Two Things You Should Always Do When Being Creative

(I dedicate this to all my people who practice creativity, but especially @5everurgirl)

Some of you find yourself in creativity naturally. Others find it something you must constantly work at. And then there are those of you who try to avoid it. (News alert: you really can't avoid it. Creativity will pop up somehow somewhere, even if it's in those two different striped socks you choose to wear.)

While I do something creative every day usually, a few years ago I decided to push myself into a different area of creativity—video making. And these are the two things I learned: 

1. Don’t settle.

 In creating my first video (which I hope none of you saw), I spent a good portion of the day doing it over and over again. Since I knew nothing about editing, I needed to do a one-minute video in one take, and for someone who is not used to being in front of a camera, that took a very VERY long time.

Finally, I was satisfied with it, and I spent an even better portion of time figuring out Youtube. While on Youtube, I stumbled across some vlogger/speakers, and I watched a couple.

I realized if I incorporated several little tips that the pros used, I could substantially improve my video.

So I picked up my camera/phone/recorder/lifeline and set to work. Again. Que second thing I learned:

2.    2. Settle.

I   I recreated my video, this time working on the lighting, camera placement, and the other little details that make watching an unprofessional video a little more bearable.

   This is the thing with step number 2—a lot of us don’t ever settle. Our poem is never good enough to share with anyone, so it sits in a notebook. Our song is never quite up to par with what you hear on the radio, so the world never hears it.

I    If you want to get better or even just enjoy your creative practice, you need to be able to share it with someone, which probably means settling for something that is not quite up to your standards.

Thank goodness.

Because the world needs less perfect and more imperfect.

Start today. Do something from beginning to end and don’t settle. Then settle.

Do you know someone who has trouble with this? Encourage them and share--let them know they are not alone!