Why me?
“All my life I’ve been trying to run the productivity marathon, but it turns out, I’m a sprinter.”
In 2024, I spent the summer sprinting through a first draft of a novel. Pulling a hard left from my usual M.O., I decided to rush into this book as fast as possible and then get out of it just as quickly. No in-depth planning, no plot charts. I created a thoughtful milestone calendar and then wrote for 90 days. The manuscript was rough, but it was done.
A too-short, too-messy (but finished) first draft is worth its weight in gold.
Why did that crazy summer work? Because I constantly reminded myself that this was simply one season. It was temporary insanity! For three months, I took shortcuts, I was a little more tired, and I slightly ignored my family. I had momentum on my side. Then, I could stash away the manuscript, let it simmer, and get back to it when I was ready.
I carry this confidence into all of my projects now. I know that I can finish things.
I used the same strategy for my latest film. It was dragging along and needed some fire. So we set a seemingly impossible deadline and raced toward it. We ended up with a nearly finished film, a to-do list of finishing touches, and way more energy for the project than we’d had before. Six months later, the film screened in its first festival and started finding its audience.
My Promises to You
I Won’t
teach you how to be creative
tell you which project to pursue
judge your work
(You’re already creative. You know exactly what you want to do. The only person you need to impress is yourself.)
I Will
hold you to deadlines
remind you why you’re doing this
provide structure
help you design a sustainable creative practice
share resources and advice