Are You Stalling on Sending out Your Creative Work?

“Ship your work. It’s good enough. Then, make it better.”

– Seth Godin, The Practice; Shipping Creative Work

Voltaire once said, “Perfect is the enemy of good.”

If you’re a creative type such as myself (I write books, blogs, screenplays & playscripts) and find yourself stalling (such as myself) on finishing it and sending it out, then I highly suggest you read The Practice; Shipping Creative Work  by Seth Godin. Or at the very least, check out his blog.

It might be the kick in the pants you need to stop mucking around, trying to perfect your project…and just get the darn thing done to the best of your ability, then send it out into the world. You probably know where it needs to go after it leaves the (supposed) safety of your own computer/studio, etc. But you may not know WHY you just can’t seem to push ‘send.’

Seth’s book might help you figure out why you’re stalling. Or it might not. Because it doesn’t really matter. What the book will do, I can pretty much guarantee, is inspire you to ship it…sooner rather than later. Get your project into decent enough shape and send it to wherever it needs to go next…then take a deep breath, pat yourself on the back for mustering up the courage to do thing you needed to do. Then get back working on the next creative project. Then you ship that. Repeat.

Godin uses the phrase “ship it” as a powerful call to action, urging people to move beyond planning and perfectionism and instead embrace action and sharing their work.

“Creative work doesn’t come with a guarantee,” says Godin. “But there is a pattern to who succeeds and who doesn’t. And engaging in the consistent practice of its pursuit is the best way forward.”

Yup.

The book blurb on Amazon reads: “Godin insists that writer’s block is a myth, that consistency is far more important than authenticity, and that experiencing the imposter syndrome is a sign that you’re a well-adjusted human. Most of all, he shows you what it takes to turn your passion from a private distraction to a productive contribution, the one you’ve been seeking to share all along.”

Yuppers.

“With this book as your guide,” says the Amazon blurb, “you’ll learn to dance with your fear. To take the risks worth taking. And to embrace the empathy required to make work that contributes with authenticity and joy.”

This is exactly what the book did for me: helped me learn how to dance with my fear – which basically entails getting out of my own way. I do want to continue contributing with authenticity and joy…and yet I tend to find myself repeatedly stalling on getting a project to the finish line.

“The only purpose of starting is to finish, and while the projects we do are never really finished, they must ship.”

– Seth Godin

“I didn’t want to create art for art’s sake,” writes Godin. “I wanted to do work that mattered, that made a difference in people’s lives. Not tomorrow, today. I didn’t want to let a project sit on the shelf, constantly tweaking and re-tweaking, vainly attempting to reach perfection.”

If this sounds like you, don’t worry – you are not alone. If an author of Godin’s calibre felt the need to write a book encouraging us creative types to get the damn thing DONE and off our desk already, you can bet your bottom dollar there is an awful lot of ‘us’ out there.

“It doesn’t ship because it’s ready; it ships because it’s due.”

– Seth Godin

Thank you for the kick in the pants, Seth…I needed that. I think many of us do from time to time. Dancing with fear is not for the faint of heart. But in my experience, the more I do it, the easier it gets.

How about you?

Is there a creative project you know you need to finish up (to the best of your current ability) and sent out into the world?

If so, kiddy up 🙂

I sure am!

Maryanne Pope is the author of “A Widow’s Awakening.” She also writes screenplays, playscripts & blogs. Maryanne is the CEO of Pink Gazelle Productions and Co-Founder of the John Petropoulos Memorial Fund. To receive her blog, “Weekly Words of Wisdom,” please subscribe here. And be sure to visit our PinkGazelleCards Etsy shop.