First Steps

Here are some thoughts about taking the first steps towards realising your own creative potential - whilst supporting others to do the same.

Having made a start the next problem is often about maintaining that commitment. Creative development is a journey of incremental steps and it is inevitable that they’ll be setbacks on the way. (One step forward and two back is a natural, but not inevitable, state of affairs). However, I recommend you avoid the temptation to start again.  It’s very easy to lose momentum early on and to make a series of false starts. Instead, I suggest you remember that you’ve started and acknowledge the gaps and insecurities as part of the process.

Remind yourself that you have started and, having taken the first action, take a second and then a third so that you can build some momentum and some confidence.  Why not give yourself a job title? This will help remind you, and others, of what it is your doing?  When there are a few people working together I encourage everyone to take on a role, a project and an action - to know what to do next. They way we can support each other to engage - and maintain our engagement.

If you have a few friends or colleagues working together on similar projects you may find this simple peer support process helpful:

Present - Give a brief presentation to you peers about your project and any issues that you’d like help with.

Clarify - Each person asks a question to clarify any issues, answer each question in turn.

Suggest - Each person then makes a short suggestion to help you move forward.

Respond - listen to all the suggestions and then respond to everyone on how you might move forward.

You can then repeat the process for the rest of the team.

I’m working with a large team of people, many of whom are at this stage in the creative development process. They are building an understanding of their individual and collective goals and starting to put together their first project plan.   I'll explain how we will make this process more formal and structured soon but for now it’s important that people feel in control of the process.

How’s your project going? Do you feel in control? If not, do let me know what's holding you back - besides, you may well find that identifying the barriers makes the solutions obvious - give it a go.