5 Challenges Creative People Face

Author • Chimnwendum Chichi

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Just like our 9 to 5 counterparts, challenges are not alien to creative people. From procrastination to self-doubt, we have highlighted 5 common challenges creative people face and ways to overcome them. Enjoy!

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5 Challenges Creative People Face

1. Procrastination.

2. Self-doubt 

3. Inconsistency 

4. Finding clients 

5. Depression 

1. Procrastination

   
   

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“Don’t wait for inspiration. It comes while working." - Henri Matisse

Most creatives wait for inspiration to get a job done hence the go-to phrase when we have work to do is “I’ll do it later” and we end up doing it a day before submission. I am sure you can relate to this, probably because you are guilty, don’t worry, I am too.

The reasons for procrastination could be because a task is too easy, too hard, or in-between, irrespective of what it is, it can have a negative impact on the quality of your work and could potentially cause problems between you and your client.

One way of tackling this menace is by just doing it. Don’t think about the task and how difficult or easy it is, jump on it immediately. You’d be surprised at how much you’ll get done if you do this. I recommend this because it works for me and I hope it works for you. 

Another trick is using the two minutes rule by James Clear, do whatever task you have for two minutes and stop once the time expires, with this you get to start task which is the fuel you need to get your creative juices flowing.

2.  Self-doubt

   

“The worst enemy to creativity is self-doubt.” - Sylvia Plath

If there's one thing most creatives have in common, especially the up-and-coming ones is self-doubt. The lack of belief in themselves and their work affects not just the quality of their work but the quality of their clients as well.

Self-belief is an important skill in the creative business, you must believe in yourself and be crazy about what you do for someone else to believe in you.I battled with self-doubt for one year and although I am still working on my self-belief, I am no longer scared of criticism or putting my work out there because I know it only gets better from here. I want to look back and see my progress and it all starts with self-belief.

One way of dealing with self-doubt is getting and accepting positive feedback from past clients or readers. Stop telling “you not that good” when people compliment your work. You are, so believe it. Remember, self-belief does not mean there is no room for improvement rather it means that you know your craft and you are willing to make it better.

3. Inconsistency

   

"You can't use up creativity. The more you use, the more you have." - Maya Angelou

This is a real menace for us creatives, you show up today and disappear tomorrow, the funniest part is, when we do this, we expect great results. No! Thats not how it works, if you desire great results, you need to put in the work and be consistent. Consistency goes hand in hand with self-belief. You can only be consistent when you believe in what you do. At this stage, when the world is unaware of our greatness, we need self-belief and consistency to get us to a place where the world will acknowledge us.

It is consistency that brought every great man or woman you have ever read of or heard about to where they are; Elon Musk, Steve Jobs, Chimamanda Adichie, Sherlock Holmes, etc.

Showing up 10% every day is better than showing up 100% once in a week. Show up for yourself and your work.

4. Finding Clients

   

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Being a creative is one thing while finding and maintaining clients is another. Ever been in a situation where you know your craft but can't seem to get any clients? I have been there and if there's something that helped me out of that situation, it is consistency (again) and connecting with people.

Because we don’t have the luxury of monthly salary expectations like our 9-5 counterparts, not having clients can easily spiral into anxiety or other mental health issues.

Consistency offers me the luxury to attract client's, show them what I have worked on, and possibly a platform to bid for my pay. Connecting with people on the other hand allows me to introduce myself and what I do to them. You never know where your next client will come from.

In addition, I always treat my clients with respect irrespective of how much they are paying, this always guarantees referral.

5. Depression 

Some days you feel you are not doing enough and this may lead to bouts of depression. Creatives experience that and one way of overcoming such is by joining communities of like minds. 

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Communities like the Readersketch community (/ReadersketchCC) help one another by offering emotional support and a platform where they can collectively discuss their problems and find solutions to them.

Join creative communities and don't be shy to share your experience.

In conclusion, we are no longer in the 1800s where creatives create and live in obscurity and are hardly seen, it is important we work together and put our work out there for the world to see.

You might be scared that someone will steal your work but don't be, people only steal what is worth stealing, so if your work gets stolen that means hour work is worth it.

I hope this blog post helped you if you are dealing with any of these challenges until you hear from me again, keep creating.

5 Challenges Creative People Face BRIEF

The article "5 Challenges Creative People Face" by Chimnwendum Chichi discusses common challenges that creative people face and ways to overcome them. These challenges ranges from Procrastination, Self-doubt, Inconsistency, Finding clients, Depression and more. In conclusion, the article emphasizes the importance of putting creative work out there for the world to see and working together to overcome these challenges.