Remember why you started.

It's easy to get discouraged on a creative journey.

Life, setbacks, disappointments, missteps, mistakes, and more can all cause you to re-think what it is you're doing or even give up.

But you started for a reason. You have to go back to that reason and maybe start all over again.

Take a fresh look at whatever it is you're trying to do and achieve.

Find out why it's not working.

As Einstein supposedly once said - "Insanity is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results".

If your photography career has stalled, there must be a reason.

If people are not buying your paintings, there must be a reason.

If nobody wants to buy your script, there must be a reason.

So on and so forth.

There are reasons for everything, you just have to find out what they are and get around them or rectify them.

There are too many variables and possibilities as to why some things may not be working. But here are some things to consider.

* Maybe you are not putting enough time and effort into it. Nothing gets handed out on a silver platter and spending a few minutes or hours here or there simply wont cut it. You need to sacrifice a lot of personal time to achieve the things you truly want. You can't just order this on an app and have it delivered, sorry, life doesn't work like that.

* Maybe you are listening to the wrong advice. Sure, your Uncle Bob once went to an art gallery, and your best friend from school did really well in art at high school, but they may not be the best sounding boards when it comes to your work. You need some honest and tough mentors and advice. Find those people. Listen to them. Take on board what they have to say gleaned from their years of experience.

* Maybe you are not doing something different enough. If your photography, art, or whatever looks like hundreds of others then your reason is staring you in the face, literally. If your work looks like something from Andy Warhol or Ansell Adams then you have not pushed yourself hard enough, you haven't found your unique voice. You need to find that.

* Maybe your own attitude is the problem. Let's be honest, many creative people can be difficult to work or deal with, trust me, I know this first hand, I've been that person many a time. We can get in the way of our own progress by being too stubborn or pig headed when it comes to the work we're doing. That's why the point about mentors can be so important. Sometimes we need to listen to someone with much more experience than ourselves and even be brought down a few pegs in the ego department so as we can see where we need to go and how to get there.

As I said, there could be hundreds of reasons, only you will be able to find out which ones apply to you, but to do that you have to be brutally honest with yourself.

Don't look for excuses or blame. Simply identify the reasons and work out a plan to bypass them and get back on track.

If you have to scrap everything you are doing or have done that may be what's needed. So start again. It's not the end of the world, in fact it could be the beginning of your best creative journey.

But start for the same reason you started in the beginning. If that reason was not because you had a passion for the thing you were pursuing then that was your first mistake.

If you started for money, fame, adulation, and applause you started for all the wrong reasons.

Passion before profit.

Passion is the best reason to start something.

And that's something worth remembering.

Rodd

I'm a Creative Director / Writer / Strategist / Thinker and a bit more. I work with clients/brands directly and with agencies and production companies. I also teach creative thinking and idea generation to groups and individuals. You can read more of my LinkedIn musings here. You can also find me on Twitter,  Instagram and on Facebook. Or drop me an email – [email protected]

Words Copyright Rodd Chant 2018

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