start wherever you are
At the end of January, I began Ignite, a creative leadership program for women. Before this, I had a little baby seed of an idea that had been swirling around in my head for several years, but nothing to actually show for it. I had no idea where this journey would lead, but I knew I was right where I needed to be.
I want to share a little peek into the journey I’ve been on, and reflect on some of the things I’ve learned, in my pursuit of creative purpose.
my creative process, in a nutshell.
Ten weeks ago I took my baby seed of an idea, gave it a bit of love, and then put it out into the world. I battled my resistance (blockers to creativity), defined my ideal audience, reached out to said audience, and pushed my comfort edge by posting about my project on Instagram (yes, social media is terrifying to me!). I created three rough prototypes, put those prototypes in front of people, and learned a lot of really cool things about what I’d made. I shared this journey, and all its ups and downs, with seven other women whose journeys I also had the privilege of sharing.
And then a pandemic happened and changed a few things. So I pivoted and brought my project launch event online. But that enabled this magical thing, creating a space for women from all over the world to connect with one another.
Which leads me to…
launching my project, you are here!
I set out with the idea to meet creative women from different places and backgrounds, and tell their stories so that others could also be inspired. Ten weeks ago, this was nothing but a fuzzy idea. Now I am thrilled to say that this idea has become reality! I met with three beautiful, incredible women who so graciously agreed to share their stories. To launch the first chapter of this project, I created a digital book with their stories, the creative work of other women, and a few activities to spark creativity.
I’ve sure learned a lot through this process, and here are my top three takeaways:
keep showing up.
Let me tell you — I resisted many of the steps I had to take throughout Ignite. But no matter what I felt that day or how much fear I felt or how imperfect my work seemed — I kept showing up. I don’t think showing up means you have to be your best self every day or put your best work out there. I think all it means is that you keep going, by choosing to be present for yourself and for your creative work. A lot of days I didn’t feel like I was putting my best stuff out there, but I was putting something out into the world. I would so much rather put something out there, than nothing at all.
creating what brings you joy is the most authentic thing you can create.
I’ve always struggled with comparison, especially as it relates to my own creative work. Early in this process, I started going down the path of creating what I thought people wanted to hear, and it wasn’t sitting well with me. I quickly realised that the way I can be most true to my own voice is by creating what brings me joy. And if I’m creating things that I love, then naturally other people will love them too.
wherever you are is the best place to start.
For so long I sat on these ideas and dreams. I don’t even know what I was waiting for, all this time. And the reason why I’m not waiting anymore is because I took action. My work wasn’t always perfect or polished or fully formed, but if I had used those as excuses to stop creating, I wouldn’t be where I am right now. The more I kept going and kept creating, the clearer things became. So what are you waiting for? DO something, even if it’s small. Enough small steps eventually lead to big ones. Wherever you are is the best place to start.