Hey all! It’s been a while since the last entry. I’ve been very busy the last few months, traveling, starting new projects, studies, new challenges at work, and more. In fact, the moment I’m writing this I’m in my hometown visiting family and reconnecting with where I started. Anyway, that’s a topic for another time.

Today I want to talk about starting new projects. If you know me, you might know I have a strong entrepreneurial drive, which is usually related to my creative side. However, most of the time, making the first step is not easy and if you are a person that relies on your creativity, you probably know what I mean.

It’s not a coincidence that things like Pinterest or magazines exist. These are great sources of inspiration to get you going and fill that initial void when you start something new. Now with the numerous new AI tools, it’s possible to generate really good starting points. However, not everything can be solved that way.

I personally think that for the most part, the challenge doesn’t only come from a lack of inspiration, but also from fear and insecurity. Nobody wants to create something that won't be liked, fails, or is not up to their own expectations. It’s not that we are pushing it forever, but you know, we just hold it until something magical happens and unlocks us.

Something about me is that I’ve been always passionate about tech, creating, and being involved in the management of companies in that industry, and I’m lucky enough to be living from that passion for a few years now. However, that doesn’t mean that I still sometimes have to face this.

When a new project has to start and we don’t know where, something that most of us do is distract ourselves with other, still needed, minor tasks to avoid getting in front of the empty canvas. I actually think that this happens in most aspects of our lives, not only with creativity. However, in the last few years, I’ve found a few techniques that really help me pass that stage. Today I feel like sharing them with you so here we go!

Make some time to think

Let’s be honest, we don’t normally consider “thinking” as a task. For some reason, we seat at a computer (or whatever is your tool) and expect ideas to start flowing from the tips of our fingers into the screen.

Looking straight into the white canvas could be very intimidating, and not being able to move forward generates a worse feeling than the one we initially had.

What I usually do is: lay down, which could be on the bed or couch, and stare at the ceiling. It doesn’t sound a lot like “working hours”, I know, but I can assure you that most of the value I’ve brought to every project I worked in, started this way.

Probably it’s not the same for you, regular things that are inspiring like this are going for a walk, run, or gym, taking a hot shower, reading about a specific topic, etc.

Next time you face this, I invite you to do whatever suits you best and think. If it works you owe me 40% of that idea.

Get inspired

If you already took your shower and now you kind of have the idea but it’s still foggy up there, then you might need to get some inspiration.

Depending on what you do there are probably different methods for this. In my case, since most of my projects are related to designing digital products or working on different software projects, what I frequently do is benchmark what other companies do, navigate Pinterest, generate AI images, and most recently, ask for help from my personal assistant who I underpay and luckily doesn’t complain, ChatGPT.

Write down or doodle to materialize your ideas

Now that you have the idea, you might know that going from thoughts to a final result right away usually ends in failure. Ideas are very loose and complex at the same time, so making them real on the first attempt is really hard.

I suggest making some drawings, writing, organizing, or whatever applies to what you do. Once you do that, you will already be standing at the starting point and the rest should just be constancy until it’s done. If you encounter any barriers, you just need to restart your process from all the way up.

Final thoughts

I know this might look a little systemic for what a creative process should look like, but I can asure you that, at least for me, this works every time!

I’m not saying this is an exact formula that should be applied. However, when you don’t know where to start and you lack a system to get you on track, I think these tips can be helpful or at least inspire you to find your own set of techniques.

I hope this helps! See you on the next one.

Cheers!