own voice? In my opinion, the most important thing in any creative endeavor is to be honest. Specifically, for me, that means being emotionally honest with myself, the process itself, and the story that I’m weaving together. I’m willing to allow, however, that this may not be the case for everyone.

When it comes down to it, I think everyone has to find their own personal trademark, their own individual style, and their own way of doing things. This is your creative personality, a mixture of traits you get to choose and traits that reveal themselves to you.

2. Take feedback into consideration: Celebration, Criticism, & Constructive Advice

On the one hand, celebration, criticism, and constructive advice — this all comes with the territory so don’t get too carried away with either one of them. Many of my own writing teacher’s have often repeated to me that my only job is to keep the reader entertained. I think that’s fair advice. There is nothing you could produce that would please everyone in the world. However, even if someone doesn’t care for your work or subject matter, it still has the potential to engage their interest.

On the other hand, there are times where you need to cut off your understanding of what the audience would like to see you produce for your own artistic sanity. Balance.

3. Make mistakes

I’ve had to come to terms with the reality that not everything I produce will be a golden nugget. You should too. In fact, it’s the only way to continue to improve your craft. By making mistakes, and recognizing them as such, we learn to make better informed mistakes on which we can also improve upon. In other words, there is no limit to our creative capabilities.

4. Edit, edit, edit.

It is very rare that anything produced on first try alone does not need retouching of some sort. One of the ways in which I am able to overcome my own writer’s paralysis is by acceding that I will have to come back to my work and edit furiously. Yes, it’s a painful process, but the product is more than worth it.

5. Cultivate your creative process

Not everyone experiences their creative process the same way. Indeed, some don’t even feel the need to define whatever they do before the final product a creative process. Personally, I do believe that cultivating a creative process is valuable in that it helps you pinpoint methods, strategies, and routines that can help you perform at your best. The most important thing is to cultivate a creative process that feels both comfortable for you.

6. Keep a schedule

If you want to be great, you got to treat your passion as a job. Time-management is crucial; this means making time for your passion, setting deadlines, goals, and holding yourself accountable. Keeping a schedule holds you accountable for your success or lack thereof.

7. Trust the process

The process often requires time and patience. Exercise patience!

8. Mingle with other creatives

They don’t necessarily have to be involved in the same craft as you, in fact, it does help to have a mix of people involved in various crafts. When mingling with people in the same craft as you, you should try to engage with people at various levels, with different struggles and strengths. I promise this is all educationally, and personally enriching.

9. Study your craft

This is definitely a necessity if you want to improve your craft. For me, this means reading, reading, and reading some more. Not only the greats, but some of the not-so-greats. To study your craft requires a very different approach from the average audience. You have to approach the works you study with a critical eye, always with the mindset of a thief discerning between what is useful for you to take away and what is not.

10. You can do it

There will be days when you won’t feel like a creative bumblebee, but even still you must. After all, the key to creative success is consistency (or any success really).