How to Start and Finish Your Creative Dream Project
by Thea Fiore-Bloom, Ph.D
Do you have a meaningful, creative dream project you resolved to launch this year that seems to have taken a swan dive into oblivion?
Me too.
In order for this time to be different let’s get some expert help.
Eric Booth author of The Everyday Work of Art: Awakening the Extraordinary in Your Daily Life is going to give us the 9 most overlooked steps to bringing a creative dream to life.
9 Things We Need To Do To See Our Creative Dream Project Come True
1. Start Quietly
Booth believes experienced artists have learned to begin soul-centered projects quietly.
Consider not making big announcements about a plan till it’s well up and running.
Why?
Booth writes, “We each have our particular cast of pernicious characters that try to get parts in the drama of beginning.”
Dream projects can trigger the trip wires of self-doubt that have been laid down by our inner-critic-elves along the pathways of our brain.
Keeping your big plan on the down low in the beginning stages will allow you to tiptoe through the trip wires, explosion-free.
Sometimes when I talk about a dream project to others too early, it uses up all the energy I need to actually begin the work.
2. Don’t Buy Anything!
“You don’t need to take a class or buy a speedy computer,” writes Booth.
“Learn small first, before you pressure the learning with new equipment. If you buy the ‘necessary tool’ too soon, you may spend creatively useful time with your new ‘toys’ and could suffocate the artistic yearning underneath.”
A notebook is usually all we need to begin.
3. Many Small Steps = Completed Creative Dream Project
Think of your project as a series of tiny, doable goals that will enrich your world.
Small yeses to your creativity make dream projects come alive and stay alive.
How?
Small yeses keep things hopping. They ensure you keep generating ideas and stay eager to tend to the project.
“Worlds are made of many small yeses.”
— Eric Booth
4. If You Stumble Early, Lower the Hurdle
“Remember that success is not the excellence of any single painting or project; success means sustaining the practice over time,” writes Booth.
“Let’s say the world you yearn to create is a painting of your favorite tree, and you can’t get it to look good.”
Pull back and sketch a single leaf for a while until it satisfies you, and then you’re ready to move on.”
“Unless your work gives you trouble, it’s no good.”— Pablo Picasso
Practice self-acceptance. It’s normal for things to feel bumpy and wrong after the initial euphoria wears off.
The question to ask ourselves is, can we keep going anyway?
5. We Need To Include Reflection in Our Dream Project
What is the most overlooked step to successfully bringing a soul-centered project to life?
Booth believes it’s consistent self-reflection.
I have dedicated wall calendars I have lying around to jot down a single reflection on a dream project every day for one month.
It usually keeps me returning to the work; especially if I allow myself to apply one absurd, sparkly art sticker from The Paper Source on that calendar each day I attend to the project.
Research says the more senses you bring in to the process of working on a goal, the better your chances of finishing it. Use stickers and white erase boards to bring more senses and colors in to play.
“[…]Notice the minuscule achievements and hiccups of satisfaction,” writes Booth.
Savor small victories.
Jot down questions.
Believe in the validity of them.
6. Make Your Creative Dream Project a Reality — Set Up a Habit
We already know the best thing we can do for ourselves to manifest our dream project is to set up a habit.
Begin with ten minutes a day of poetry, or writing or music but make then 10 wholehearted minutes.
“A small steady habit will prove more effective than larger, irregular chunks of action.” — Eric Booth
7. The Role of the Work of the Masters in Your Creative Dream Project
Booth thinks it’s helpful to regularly take in the work of masters and more minor players (whose creations relate to your dream project).
So go to those museums. But don’t compare yourself.
Release grandiose expectations and commit to validating yourself and your work as it is— right now.
“Your first nine hundred paintings are not destined for the Museum of Modern Art,” said Booth. “Don’t depend on enthusiastic responses from others to keep you sustained.”
8. Put Support in Place to Manifest Your Creative Dream
Keep things quiet to start but as you progress a bit it’s vital to put some supports in place to sustain your upward trajectory.
“Pick the right people to be your confidantes (preferably not too close, because proximity experts pressure.)
The ideal supporter is an interested, encouraging friend with a good sense of humor,” writes Booth.
“Our responses to the world are crucially moulded by the company we keep, for we temper our curiosity to fit in with the expectations of others.”— Alain de Botton
9. Play is Key To Giving Your Creative Dream Project Wings
“Don’t fall into the trap of being too serious about it all in the beginning. Don’t forget to have fun,” writes Booth.
The realms you create through play birth new worlds of wonder, for yourself and others.
“The chief enemy of creativity is ‘good’ sense.”
— Pablo Picasso
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What has helped you start a creative dream project in the past?
What the biggest obstacle you face starting yours in the present?
Let other creatives learn from your experiences in the comments! 🙂
Thanks as always for reading.
“You are never too old to set another goal or dream a new dream.” — C.S. Lewis
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Have a look at these other Charmed Studio Posts:
Artists and Priorities: A Magical Method for Organizing Your Time
How To Use Home Made Videos to Market Your Art in 2020
51 Blog Post Topics for Heart-Centered Artists for 2020
The Good Enemy Writing Technique
Holistic SEO for Artists: How to Up Your Traffic Without Losing Your Marbles
How to Submit Your Art to a Museum Store: Insider Tips from a Top Museum Store Manager
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More Help on Launching Your Creative Dream Project Here:
Thea, thanks a lot for reminding great points! We do need these at times.
Answers to your questions.
Obstacles to finishing projects: focusing on the whole of the project (then it looks immense, scary and overwhelming); and on both business and creative parts at once – like with etsy stores.
What helped to finish projects – being patient with myself, tricking myself into small steps, thinking of it as a game – where the fun process is the most important. This relaxes the anxiety and improves the result.
Dear Marianna, thanks for reading and taking the time to leave a comment. I really appreciate your perspective. Kudos on your observation that we tend to focus on both the business and creative aspects of a creative dream at the same time! I never broke it down like that before in my head. But that is exactly what our overwhelm may be caused by. And the solution is to divide and conquer but how exactly to go about doing that? Any thoughts or ideas?
Thea, I do like a type of life and business, where all your obligations are on a flexible time schedule with few things to be done “for yesterday”, or against your present mood and inclination.
You already have some experience in separating art and business, I am sure. I doubt you think about taxes when you are writing or making your art creations. 🙂
What helps me – is noticing what time of day/week, what environment is best for what activity. And fit it there. With boring paperwork or other boring work – either bit by bit approach or “finish a large chunk and get a reward”.
Thanks for making your posts good, but infrequent. I think I should switch to the same schedule (twice a month).
Thanks for the affirmation on my posting schedule. I feel we need time to digest things and work and come up for air. As far as the separation of business and creative tasks go, yes, I have experience with separating a time for taxes and a time for say soul collage, lol. What I was asking you about was more along the lines of going about separating those tasks whilst engaged in a project that invlolves both equally-like the example you mentioned of setting up an Etsy shop.
Thanks for the affirmation on my posting schedule. I feel we need time to digest things and work and come up for air. As far as the separation of business and creative tasks go, yes, I have experience with separating a time for taxes and a time for say soul collage, lol. What I was asking you about was more along the lines of going about separating those tasks whilst engaged in a project that involves both equally-like the example you mentioned of setting up an Etsy shop.
Thank you, Thea, for another inspiring post and reading recommendation! My copy of The Everyday Work of Art arrives tomorrow. I’m confident it’ll be a memorable, first good-for-my-head read of 2020!
You are so welcome Debra. So kind of you to take the time to comment. I like reading books written by actual artists as opposed to art dealers, art coaches or other professionals. I need the real deal from people who’ve been in the creative trenches like we have. Have you read the little books by Austin Kleon? They have helped me a lot. But as Booth says, we don’t need to buy anything else, lol! Wishing you continued creative gold in 2020.
I loved this advice, I’ve never read Eric’s book and so Of course I immediately broke rule #2 by buying the book “used-very good” for $10 from Powell’s, haha, I have a project that been on the back burner for way to long and have decided to go for it this year. My personal Tarot card for the year is The Hermit and I’ve interpreted that to mean uninterrupted studio time. So I’m saying no to distractions- the kind I can control anyway, and at least 4 hours a day dedicated to the project. As I typed that my brain is saying “Yeah right, that’ll happen” but I’m not listening.
You are so funny Janee! I’m so excited for you to work on your project. I have a voice inside my brain that says, “Yeah right , that’ll happen” too. Maybe our voices know each other or are related?
May I offer a suggestion on time? A suggestion that comes as a result of my mistakes with writing regimens?
Begin the year with a lower minimum time in studio, a time block that you’ll stick to ever day —easily. Maybe start lower and go higher? Start with say 30 minutes minimum per day and you will naturally stay longer and longer I bet. This starts the year off with a series of wins, a chain of small successes. This will encourage you to gradually lengthen the time, seeing how doable it is. This way it is done as a doable discipline from within, as opposed to a big rule almost imposed from without. You got this! I totally believe in you and your amazing work. If I can help in any way let me know. Thank you for leaving your wonderful comment. The Hermit is also the card of a wise teacher and workshop leader.
Janee, I disagree. You can teach your brain to say other things. Like “I’ll get there”. And what is 4 hours in a day? You can find them. By also gradually training your relatives/friends/clients – to leaving messages, settling with everyone that your new standard of replying to emails/social media will not be 5 minutes 🙂 People understand when you explain. Also if you expect them to. After all, spontaneous uninterrupted creative freedom – is what will keep you sane, happy and healthy.
Thank you, Thea, this is a wonderful post and very timely for me! A dream project I’ve kept on the back burner for years has been nagging at me lately. The first advice, “start quietly”, is the most important one for me as well. This may sound a little woo-woo, but I believe everything has its own energy, and a project that is close to your soul has a strong energy that needs to be protected. If you blab about it to everyone you talk to, that energy is dissipated before you even start. There’s a sacred quality to creative work that you need to guard.
For me, the time to ask for support is when the creative work is done or close to done, and it’s time to bring your work into the world. Nobody is an island and we do need support and help along the way, but not in the creative stage. I’m not sure I agree with Alain de Botton, who says “Our responses to the world are crucially moulded by the company we keep, for we temper our curiosity to fit in with the expectations of others.” For artists, curiosity is essential, but the expectations of others can be suffocating. Especially if you’re also highly sensitive, you need to keep a healthy distance from the expectations and opinions of others… Well, that’s my two cents at any rate.
Mineke, I loved your comment and I agree with the points you mentioned. Hermes was not only the ancient Greek god of magic, but of silence and containment. The Greeks knew we need to hold something in a bounded space in order for it to grow and be capable of alchemically transforming. I am starting something new this year too and it is amazing how I see myself wanting to sabotage it by blathering on about it to all kinds of folks, before it has grown roots- nevermind wings.
As to Alain de Botton; I feel the comment he made does not oppose your point, but supports it. I interpret it to mean we must be very cautious who we share our curious plans with. In general mums the word, and yes we should only un-mum when the project is strong enough to stand and would benefit from revision and other pairs of eyes. It is then we must choose wisely. But to tell you the truth I do have a few friends I trust to give me feedback earlier on in the process. They are both quite positive, self-actualized creatives who get my brain and do their own emotional homework, so they don’t project their stuff on me or my work. And I think writing is different than art. You don’t always need feedback on art, but most writing blossoms with constructive critique and review.
Very excited for your new project. But dont tell me what it is no matter what I say. And don’t let me tell you about mine till 2021. lol.
Yes, your interpretation of that quote is better, that makes a lot of sense. It’s wonderful that you have a few good friends whom you trust enough to ask for feedback! And I do agree it’s different for writing, though a friendly critique can be very useful in visual art as well, as long as you trust the person.
To answer your final questions:
“What has helped you start a creative dream project in the past?” I was in a country far away, where I didn’t speak the language, no tv, no internet, hardly a phone connection, nothing to read except the morning paper. Few social contacts, but those few were good. I didn’t even intend to start a project, but a series of work developed that eventually lead to my dream project.
“What the biggest obstacle you face starting yours in the present?” In a word: distractions. I know from experience what it takes to create meaningful (to me) work. You have to clear the table, both physically and mentally, so that there’s room for something new to present itself to you and to emerge, little by little. Time management is certainly part of it, but I think you also need to do some internal house cleaning. It’s not easy, especially in this age where we are connected 24/7 and overwhelmed with input…
Best of luck with your project, I look forward to hearing about it in 2021 🙂
What you bring up in this comment could be material for not one, but two posts imo. Great points.
I love the story of starting your first dream project in a land where you were not exactly comfortable. Discomfort can provoke immense creativity can’t it? I like what buddhist teacher Pema Chodron says about how amazing, never before achieved miracles can happen in our life when we accept our reality as it is exactly in this moment; and “befriend our obstacles.”
On your second point about distractions. I applaud your insights there as well. Reminds me of what another great mind, Joyce Carol Oates, says ,”The enemy of writing is interruptions.” In our time it is an act of self love for an artist to put their phone on airplane mode a few hours a day and limit our time on social media. Love your image of clearing off the table, yes!
So cheers to you for honoring yourself this next year. I will try to follow suit.
Definitely!!! 31 in 31 is sooo much. Seven would take a lot of prep but its not panic inciting. When the air goes away I know it’s time to rethink. When my air comes back I know I’m right. lol 🙂 🙂 I would love to do some art journal pages of favorite writers and artists and heros. a favorite picture of them and then finish the page with whatever comes next about how they impact me or what they represent.
This is great Gale, I am writing this all down. I would love to do an art journal page for a series of artists and maybe ask what inspires me about them, what I would like to take into my own practice that they seem to represent for me….what was their particular brand of creative heroism for me…. Thanks for the great feedback and ideas, as always!
This is one of your most wonderful, awesome posts to date!!! What keeps me from starting the dream. Feeling the hugeness and feeling immediately shut down. What helps with that? The wonderful , small steps you just laid out!1 So helpful!! Thank you. 🙂 🙂 The pictures are gorgeous and inspiring.
Thank you reading and for your kind comment Gale, it means more to me than you know. I totally relate to what you said about the hugeness of the thing shutting you down. I was just thinking this morning it might help me to narrow the scope of a the January 2019 dream project so the fear sinks down enough for me to leap over it. Like instead of the 31 artists/31 days podcast project I mentioned to you—Maybe do a week long one first. 7 artists 7 days? Then I could breathe again, lol.. What do you think?
Great post. I think it not only applies to a specific project but also in coming out of a serious funk. Sometimes so much gets in the way of the art, from family problems to health issues, that we have to refocus and treat ourselves gently as we get back to the work we love to do. Once we do that, creating again can help keep us on track.
This is such an important point. Thanks for bringing it up. Worthy of a post in and of itself. If you ever have time away from your blog and want to write more about this I would love to publish it on The Charmed Studio as a guest post.
I really enjoyed this piece. All steps are fab but ‘Start Quietly” is right on for me! Most people advise us to announce your plans so you’d ‘feel’ accountable. This is just not so in my creative endeavors. I find when I announce it early – I shut down, and the cycle of feeling like a failure ensues. Nope, no, no more. I found as I progressed and got momentum going is when sharing was more natural and less tied to outcomes.
YES! YES! Me too. I think the ” accountability” route may work well in certain situations but not for deeply meaningful creative work—certainly not at first. Perhaps work that has personal or soul connections needs a different vessel of containment to initially sprout?
PS I think you are on to something important and real that is rarely spoken of by creatives when you brought up “the cycle of failure begins.” I am going to think more on that. I have seen that in my own art and writing practice, but haven’t been able to put words to it, thanks Melissa.
Thanks for the feedback. I think creativity just takes the time it takes. It’s probably why deadlines are so tough for artists lol.
I think you bring up a good point for another post in the future: how do we feel about the relationship between creativity, productivity, deadlines and happiness.
Very helpful! I love the quote,
“Remember that success is not the excellence of any single painting or project; success means sustaining the practice over time.”
It reminds me of how all of this is a process, and the importance of embracing that. In a culture like the USA promotes and worships, it seems it’s always about the next “BIG THING.” But of course, that’s not how life works, nor certainly how the creative process unfolds. Good stuff, Dr. Bloom. Thanks…
Thanks Michael, to know it helped you helps me. That success = sustaining the practice” was the most important quote of the piece for me as well. My post on the myths surrounding Van Gogh next week will address my frustration with how creatives buy into the cultural brain wash that says artists are only happy if they get recognition in the form of selling a lot of stuff.
No, truly “successful” artists can be considered successful because they MAKE a lot of soul based stuff just because they love making it. We may never hear of them, and they are fine with it! Because the quest is the quest. The practice is the practice.
I want to aspire to that mindset with my own art.
Look at one of art heroes Simon Rodia: he spoke almost no English and made Watts Towers in South L.A. alone, listening to opera for 30 years; no fans, no tweets, no adulation from facebook, no gallery pimping him into the stratosphere in the heyday of big galleries. Just a blue collar guy working that rebar, laying tiles and cementing wonderful bits of sacred junk into those towers in his backyard. Because it was his soul’s dream.
And he created a masterpiece, he let the community in to enjoy it, performed interracial marriages ( which were illegal then) there in the chapel he built of rebar- then one day he up and gave the keys to a neighbor ( he didnt even want to try to sell the property with the art on it) and walked off to live in another town. He was finished, complete. What a life. The towers got famous on their own over time.
Another wonderful post, Thea. It’s interesting that this morning, in my next newsletter, I spoke of getting to a certain place in a painting where doubt creeps in and I think “you may have wasted a lot of time and energy – just toss it, no one will know.” The Picasso quotes were quite apropos for what I was feeling earlier this week. Yesterday was better and I’m off to the studio to finish that painting. At least that’s my intent.
Thank you for your gentle way of getting a point across.
Thanks Mickey!!! I hear you and feel the same way. I included that video at the end because that gallery owner talks about including the step of evaluation after we complete something. Not everything has to fly in the way we expected. Just making the art is enough. Than we can step back and see if it’s that piece is a direction we want to continue in or not. So if you can finish that piece in the studio, great! And maybe step back from it after and really look at it and know you are wise. Be kind to yourself and see what you like about it. What about it was where you were trying to go and start the next one from that place, in the spirit of discovery and investigation and self-respect. We don’t allow ourselves apprenticeships in the steps to our mastery I think. What do you think?
Oh, my. I scrolled right by the video. I liked the information from Sergie! My previous life as a muralist was a bit different than painting fine art in a studio. The decision making wasn’t totally mine. One of the nice things was, and there were many nice things, everything was presold. (off subject) You still have a process but the precondition is understanding the importance of listening to your client/clients and often times their designer.
Two of the takeaways from that chapter of my life . . . you always finish and you do your very best to finish on time. Mentally that has crept into my studio. Knowing I make all the choices and have fewer time restrictions has been interesting. I love what you said about “starting from a place of discovery and investigation and self-respect.” A great way to nurture one’s creativity. I may have to hang that in my studio. Thank you.
I did finish the painting – a good feeling.
Congrats on finishing the work!
I love this!! And the quotes are so wonderful and inspiring!! Thank you.
You are such a gem, thanks for letting me know. 🙂 Curious to know if your project related to press for your project “Theratrumpy” was your dream goal for 2018? It’s a great one.
It’s one of so many!