Unlocking Creativity: Four Strategies to Jumpstart Your Ideas

Dear Creatives,

When I first had the idea for XSVR PAPER in 2014, my ideas and vision expanded far and wide. I knew what the business could be, but focused too heavily on the final result.

Similar to many creatives, I was stuck on the later, and not thinking about the NOW. After quickly realizing it was going to take a lot more steps to achieve the final product, I become realistic about where I was, and began assessing what I was able to do now that would get me to the later.

What often prevents us from pursuing a dream or a vision is thinking we don’t have what we need to start. We begin to talk ourselves out of executing with negative thoughts. 'I don’t have enough money. I don’t have enough time. I don’t have the right resources. I don’t know the right people.' All of which leads to 'I can’t do this, I’m not good enough', etc. These thoughts ultimately paralyze us from taking any action at all.

I believe we need to pivot our focus, and start asking ourselves: 'What do I need to do right now? What do I have at this moment that I can start with?'

As you ruminate on your ideas, here are some tips to start bringing your ideas to life TODAY!

1. COMMIT- Write your idea(s) down. It doesn't have to be perfect, you just have to get the thought(s) out of your head and onto paper. Whether it’s writing words or sketching a drawing, writing it down is the first step to making your idea more tangible and initiates a personal commitment.
   

2. COMPREHEND - Once you’ve written the idea(s) down, understand what you want the end result to be and what you have to do to get there. Gain a full comprehension of what this vision will entail. What will it take to get this done?
   

3. EVALUATE - After having a full understanding of the vision, begin to evaluate the resources you have access to in your current circumstance. Is it time? Is it money? Is it people? How can you use your money to invest in things that can help you make use of your time? How can you maximize your time to garner more finances? Maybe you have experienced and knowledgeable people in your network - who can you reach out to that can help you in this area?
   

4. EXECUTE - Now that you understand what you have access to, ask yourself: 'How can I start small now? What are small steps I can take to start making progress?' Maybe it’s as simple as starting a YouTube Channel or creating an Instagram account. Maybe you can purchase the domain name and start working on a website. Maybe you just need to pick up your camera and start shooting. Maybe you need to start writing the first draft of your script. Or maybe you simply just need to start with research. Don’t over complicate it. Just start with what you have.

We all have to start somewhere. Rome wasn’t built in a day and we have to remind ourselves that things we truly desire take time. There’s nothing wrong with starting small, you just have to trust that the small steps you take now will lead you to the big vision in the future.

So have patience and trust the process to your destination. I promise it will be worth it.

Sincerely,

Shurize X. Richards

Founder & Owner, XSVR PAPER