Common Struggles When Creating Art & The Mindset We Need to Overcome Them

Hello, guys. I am in the process of writing my first-ever feature-length screenplay. To be honest, I had been meaning to make a post about it but didn't know where to begin. Then I figured I should start where it all starts—in your own mind and how we view art and the creation of art.

If you are anything like me, you obsess about results, trying to plot out the best story, figuring out everything you need to know, every pothole to avoid, and every obstacle you will encounter before you even consider putting pen to paper. If so, I'm sorry to tell you that this has brought me nothing but sleepless nights and wasted days, months, and years.

The reality is that you can't know what you don't know. It sounds obvious, but sometimes when you are so focused on getting great results, be it a screenplay, a short film, an idea, or really whatever you can think about, you will never feel like you are ready because the idea is just that—an idea. You will be so afraid that putting it to paper will reveal all the flaws and holes that you have been working so hard to avoid, that you just abandon it altogether.

Even if you manage to start writing, your brain will be so fixated on getting the perfect result that there will be no room for creation. Everything you do, you will look through the lens of the finished product you wish to have, and if it is not up to standard (it never is), then you will delete it or change it over and over again.

What can I do?

Now, don't give up just yet. I know I have been pretty pessimistic and presented you with nothing more than obstacles to overcome. However, I would like to offer an alternative: a simple change of mindset that will help you get started on your projects, stay consistent, and finish them.

Forget about the final result; focus on the process. I think that often we focus way too much on the outcomes we wish to accomplish, and, moreover, we use them to measure the success or failure of our days. Let me give you an example.

Goal Driven scenario

You set out to write your first-ever screenplay. There you are in front of the blank page. You struggle to write the first sentence, and the few words you manage to get out are promptly deleted, for they are no good. As the minutes tick by, you think, “Damn, I have been sitting here for 20 minutes, and I have not written a single word; there is no way I am ever going to finish 120 pages of a screenplay.” Then you close the laptop and go to sleep. You feel like a failure, and I can assure you, there will be no writing tomorrow. Today was a failure.

Procces Driven Scenario

You are once again sitting in front of the blank page. However, we are forgetting all about the goal of writing a full screenplay. Today, you just focus on sitting down in front of your computer and writing for 30 minutes. You struggle to find a way to start, but you manage a few lines. Immediately, you find them awful. But as you are about to delete them, you remember your goal: just write for 30 minutes. The quality or quantity of what you write is completely irrelevant. And so you continue.

Half an hour has passed, and you have half a page completed. Now, it probably is not good, but it doesn't matter because it is progress. At the end of the day, writing is rewriting. You will get to fix it later. But for today, you close the laptop. You achieved your goal of writing for 30 minutes, happy, and go to sleep. Today was a success.

Now, I am not saying that you shouldn't have any goals. Goals are useful for tracking progress and giving us a direction. However, when you focus on the process, even if you don't write a single word, you win. Because it is not about writing a certain length; it's all about showing up and facing the frustration. And I can assure you that by purely focusing on showing up, you will build up little wins day by day.

As long as you show up for the day, it doesn't matter if you wrote two lines or two pages. Showing up is showing up. And I can assure you that over time, this will give you massive results, a great work ethic, and, most importantly, it will help you enjoy the process and be forgiving with yourself. All of that momentum and positive energy will snowball over time.

Anyways, I'll keep on reporting on my own progress, and if you try this approach, let me know how it goes!