How to make 2023 count, creatively!
Happy New Year! Why not make 2023 count, creatively…
This may be controversial, but I don’t believe in new year’s resolutions. It’s hard to make them stick once your holiday tan fades and the work year begins again in earnest. That’s not to say I don’t believe in setting goals. But to achieve them, I reckon practical techniques are the go — especially when it comes to creative projects. As a Melbourne copywriter and author, I’ve learnt a few tricks that might make it easier to reach your creative goals in 2023. Let me share them with you.
Make creativity a priority…
Finding the time to be creative can be tough. Often, these endeavours are pushed down our list of priorities — especially if they’re ventures that don’t make money. But your creative pursuit doesn’t need to be commercially viable to deserve time and effort. The fact it nourishes or challenges you, or makes you think and feel more broadly, is reason enough.
But to make carving out time for it easier, you need to believe your work deserves it. Treat your creative project as a job. Make space for it in your schedule, tell family and friends you’re working, call yourself a writer, a painter, a musician… As long as you're practising your craft, you are that thing. Also, try not to be too precious about when and where you work. It's easy for a writer, whose only tools are a laptop and an imagination, but use pockets of time wisely and be prepared to work in short bursts rather than sustained periods, sometimes.
Baby steps and achievable goals…
Thinking BIG is great! It's good to have dreams, goals and plans. But when it comes to achieving them, thinking too big can prove paralysing. When I begin a new manuscript, the thought of wrangling 80,000 words into an engaging, coherent, publishable story feels impossible. Knowing it can be done by setting smaller goals is the only thing that lowers my pulse rate and keeps my bum on the seat.
Any first draft I write, for instance, is done in 1000-word lots, daily. I also keep my expectations in check — these words will be messy, inconsistent and full of placeholders and gaps. The end product is always imperfect, but also a solid foundation on which to build my story.
Celebrating the wins and learning from the rejections…
Putting your creative work out into the world is a brave thing to do. It involves exposing yourself, being vulnerable, and opening yourself up to criticism. At times it results in glowing reviews, accolades, and awards even. But often you'll receive feedback you don't want to hear or rejections that make you question your ability, your desire to go on, your existence!
As an author and Melbourne copywriter, I've had to grow a thick skin. A hide to protect me from the heartache and creative paralysis that can come from having a story knocked back. It’s difficult to look on the bright side when you've received an email reading… 'Thank you for your submission, but…' However, I've learnt that listening to feedback is useful and that rejection can be a means of confronting the elements of my work I know are weak.
Conversely, it's important to celebrate the wins, no matter how tiny. The fact that you’re creating and maybe even submitting your work are HUGE achievements, which shouldn’t be overlooked. Give yourself a pat on the back for turning up and committing to your creative project, whatever form it takes. For producing something that didn’t exist in the world before you made it!
Would you like help writing or editing your story? As a published author, I help writers refine their non-fiction and fiction work at all stages of the writing process.
As a Melbourne copywriter, I also help creatives and businesses improve their communication and profiles through marketing support, SEO website copywriting, LinkedIn summaries, business copywriting, mentoring, editing and proofreading, and more
Check out my services page — Copywriter Melbourne or drop me a line using my Contact page.
Happy creating in 2023!
