Getting started
Starting something new, particularly in the creative field, is hard.
If you’re anything like me, the hardest part is seeing the infinite number of possibilities and having to choose just one, to the exclusion of others which could be equally exciting.
The cliched analogy of choosing a path in the woods without knowing where it leads is actually very apt. Choosing to start, and choosing a path can be so daunting, that a lot of people don’t start at all.
Not trying is the ultimate safe-guard against failure, but it’s also the ultimate killer of success.
I think a lot of this comes down to fear of looking amateur. In today’s social media driven world, I feel like there’s an expectation that anything that launches into the public sphere has to be polished, professional and of the highest quality. Anything less and you’re wasting your time, or some kind of try-hard or imposter.
Particularly in New Zealand, where tall-poppy syndrome is rampant, anything that looks like self-promotion can get you vilified by others very quickly.
As someone starting out in a new profession - particularly a creative one like journalism and media - that is really daunting. On one hand, you’re eager to prove your ability. to get noticed, to (ultimately) to get a job - but also,you haven’t had the opportunity to strengthen your newly acquired skills, nor do you have the professional supports around you that those established in the industry have. Expecting a level of work comparable to those who have been in the industry for years is just not feasible, yet feels like its required of you to even get a foot in the door.
Battling with this unrealistic expectation has been one of the hardest things for me to overcome - particularly now as I embark on this new career path. By nature I am a perfectionist. I was raised with the idea that it is better to take your time and do something right the first time, rather than rushing and making mistakes that mean you ultimately have to do things over again.
Early in my career as an event producer, my wonderful friend, classmate and then colleague Sas called me out on this one day, basically saying that I had a habit of hiding in the corner designing and planning my events, only presenting my work to my team when they were fully formed. This was just an observation on her part but it stuck in my mind as a moment that challenged me to open up more and let people see the work in progress. (Disclaimer, this is still a challenge for me 10 years later!)
I’ve come to realise that the “do-it-once-and-do-it-right” attitude is good if, like my Dad, you’re in the corporate world and in a position where accuracy is required and mistakes can have significant consequences. Errors and omissions on a budget, or cash-flow analysis can have serious consequences for a business. However, that rule doesn’t apply so much in the creative field - particularly in the ideation phase, where experimentation and the testing and refining of ideas through practice is important.
Letting go of perfectionism is hard though, but also necessary if we’re every going to have success in the creative field.
“Perfection is achieved not when there is nothing more to add, but nothing left to take away.”
All of this, really, is just my musings on how and why I am writing these words in the first place. Justifying to myself why I am adding to the noise of the internet, and starting to create content that no-one actually asked for.
But at the same time, it is in my nature to create - I spent 2021 at uni specifically to develop my skills in a creative field and now that I’ve completed that study it’s time to get on with the doing.
So, I’m going to start with what I know - live experiences. It’s a broad brush that covers everything from arts & culture, events, hospitality (both in and out of home), and travel. My hope is to bring a personal touch - either why something is meaningful to me; or to highlight the people behind the scenes and why what they do is meaningful to them.
Because all of these things are ultimately about one thing, people.
Celebrating human creativity, connection and achievement is what drives me. Understanding others and seeing the diversity of the world is what helps bring us closer together as a society.
And in my own little way, I’d like to play a part in making that happen, and I’d love for you to join me on the journey.
“He aha te mea nui o te ao? He tāngata, he tāngata, he tāngata”
“What is the most important thing in the world? It is the people, it is the people, it is the people.”
Cover photo by NordWood Themes on Unsplash
