How to Reduce Overwhelm As A Creative Business Owner
IMAGE ID: A You Belong Here member works on their computer in an outdoor space with a backdrop of plants. The image is tinted burgundy. In the bottom-right, pink and white text reads ‘reducing overwhelm as a creative business owner. // HB Photos
As we come to the end of the quarter and another year, it’s common to feel a sense of overwhelm creep into your mind. Overwhelm might show up as a ‘Sunday scaries’ feeling, avoidance of creative projects, or even feeling ‘off’ in your creative alignment. Creative minds often have several ideas brewing at once, and it can be easy to let some tasks slip off your to-do list when you start to feel overloaded. We usually deprioritize tasks that lack urgency or importance, and often we deprioritize because we feel undeserving or insecure about our creative ability to start that project or business. The truth is your creativity matters and your creative business is needed. There are tools and support available to you to help you actualize your goals, and we’re going to share some of them here. Today we’ll outline 3 ways you can get started in reaching your goals and actualizing the creative life you crave without feeling overwhelmed.
Let go of perfectionism to reduce overwhelm
As simple as it seems, taking the first step can be the hardest part. Often, perfectionism is the main culprit that holds us back. It holds creatives to impossible standards, and it makes taking the first step hold unnecessary weight, especially around fear of making mistakes. Remember this: Making mistakes is part of any learning process! To be great at anything, every expert has to start as an amateur.
Start somewhere
To help you combat perfectionism, it may be easier to commit to a rough draft than to hold yourself to an impossible standard of a flawless performance. Start by accepting that your first try might be “bad”, and that’s okay. You can always improve a draft.
It can be easier to take the first step with a group of folks committed to taking similar action. Having a community of folks who are learning and improving alongside you can make it easier to process mistakes and know how to tackle challenges.
Enlist accountability partners
When the overwhelm sets in, it can be easy to want to hide away, burying ourselves in other work, commitments, or distractions. Having a community to follow up on your progress, provide support, and remind you of your ‘why’ can ease the pressures of making your vision a reality.
Where to find accountability partners to help you get your business started
When you’re seeking accountability partners, be sure to consider their values and goals to assure they align with your own. You can find your accountability partners through communities on social media such as Instagram, attending local events, or joining a local membership or coworking space (such as You Belong Here).
Audit your tools, time, and availability
Sometimes life really does get in the way of our creative projects, and it’s important to understand what tools and time are available to you to accomplish your goals. By auditing your tools, time, and availability, you will have a clear idea of the path that works for you. We all have different opportunities and challenges, and it’s important to ground into reality so we don’t face burnout later.
Questions to ask yourself to reduce overwhelm
Do you know how much free time you truly have to work on your creative business or project?
Do you have the tools to accomplish these goals?
Are there any commitments that stand in the way of you accomplishing this goal?
Do you have an environment available to you to help you maintain your productivity?
At You Belong Here, we understand how the inaccessibility of many business development opportunities and tools can affect creatives’ abilities to get started and stay in business. That’s why we have curated our space to make sure creativity and sustainability can meet in the middle. In addition to providing a space curated for productivity--with tasty snacks and drinks, reliable wifi, supportive members, and community-driven values, we also provide foundational business support through unmatched programming and events and business consulting to make sure you know exactly how to get the most out of all the tools at your fingertips. Check out all the details on our membership and perks here.
Getting your creative business started is more important than getting it right
To start your creative business, release perfectionism, lean on support, and audit your tools, time, and availability. With a plan, support, and an understanding of the resources at your disposal, it will be easier to avoid overwhelm and stay motivated in your work. If your faith in your vision ever wavers, then remember your why and lean on your community to keep going. Getting started can be the most difficult step in starting a successful business, but know there are communities that are looking for the vision only you have. To help make your creative business goals a reality, You Belong Here is here with support, tools, and community to help you actualize your vision.