Having an idea can be easy. It's pure. Simple. It has no past or future. It just is.
That cool idea for a story. A movie. A book. A game. Some artwork. The idea isn't the hard part.
It's taking the risk and wading into the process of actually making that idea into something. An actual tangible result of your daydreams. You end up on a blank page like I am now, months or years into said daydream, without much in the way of tangible results.
Once you start the thing it becomes real. It's not this untouchable hope or dream you once had. It's an actual thing. It can go well. It can go poorly. It can fall short of expectation or exceed your wildest imagination. But either way the result is real.
It's also much harder to ignore or cope with fear of failure of something that means so much to you. You want what you know about yourself and your skills as an artist or writer to be true. Not proven false on closer examination.
We have a lot of seemingly trite phrases and idioms for making that risk vs reward decision.
Can't win if you don't play.
Have to put your cards on the table.
You have to put up or shut up.
Long and short of it is you cannot lose that hope or dream if you never share it with the world. Open it to scrutiny or failure. But it won't be fulfilled either. You're left clutching a hope in one hand and regret in the other.
About a year ago I chose to make something of a leap. From a bad situation and a job that was stressing me into the grave...to a different kind of stress. Took my savings and found a low cost of living situation that would allow me time to try and pursue a creative endeavor or three. Turn those hopes and dreams into a living on my own terms. Enough to support me while doing what actually matters to me.
I'd be lying if I said it wasn't hard to face that fear of loss. It's all so pretty on paper. So hopeful.
I want to finish the book I started writing (and write more) but will anyone read it? Is it worthwhile? I want to create art and foster creativity but is my voice worth hearing? Me among millions of voices?
I want to create animated stories that add more meaning to people's lives? Can I even learn to do that?
I want to share this table top RPG system I made and encourage people to make their own worlds with it. But I don't really know if that will even be possible.
Every one of them comes with a caveat in my head of whether anyone will show up. Whether anything I make will actually be valuable to people or has any value at all.
And that's just the wants. The needs include the same stuff you always have to deal with: Food, shelter, etc.
But somewhere among all those wants is is a need to reach out to people. Encourage them to think and create. To be kind to one another and thoughtful in their daily lives. To treat themselves well and also hold themselves accountable. Maybe give a little comfort and distraction where it is needed.
So that's what getting started is for me. Risking sharing these things I've made, these ideas I have, and making things I dream about doing real. So they can succeed or fail.
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