I listened to a cool conversation between Mel Robbins and her daughter, Kendall, this week. Kendall has just finished studying at USC and is ready to launch her career as a singer/songwriter/performer. She was fortunate enough to get an artist’s pass at a music festival where some of her favorite musicians were performing. Although it was a thrill to meet the artists that have inspired her it was also an intimidating experience. Why? Because Kendall hasn’t recorded any songs, uploaded anything to Spotify, or started social media accounts. She felt she had nothing to show, no “evidence” that she could officially call herself an entertainer.
Being a new writer and illustrator, I can definitely identify with this feeling. I’ve got manuscripts submitted but nothing to show in public, and no books published. I love how Kendall turned this way of thinking around and thought about herself as a beginner, not an imposter. Once she had done that, her mindset shifted and she was able to engage with the other musicians with far more confidence.
Check out the conversation below:
The Waiting Game And The Doing Game
Most of the work I’ve created so far is being submitted to contests. Which left me wondering ‘What am I supposed to do in the meantime?’ Keep creating, of course! My son just pointed out that you can’t expect people to engage with your work if they don’t know you and know what your work is like. His suggestion was to write some stories to publish online, on my website, and on social media, to give people some insight into my writing style. That way, people can test the water and find out if they resonate with my work. Great idea!
I began to realise I was in a bit of a scarcity mindset. I was thinking of each story as something I had to hang onto just in case it was “the one.” The reality is, that I can write many stories, so why is it that we often feel like every story we create is our best and last? Maybe, if we didn’t feel that way we might be inclined to put less effort in, thinking that the next story will be better.
It could be said that the more you create, the more creative you become. Ideas tend to spark more ideas and being creative should be a fun and pleasurable experience. The trick is to find a balance. You don’t want to give everything away but you also want to have fun with it and interact with people.
My last mission was to write a story every two weeks, which I have been doing, and it’s been a lot of fun! My second mission over the next few weeks is to write some stories for sharing. I might add a few illustrations because that makes it more fun.
^_^R xox