How To Stop Overthinking Your Creative Work And Start Sharing It
Read this if sneaky self-doubt keeps creeping in like the creep it is. Your work deserves to be seen!
Does Sharing Your Creative Work Make You Die Inside?
We’ve all been there.
You have a great creative project that you’re excited to share with the world, but for some reason you just don’t feel like it’s “ready” yet. You keep telling yourself that you’ll start sharing when it’s perfect, but that day seemingly never comes.
You look it over. You look it over again. It doesn’t feel quite right. The right moment seems to elude you.
Don’t let perfectionism get in the way of your creative progress. Your work is worth sharing!
Learn how to embrace a “work-in-progress” mindset to move your beautiful ideas forward.
“Perfectionism can be brutal and subtle, beneficial and malignant. You get to choose how it impacts you.” - Ash Perrow
Reframe Your Perspective (And Objectives!)
One common reason people hesitate to share their creative projects is the fear of not being “perfect.” They worry that making mistakes will lead to harsh judgment from others. But here’s the truth: perfection isn’t the goal, and mistakes are part of the process! Sharing your work, even when it’s not flawless, is a key step in growing as a creative entrepreneur.
Everyone starts somewhere, and perfection isn’t expected from the beginning. The joy of creating lies in the journey: Growing, learning, and improving along the way.
Mistakes are an essential part of the creative process. Instead of fearing mistakes, embrace them. They can lead to unexpected ideas, fresh experiences, or even new directions for your creative projects. Use each mistake as a stepping stone to refine your skills and move closer to your goals.
Adopting a “work-in-progress” and “create in public” attitude can help you get into the groove of sharing in spite of perfection, allowing others to see your creativity in action. Sharing your process and experience can inspire and encourage others who are also working through the same self-doubts sharing their own creative projects!
Create + Release
Sharing work that isn’t perfect can be a powerful strategy for creators and artists. By releasing your creations, you can gather valuable insights, learn from the process, and continue to grow, even if the outcome isn’t exactly as imagined. This approach also helps you move more easily onto new projects, keeping creativity flowing and progress steady.
You can pick your level of sharing comfort. Here are just a few ideas:
A Substack subscribers-only “work-in-progress” post or weekly chat thread sharing what you’re working on, any hiccups you encountered, and goals for your work
A paid subscribers glimpse into your workspace, mindset, and work-in-progress
Sharing half of an art piece or a specific detail of the artwork as an image Note on Substack
Sharing a snippet or paragraph of something you are writing as a Note on Substack or in a chat thread in a creator-friendly community (Hello, that’s us!)
Joining a private community for creators to share their work-in-progress and receive support and actionable feedback (We have one!)
Something to think about: Should you share your work-in-progress with ChatGPT for feedback? That’s up to you as a creator, but keep in mind that any content uploaded to an AI system may be used to improve model performance, unless you opt-out. There are other privacy and security concerns to consider, as well.
Break It On Down
Breaking down your project into smaller pieces can absolutely help if you are feeling like something will never be ready to where you feel comfortable to share your creative project.
You can structure how you promote your project by sharing one completed task at a time and celebrate each accomplishment along the way.
Put yourself out there by sharing one accomplishment or insight from your latest creative project a day or week. If you’re feeling scared or hesitant about sharing your projects, just take the plunge and do it!
The more you put yourself out there, the easier it will become. And who knows? You might even surprise yourself with how much success you find!
Does that resonate? Check out this article:
Ask For Feedback On Your Creative Project
There’s no shame in admitting that you need a little assistance before cranking up the marketing machine if you’re feeling stuck or reluctant to start self-promoting.
Ask a trusted friend, colleague, or family member for their input or consider consulting with a professional if you need specific feedback on a component of your project (like marketing, for example) before sharing your creative work:
Ask for specific feedback: Ask targeted questions that move your creative work forward. “What's one thing from this project I should do more of?” is a more specific question than “What do you think of this project?”.
Be selective in feedback: Ask the right person the right questions. A friend or colleague that has relevant experience with the type of work you are creating or its promotion can provide actionable feedback in a constructive way.
When seeking feedback, remember that it’s not about seeking external validation to drive your creativity. The most important thing you can do is trust in yourself and your work, especially when sharing it with others.
Believe in your potential; You are capable of achieving so many amazing things! Embrace your creative process and have faith in the value of your work. You’ve got this.
Practice Creative Self-Compassion
Do you ever feel like everything you share is a misstep? It’s okay to stumble. We all experience moments of self-doubt, questioning if what we put out into the world is good enough. You’re not alone in feeling this way!
The key is to learn from your mistakes and keep going. Don’t let them hold you back from finishing your project. Self-compassion also allows us to be more kind to ourselves when things don’t go according to plan. Developing a resiliency mindset is everything.
Rather than succumbing to anger and frustration, we can choose to acknowledge that things didn’t go as planned, and that’s “perfectly” okay. By reflecting on what worked and what didn’t, we can gain valuable insights, grow from the experience, and move forward with clarity.
Actionable idea: Grab some scraps of paper. Write down one new thing you have learned and one new thing you achieved daily. Stick the scraps of paper into a jar or bag. Do this for 30 days. When you feel stagnant or stuck, read something you wrote for a dose of self-motivation!
5 Quick Tips To Start Sharing Your Creative Projects When It Doesn’t Feel “Ready”
You don’t have to be an overnight success, but you do have to get started
Take things one step at a time and trust in your creative process
Ask for feedback but trust your vision
Break your creative project into micro goals that can be shared with your channels in a way that builds your sharing muscle
Put creative self-compassion into practice to get off of the self-judgement train
Put Your Ideas Into Action!
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Show Your Work
Thank you for this reminder that doing something imperfectly is better than doing nothing! It’s something I keep working at!