002: On procrastination & creative resistance
Ever got excited about a project, bought a new notebook especially for the occasion, and then just got stuck? That's what we're diving into today!
Episode transcript:
Good morning, Daily Peppers, and welcome to another fabulous episode of the Daily Pep, the only daily podcast for creative women like you and me, and frankly, creative weirdos. That's the people that I love the most. So I want to start today's show with a question. When was the last time you got excited about a project, bought a new notebook especially for the occasion, and then just kind of got stuck? If you're anything like me, you may have a bookcase with many beautiful notebooks that have rarely seen the light of day. Or maybe they've got a couple of pages written in, or maybe you've stuffed them in a drawer somewhere, or maybe you've even got some notebooks that haven't even been written in, but you look at them and it doesn't give you a great feeling. And maybe it's not notebooks. So, letting you into a behind the scenes secret here, I can't even begin to tell you how many microphone comparison videos I watched before actually starting this podcast. I can't tell you how many hours I spent on Amazon looking at reviews.
And what makes me almost cringe, looking back, is that I'm starting this podcast already, having another podcast, and a successful one at that. It's not like anybody's ever emailed me and said, meg, listening to you is like nails scratching on chalkboard. I mean, I'm sure for some people, they're sick of the sound of my own voice, but nobody has said, hey, Meg, the sound just isn't working. So literally no basis in reality. I just figured, new microphone, that's what I need. Then I get started. I know I am far from alone in this because we've all done it. Whether it's buying a new notebook or a new paint set, or really going down the rabbit hole of researching what mediums and what particular products and what particular software our favorite creatives use, as if just by using the same thing, we can emulate their successes.
Now, I watched something the other day that really called me out on my own bullshit. Billie Eilish is someone who fascinates me. I am in absolute awe of her. And I saw her carpool karaoke. What really, really was kind of a wake up call and just blew my mind is the fact that she recorded the album, the one that won her many Grammys, in her childhood home. May I just add that she still lives in her childhood home and she recorded the entire album with her brother in his childhood bedroom. Literally sat on his bed in a real kind of hodgepodge, DIY makeshift studio. It was A real wake up call that actually the tools don't really matter.
Another time this happened to me. That has just come to mind is a couple of years back, me and Mr. Meg went to an exhibition all about the creative process of J.K. rowling's work. On exhibition was literally the pieces of paper that she plotted all the Harry Potter books. And now I can bet anything that she was not thinking, which Biro shall I use? Or does is that piece of paper okay? Do I need to go to the art shop and make sure I get the best piece of paper? Of course she wasn't. She was trying to work out how everything fits in and she was just getting lost in her ideas. And I think that's the thing.
You do not need the fanciest equipment. Frankly, you don't even need great equipment. This whole shit is a myth that your brain buys into to stop you from doing the scary thing of actually starting. Because as long as you're looking for the right notebook, as long as you're looking for the right paints, or going down the Google rabbit hole of your favorite people and figuring out what processes they use, you're not doing the thing. And the thing is, sometimes it can feel really productive. Sometimes we can actually convince ourselves that no, this is part of the process. No, this is what we need to do to get started. But my friend, that is bullshit.
That is your brain trying to keep you safe. You do not need another notebook. You do not need to work out which pen your favourite artist uses, and you do not need to wait until that thing that you absolutely must have comes back in stock or gets delivered. And I am saying this as much for you as always as for me. That is all a form of procrastination. And even though your brain might like to tell you it is, that's not doing the work instead. That is textbook creative resistance. Creative resistance is coined by Steven Pressfield in his book War of Art.
And this is one of my favourite quotes. Resistance is always lying and always full of shit. Our need for that new notebook or the new microphone is textbook procrastination. I know this shit is scary. I know it is really, really intimidating to start a project. Part of the whole thing that has been really keeping me in the fear of starting this podcast is what if it doesn't live up to the picture I have in my head? What if I peaked during my last project? What if, what if, what if I'm going to stop looking at microphone reviews? You stop buying new notebooks. And everybody, let's just work with what we've got. And while we're at it, let's cut the bullshit, go make music in your childhood bedroom, go and scribble down ideas for that novel that you've got in your head and just get started already.
I would love to see what creative projects you're working on and what your own experience with creative resistance has been. Come and join the conversation on Twitter or Instagram using the hashtag DailyPeppers and let's just muddle through this shit and get things started together. And until tomorrow, remember that creativity takes courage, and you are already way more courageous than you.
Episode transcript automatically produced by Castmagic.io
ABOUT THE DAILY PEP! PODCAST
New episodes launch 6am GMT, Monday through Friday
A short, snappy and sassy daily podcast to keep your internal - and external - dreamshitters at bay!
The Daily Pep! is the rebel-rousing, daily podcast for couragemakers, creative, multi-passionate and unconventional women.
If you’re surrounded by people who don’t get who you are or what you do, if you want reminders you’re on the right path (no matter how scary it feels), or you’re sick of being your very own worst enemy, this is the podcast for you.
Join your host, writer, coach and professional rebel-rouser Meg Kissack Every weekday, your host - writer, coach and professional rebel-rouser, helps you build a creative and wholehearted life, one day at a time. Through short and snappy insights, reminders and stories, The Daily Pep! is here to remind you you’re not alone, and that everything changes when you believe you matter.Each episode is short and snappy, designed to fit in with (or help you start) your habits and routines
