I have a house guest - our former au pair, visiting from Germany. She's launching her yoga video channel and last week; she confided how disheartened she feels watching her favourite creators on YouTube. They have millions of followers, books, and dazzling careers.
The comparison was crippling, and she found herself pouring hours into making her videos perfect, and then struggling even to want to post them.
Why you need to share your WIPs
I shared some advice with her that I wish someone had told me when I started out:
Share your process in public, even - no, especially - if you're not good yet.
There are a few reasons for this advice:
1. It's best to get your shitty content out of the way before you have an audience
I started Wednesday Wisdom in July 2018, and it went to just 28 people. When I read those old posts now, I cringe. I'm glad I didn't have thousands of you back then! But there's no shortcut for practice, so I needed to start small.
2. Your journey inspires people two steps behind
Watching experienced creators is daunting - not just for her, but for others who want to start. We can't connect to success that's too many steps ahead. By sharing her process with a growing audience, she builds trust and inspires people who are a step or two behind her. That's valuable.
3. Early encouragement keeps you going
It's hard to stay motivated for an idea that isn't real yet. You might give up before anything sees the light of day. Once you've told people, you shine light on your idea, inviting investment and encouragement, which might make all the difference on hard days.
You might not be starting a business or a yoga channel, but you should still share your work. If you do, you'll get:
- The chance to make your idea better
- The excitement and support of people who care about you
- A wider sense of ownership and engagement in your results.
If you're trying to present a done-deal, because you're scared people won't like you or your idea until it's perfect, you're missing some serious opportunities.
My work in progress
I love having multiple creative projects on the go, which used to be a source of guilt - as if it reflected poorly on my stickability. I'm challenging those ideas. I have too much bubbling inside me to stick to just one thing.
This week, I've shared a few works in progress with my audience. Any of them could fail and disappear from view, and I'd have to tell people that it didn't work.
1. A new Substack newsletter: Current Fad.
This society and culture newsletter allows me to write on more diverse topics, build a wider audience and earn money from my writing. There are only a couple of posts up, but I've gone ahead and launched it publicly. The support has been incredible and dozens of people have 'pledged' for when I convert to paid.
2. A secret dream to write a novel
In this post on Current Fad, I share my aspirations for a new writing direction - including a trip to Portland, Oregon for an intensive novel-writing workshop. I was tempted to hide this dream until I knew if I could do it, or if I was any good. Now I have accountability and encouragement from others.
3. A battle with disconnection
I get cynical and jaded pretty quickly. Some days, I feel my work is a waste of time. Instead of presenting polish and perfection, I try to show the back-stage. I think it's useful for people who judge their own unhelpful thoughts. My inbox is full of DMs from people thanking me for this post, which warms my heart.
4. The Consultants of Choice pre-launch
This course has taken more time, energy and love than anything I've ever made. It's the culmination of my career, summed up as usefully as possible, to help others live their dream self-employed lives. It's taking a long time, and it's still not finished - so instead of trying to make it perfect, I've opened it to discount guinea pig enrolments so people can get stuck into the first module and tell me everything wrong with it. Aargh!
How you can do this
You can share your process, or your works-in-progress in lots of different areas:
- Share your thinking with your team or Board before the recommendation is ready
- Show your drafts to colleagues for their input
- Launch your new idea to a small audience before it's "ready"
- Tell your friends and family what you're working on, even when you think it's shit.
Share your process.
Get a boost, connect with others, and improve your outcome.
Til next week,
A
Alicia McKay
