Have trouble focusing on a few creative projects? Join the club. Here’s one approach to try out.
I get a lot of ideas. For everything. I am not particularly proud of this. It feels more like a mental disorder than anything else. And probably the biggest time and energy suck for me is the fact that I am a chronic sufferer of “Shiny Wrapper Syndrome.” Every idea I get for a blog, online store, short story or graphic novel feels like The Next Amazing Thing, and I’ll waste countless hours entranced by the shiny wrapper, devising a business plan or mapping a loose plot outline. The end result? I get deterred from what I was originally doing, nothing gets done, and find myself frustrated and back at Square One.
As we begin a new year, I am going to do my best to remain focused, particularly on my creative projects. An approach you may consider trying, dear Cheapster reader, is The Katamari Ball Approach. Remember that adorable and super fun PS2 game Katamari Damacy, where a tepid green prince dude awkwardly rolls this giant ball around, collecting objects and characters that get stuck to his ball?
Think of your focus as that giant ball, and the objects that get stuck to the ball as the smaller elements in your life that helps you build on your focus, on your main objective. Here’s the mega challenge: You only get one ball.
Sooo…how do you figure out what your Katamari Ball (area of focus) is?
That is an excellent question and something I myself am trying to figure out. It’s a huge struggle. Here are some questions to ask yourself:
Which idea currently has the most momentum?
Which project are you the most excited about? The one that you can picture yourself saying (perhaps in a self-doubting way) “No” to other commitments, obligations, and possibly sacrifice fun social time for it? If in doubt, hash it out with a friend. I spent part of my new year writing down a bunch of ideas, and talked to one of my best friends about an idea for an online store. I was super excited about it, and it was taking up a massive amount of brain space. He shot it down, but in the nicest way possible. I was grateful for our conversation because he gave me a reality check. I felt a sense of release, and put that idea on the back burner so I could focus on my Katamari Ball goal.
What will you get out of it?
Unless you’ve established a name and cred for yourself in a particular field, there’s a great chance you may not make a single penny from this creative endeavor—at least not right away. Or you put something out there and nobody cares (Sorry, reality bites.). And if you manage to generate some income, the amount of effort you put into the project may not seem worth it.
I operate under the approach that Process Is King, and the enjoyment I get from working on the project is worthwhile in itself. Sure, I would love to make a substantial profit or maybe even gain a smidgen of notoriety on my collection of stories, graphic novel, or full-length album, but what if it doesn’t happen? I’d be cool with the outcome either way.
What community do you want to be part of?
What kinds of people do you want to be surrounded by? What do you currently support by donating money to Kickstarter projects, purchasing products, going to events? What do you love talking about? Who do you like to follow on Instagram? I realized I probably wouldn’t be the best candidate to start the online store that I wanted because I don’t really buy too much new, cool stuff and I am not too fashion forward.
The two communities I am happy to be newly part of are the Financial Literacy community, many people I met at last year’s FinCon. I feel really inspired by the work of these financial media makers. The other community is the writing community in L.A., particularly those who write literary fiction. I love meeting and talking to writers about the craft (and their struggles with maintaining practice), what they’re reading, waxing philosophy, and shooting the bull about life in general.
What do you want to be known for?
What do you want your personal vessel of achievements to contain? Are you someone who wants to be known for working with and helping other creatives? Then hosting a networking event might be your Katamari Ball. Or do you enjoy challenging the status quo? Then writing an incendiary or controversial novel may be your schtick.
What is your Zone of Genius?
A recent article in Inc. mentioned finding your “Zone of Genius,” which means finding your niche through figuring out what you excel at and are uniquely positioned to do. And by uniquely positioned I don’t mean that you are the only person in the universe who can do this, but something that might give you an edge. For instance, maybe you want to be a travel writer. Newsflash: There are probably a million other people out there who want to be travel writers. Okay, but maybe you grew with a father who grew orchids in a greenhouse. So you combine the two, and you work toward being a travel writer who blogs about orchids around the world. Finding your Zone of Genius takes time to cultivate and discover, so don’t beat yourself up if you haven’t figured this out yet.
Next step: What do you stick to the ball?
Related future projects. So after you launch that blog or get the ball rolling on the Etsy store, you might want to create mini-projects in conjunction with that project, i.e., another line of products, a lifestyle blog, speaking engagements.
Resources. And by resources, I don’t mean just money, but time, energy, classes, and people to support your main focus. And even if you’re Mister Mega Warbucks, you still have limited resources, particularly time. You can do anything (sorta), but not everything. So use your resources wisely!
Structure. Creating a structure to get your projects under way is essential for getting shit done. I am a huge fan of Behance’s 99U and Fast Company, and both publications have great articles on creating structure to make headway on your long-term projects.
As we start a new year, may you find your Katamari Ball, maintain greater focus on your projects and make tons of great progress. I’ll be exploring some other ways to maintain focus and reach personal goals on creative projects throughout the year. Happy New Year. Here’s to 2015!
Hi Jackie! I really like this concept. It reminds me of a post I read recently about being pulled in so many different directions that you’re not actually moving forward in any one area. Your idea compliments that one nicely. Thanks for sharing!
Thanks for reading, Kristin! Yes, maybe uppity creative types have a tendency to want to do it all at the same time. At times it can feel like a slow descent into insanity. 😛