PP 174: 2 Tips to Get Creatively Unstuck & Unlock Your Next Big Breakthrough
You Don’t Need Permission to Make Your Dream Happen
Are you fed up with being creatively stuck?
Are you ready to stop consuming and take massive action?
If so, today’s episode is all about staying active and open on your creative grind, so you can get that breakthrough you’ve been wanting for a hot minute now.
They’re the two catalysts for the type of success you deeply desire, and both have been pivotal for any type of creative biz breakthroughs I’ve had.
My goal today is to get you creatively unstuck by getting you to:
Stop seeking permission to make shit happen for yourself.
Stay open to embrace uncomfortable change.
Be prepared and ready for new opportunities to come your way.
Pacing Yourself
Before we dive deep, I want to preface this upfront:
Taking breaks along the way is hella important to avoiding burnout, staying out of creative funks, and throwing in the towel on your pursuits.
Staying active is important, but so is pacing yourself—it’s a slow and steady grind when you’re working on your dream.
Staying Active (and Patient)
With that being said, staying active means consistency and taking initiative in my world.
Consistency
To me, being consistent versus going hard AF in short bursts of intensity is far more beneficial.
The latter leads to burnout and long gaps of inactivity (inactivity is horrible for building a name for yourself).
Consistently showing up (even if it’s just 15 minutes to an hour a day) generates small wins and mini-milestones.
When you string these W’s together, you generate momentum.
Momentum over the years is what leads to those huge career-shifting breakthroughs.
Taking Initiative
An important reminder you may need to hear today is: You don’t need anyone else’s permission to chase what you want.
If I had waited for permission to share my work, blog, speak, teach, podcast, or coach, I’d still be at a day job complaining about how unfulfilled and how broke I was.
My biggest regret is not taking massive action sooner.
If you’re creatively stuck right now, I encourage you to:
Stop waiting for permission to make shit happen for yourself.
Take the initiative to manifest your own opportunities.
Create the work you want to see in the world.
Hire yourself for the type of work you want to get hired to do.
Share the message you’ve been too scared to share.
No one is going to hand your dream to you, so it’s on you to make it happen.
If you’re struggling to take the first step, try this effective, yet morbid exercise:
Simply imagine yourself on your deathbed...yup.
While you’re lying there, look back on this very moment of uncertainty.
Is this going to be something you regretted never pursuing?
That usually can help reframe the petty reasons holding you back from taking your shot.
Staying Open
Maybe you’re in the position where you’ve been active, yet you’re seeing little-to-no traction over time?
Or maybe you’re the type of person who is so dead set on one path that you’re missing the signs that you’re meant to do something else?
Staying active is hella important, but staying open for unexpected opportunities, new relationships, and uncomfortable risks are the catalyst for shit to really pop off.
It’s easy to get shiny object syndrome. You bounce around from one thing to the next without fully committing and giving the one thing that had promise time to grow during a season (aka niching down).
It’s also easy to get so far pigeon-holed and too comfortable in what you’re doing that you’re blinded to the big opportunity in front of you.
I’ve been on both sides of the fence over the years, but learning to actively embrace and welcome the unexpected is what surged my creative career forward—especially 2019 through 2020.
Reminding People You Exist
After an injury robbed me of my football career in college, I’ve been tirelessly searching for my identity as a creative.
I pretty much have tried everything: drawing tattoos, starting a clothing brand, designing logos/branding, website design, calligraphy/wedding chalkboards, selling my own products/merch, creating digital goods, blogging, teaching, speaking, podcasting, affiliate marketing, and now coaching.
Even when quitting seemed like the best option, I constantly stayed active and open to testing and experimenting with new creative paths until something stuck.
When shit wasn’t popping off, I continued to share my work and push forward even if I didn’t have my style, voice, and groove mastered (which I still don’t today).
Staying open and actively pursuing new opportunities to quickly fail, grow, and learn helped me:
Remind people I existed because I consistently was sharing something creative.
Build a name for myself and gain some clout as an artist/designer.
Grow my side hustle to a full-time grind and build incredible relationships along the way.
The Answers Are in Front of You
The biggest thing I’ve learned over my 10 years of finding my groove after college and 6 years of doing Perspective-Collective is this:
The more you consistently show up, take initiative, and stay open to the unexpected, the answers will reveal themselves over time.
The answers will come in the form of opportunities, risks, and relationships that unlock the next level for you to conquer.
It’s on you to show up when it’s not convenient, be aware of the signs/omens, and have the heart and guts to act in the direction your intuition is guiding you.
Chase it On Your Own Terms
You don’t need someone’s permission to make shit happen in your life.
Stay open to:
Understanding when something isn’t working.
Trying new avenues that make you uncomfortable.
Finding new resources to learn and grow.
Being challenged on the lens in which you view the world or a specific subject.
Admitting that you’re not investing the effort to make your dream happen.
Once you find the next path, take massive action with no regrets.
Get that breakthrough you’ve been wanting but never gave yourself the chance to chase it.
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Credits
Music - Blookah
Executive Assistant - Paige Garland
Photo & Video Specialist - Colton Bachar
Social Media Coordinator - Hannah Schick
Animation Specialist - Greg D'Amico