Ten Creative Sinkholes and How to Paddle Past Them

I received a note from a former client the other day and asked her to frame it as a testimonial. She wrote this:
“Cynthia doesn’t just talk the talk when it comes to writing and creativity…she walks the walk.”

I like to think that whatever success I have is because I completely relate to the thrilling white water rapids ride my clients experience when they want to bring a book or blog or art or business to life.

When I coach my clients, I remind them that I am paddling alongside them. I constantly push my creative edge by riding the waves of new projects. E-books, blog posts, creative excursions and videos all provide me with my class IV rapids.

I navigate these thrills by being willing to learn, willing to ask for help, and willing to go beyond perfection in order to complete and launch initiatives. I know the sinkholes in the creative process and I know how to paddle past them.
But I confess that while I do walk the talk, I’m not telling all. I’ve been operating under the premise that I need to have everything figured out before I present it to you.  And that my own creative paddling isn’t interesting to anyone but myself.

I feel it’s wrong to give the illusion that I have everything figured out.  Being able to live with an imperfect process is essential to making anything. So I’ll share a peek into what I am working on to share how I paddle past common sinkholes in my creative ride.

My hope is to show you how I get a big idea and paddle past the common inner and outer sinkholes  to launch. Hopefully my process will illuminate something about your own creative path so you can ride the creative wave and launch more easily.


Creative Sinkhole #1: You think you have to have everything perfectly figured out before you start. You re-work something so much it loses its original impulse and creative juju.

Paddle strategy: You have to be messy and then you have to know when to stop fiddling and put it out there.
Here’s my current ride: I’m developing a big, new, scary, exciting project that I plan to launch soon. If I heard someone else say that, I’d ask “By when?” So I look at my calendar, and choose…April 1st. But what if people think it’s a joke? Or what if my project aligns with the notion of being a fool….

I then get sidetracked to the article I wrote last year about being a fool. I decide it’s good enough for the Original Impulse blog, so I post-date it for April 1st.

Creative Sinkhole #2: Being vague about deadlines and other numbers, ahem, finances.

Paddle strategy: Be as specific as you can with things that are specific, like dates and numbers.

Creative Sinkhole #3: Getting sidetracked. It’s so easy to veer off course. But notice that while I got sidetracked with the fool idea (what fool wouldn’t!), it didn’t derail me for long.

Paddle strategy: When you get an idea to veer in a new direction, ask how this will help you accomplish your original impulse. Figure out how long it will take you off course. If it doesn’t jive with your mission, you must steer back on course.

Okay, back to my new, exciting project. What is it? I am developing my own weekly web TV show. You will be able to tune in at the Original Impulse blog every week for a boost of inspiration to help make creating more fun. I’ll be sharing things I love, people I respect, books you must read, plus giving away gifts and other fun stuff.

As you see, I don’t have the tagline, the pithy description or even the name of the show yet! Want to help me name it? Leave a comment below with your ideas.

I do have a sense of the energy I want to share. I consider my show a kind of Pee Wee Herman’s Playhouse for people who want to enjoy their creativity more. While I may not be as wacky as Pee Wee, I do want the essence of the show to be fun, playful and entertaining.

My original impulse: I want to share what I love for the sake of inspiring more love in your life. Spread the love.

But too much trying to explain can dampen the project. I put these issues aside, like clothes I’ve been wearing on the rapids ride. I lay the show’s name, tagline and description on rocks to dry in the sun while I swing into action on the other items.

Creative Sinkhole #4: Not having everything figured out makes you nervous.

Paddle strategy: Let things simmer. Give time to those things that need some space. Notice that there is always a blend of action and inaction that allows projects to move forward.

Just announcing this publicly causes my body temperature to rise and my heart to beat faster. These heightened emotional and physical reactions are what make most people stop.

Do not take these reactions as signs that you’ve crossed the border out of your comfort zone and that you better go back to the couch. Take them as proof of your creative juju – your vital life energy wanting to be expressed in form.

Creative Sinkhole #5: A very real physical reaction makes you think you’re at risk of dying if you do this.

Paddle strategy: Return to your original impulse. Use this question: What kind of life do I insist upon having?
Scary? Yes. Thrilling? Definitely. Aligned with the word I use to guide my life: zesty? No doubt.

But still, doubts lurk alongside my enthusiasm. Will people hate it? Will it be good enough? Will I be able to pull it off?

Those are the questions our inner critic asks us. We then answer to ourselves: “Yes, people will hate it. No, it won’t be good enough, and yes, no, I have no clue if I can really pull this off!”

Creative Sinkhole #6: Doubts refuse to vacate the premises.

Paddle strategy: Listen to those voices but do not stop. Choose your values instead. When I hear those voices, I tap into an important value for me: curiosity.

Will they like it? Can I do it? Will it be good? I don’t know – let’s try it and see! This is how I wrote my novel and all my other books. This is how I launched my creativity excursions, my coaching practice, and just about every other thing in my life: I’m relentlessly curious to see what happens.

Since I have content for the blog on April 1st, and I don’t want my show to be construed as a joke, I schedule my show launch for Thursday April 8th.

There. Now I’ve done it – made public my declaration, and because I value integrity, and as said, I walk my talk, watch for the launch of my new show on Thursday, April 8th.

Just over three weeks away. Seems too close – shouldn’t I do a late April/early May launch? Will I really be ready?

Creative Sinkhole #7: Creative enthusiasm leads to overambitious goals, and we’re at risk of bailing because we can’t deliver on our exuberance.

Paddle strategy: Keep going. Use the deadline to move you forward. If you miss it, so what. The sun will continue to rise every day, and you can just set a new goal.

Okay, now that I’ve got a deadline, things will go much more quickly. Deadlines work well to get me into focused action.

My deadline may be too ambitious. In truth, I’ve been preparing for this.

Creative Sinkhole #8: Not knowing how to put all the pieces into place. And what are the pieces, anyway?

Paddle strategy: Make time – an hour or more to start – to plan out your project. Make lists, mindmaps, notes, doodles, sketches, whatever. Get the basic bones out on paper somehow.

Next, I hash out my plan:
•    Outline show template
•    Name the show & write a brief description so I can stay on track and explain it to others
•    Create to-do lists for each segment of the show
•    Create a trailer for show
•    Map out at least four episodes
•    Develop launch plan
•    Develop promotional plan

Each of these items may have its own list, with as many as eight action items underneath, with accompanying deadline.

Creative Sinkhole #9: Still scared!

Paddle strategy: Get real about the fears. List them. See that most of them are silly once exposed. Brainstorm strategies to deal with fears and gaps in skills or knowledge.

I’m so excited about my show that my enthusiasm almost drowns out my critic. But no, he’s still there, standing on the banks of the river shouting warnings like a worried parent.

I know better than to listen, pull over, and pack up my gear. I know to list those fears. My critic’s warnings usually point the way toward things I need to consider.

A separate list includes people to contact and ask for help as well as ideas for how to combat the fears.
Next I look at the other projects I’ve committed to and assess where and how I will make time to pull this together. Especially since I’m booked for a vacation in California next week. (But that’s just part of the show – I’ll be filming in CA fun things to share with you.)

That’s me freaking out before my four presentations in Panama a couple years ago.

Creative Sinkhole #10:  Overwhelmed. That initial burst of creative juju makes us take on more than we can handle, and overwhelm quickly overpowers enthusiasm.

Paddle strategy: Get real about how much time you have for any given thing. Look at your current commitments, asses how much time the new project will take, and see how they jive. I’ve learned how to manage multiple projects so I can complete them and not have a bunch of ideas and loose plans.

I’m terrified. I’m thrilled. I’m plunging forward past the sinkholes. I look forward to creating something wonderful for you.

I’d love to hear how sharing my process has impacted you. I’d also appreciate your ideas for a name for my show. (I used this crowdsourcing method to name my first book, Create Your Writer’s Life.)

Please send me your questions about the creative process, how to travel creatively and how to make your life your best work of art to me, either by email or in a comment here. I’ll share your questions and my answers on my show.

By the way, here’s the rest of the testimonial:

“Cynthia’s sage advice and gentle creative touch helped me bridge a productivity gap. I furthered my writer’s discipline without beating myself up or losing touch with what makes me want to write in the first place!”
Erin Blakemore, author of The Heroine’s Bookshelf