Top 5 Suggestions to Conquere Creative Frustration

Good day to you! Yes, I am rather chipper at the moment for I have finally finished a blog series which I have tentatively entitled “Top 5 Suggestions to Conquer Creative Frustration.” Somewhat gaudy if you ask me, but nonetheless I seem to have grown quite attached to it. Needless to say, the below begins on Number 3. Why you ask? Because its my favorite, and I do believe very helpful. Hopefully this piques your curiosity enough to sojourn back to this little spot of the internet to see this blog series in its totality. I shall pick up this blog halfway through a thought in the total series. Enjoy!

3. Creating Creative Momentum

I woke up exhausted. Mentally. Physically. Artistically. A far cry from my typical creative zen. I had no motivation. The cruel business world, and day to day necessities had strangled my dreams from me, and I was left wanting. I needed to get up and get going. Being a self-employed filmmaker has its up and its downs, but I had grown tired of that, and simply wanted to have my cake and eat it too. So I came up with a portion of the solution. Found below. Creating Creative Momentum.

What is Creative Momentum? Its harnessing that wild inspiration through your Gibson to create the perfect rock ballad. Its infusing your passion into the limited perspective of a small snapshot. Its coaxing your Muse to stay long enough, and whisper to you so you can finish writing that damn blog! Or in my case finding the right combination of light, composition, and movement to bring my film frames to life. Its difficult. Nearly impossible. However if you are able to muster the energy from nothing, then master building, and even riding this creative momentum. Well, then my friend… Congratulations you are a professional.

First, I would recommend you begin by set up a personal goal to indicate artistic success. A personal one that is realistic. If your primary goal is to become the best blogger in the world, and yet you have poor writing skills then perhaps a more immediate and personal goal would be to attend either classes or find a mentor. This will spark the fire.

Secondly, create a process to achieve this goal. This will motivate you gradually and create artistic momentum. You will break through that writers block, or have that burst of inspiration which will launch you through your task at hand. Thus fanning the growing flame through positive reinforcement of gained goals.

Thirdly, trial and error comes into play. You must perfect this process and eliminate things that are restricting you from growing and building artistic momentum. If you have a negative influence, may it be person or circumstance, deal with it quickly and efficiently. A steay blaze is growing though it may have set back, and frustrations, you are becoming a force to be reckoned with.

Finally, become dedicated. Once you have set your goals set, your process perfected through trial and error, you now have the coveted answer to create your own creative nirvana.

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For example. I love examples don’t you? I hate to read something that is hardly applicable. Here was the course of events which lead to my epiphanies.

A previous company I was working for was in dire need of premium HD content which would not only separate itself from the rest of new media, but also become an attractive alternative to traditional advertising. Tall order to say the least. Essentially a start-up company needed to have the quality and brand strength of something equivalent to a online HBO. I was only slightly demoralized, but after establishing a personal, realistic goal, which was to create one automotive program to receive critical and mass acclaim, I got to work.

First, my goal of “becoming the HBO of the internet” required study of the competitive landscape, and a careful examination of my own limitation both creatively and technically. Had I the mental prowess to do this. Naturally. I’m a bright guy. Did we have the technical capability? With nearly $30k in equipment we had better! We shot a promotional piece for testing which was well received by our focus groups. So far so good.

Secondly, my process was to build a reliable cast and crew who all believed the goal was attainable and each brought specific talents to the table. Frustration mounted due to talent troubles for hosts, and technical limitations, which I quickly set right. By this time we were two weeks into the “Fuel Time” project with two episodes out, to which we had cleanly broken through the top ten. Very good most would say. But not my personal goal.

Thirdly, I began to play with the format of our little “Fuel Time” project. Shorting some potions, lengthening others, adding characters. I got rid of some cast and crew, and only kept those that were encouraging and helpful. It was very difficult, but needed. These were days in long meetings with the executives, and even in the editing bay. However it was exhilarating. Our baby was not only walking but I felt like it was running. Episode 3 was to come out, and I was ready for it. It came out and hit #1! Very encouraging. I hit my goal. My team was thrilled.

Lastly, we had to get up and do it again. Rain or shine. Through the best and the worst. We have seen some hiccups, and some successes. Get up and do it again.