There are lots of mistakes we as creatives could make that would stop us from reaching our fullest potential. I’ve picked out five to get you started on some of the things you shouldn’t do if you want to get ahead and stay ahead in your creative life. Also remember that you’re not in competition with anyone, but yourself.
Read along on the 5 mistakes to avoid in your writing career this year.
- NOT READING ENOUGH: This is not the year to be lazy. Read widely, grow your wealth of knowledge. Writers are meant to be some of the most knowledgeable people. Be curious. I’m not saying become an expert in all topics, No. I simply mean, have some knowledge on different topics, it makes your writing and creative process fun.
- NOT REFILLING YOUR CREATIVE WELL: Go places. It doesn’t necessarily mean breaking the bank for this. Low budget places like walking in nature, sitting at a café and observing humans, watching stuff, going to the museum and archeological sites, reading poetry, listening to music lyrics, will do. You need to add richness to your life to create fresh content. So please. Stay curious. Go and refill your creative well.
- GETTING OLD: When you cannot easily adapt to changes, then you are getting old. There’s a danger in ‘getting old’, ask the dinosaurs, they become extinctJ. All I’m saying is keep learning and unlearning things to stay on top of your game as a creative. Use the Technological tools available at your disposal to make your creative process faster and easier. Have you tried out Chat GPT 3 for example for your AI assisted creation? Don’t be extinct, stay youthful and keep growing.
- STAYING IN YOUR COMFORT ZONE: This is the most dangerous place to be. Nothing good comes from a comfort zone. You will stagnate and before you know it, the world moved on. Stay fresh by avoiding that C Zone. It is your enemy.
- BEING CRIPPLED BY PERFECTIONISM: We are human, we can never be perfect. We are flawed. Embrace the good writing days, the bad writing days, don’t be afraid to put your work out into the world for fear of what others will say. Do. It. Afraid. Everyone else is, so why not you?
Hope these tips have inspired you to do more and be more.
Want a kick starter to get you on your journey? Grab my book on writing ‘Get Writing, A Beginner’s Guide From Idea To First Draft’ Available as an e-book on Amazon.
If you’d like a hard copy at Kshs 850 only and are in Kenya you can order from me through my email damaris@damarisirunguo.com and we can take it up from there!
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Happy Creating!
Hi Damaris! This is coming in handy for me. Laziness is not my portion. I will certainly read lots of books and visit many places to get knowledge and be aware of what is happening around me. Thank you so much for this! I will order your book soon!