Getting Started ⭐ the psychology & paralysis of the blank page

I had to share this chapter I read the other day about why starting is the hardest part and why the beginning of anything important can be SO SCARY - oh, and Squarespace discount: squarespace.com...
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BOOKS:
'Creative Demons and How To Slay Them'
- Richard Holman
'Tolkein: A Biography'
- Michael White
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MUSIC:
I license music for my videos here ↴
tinyurl.com/fl... *
'Time Adventure (Chiptune Cover)' - Max Demski
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COME FIND ME:
INSTAGRAM ✷ / furrylittlepeach
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TWITTER ✷ / furrylittlpeach
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SPOTIFY ✷ Sha'an d'Anthes / furrylittlepeach
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LOVE LETTERS:
Sha’an d’Anthes
PO Box 81
Petersham, NSW
Australia 2049
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FTC : This video was sponsored by Squarespace.
Links marked with * are affiliates and I receive a small commission at no extra cost to you :-)
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Oh hey there little bean, watcha doing all the way down here?

[@LunaSambuca]

It’s a Saturday morning in the UK and I’m doing my dishes while listening to this video, I realised that a lot of my ideas come when I’m just cleaning at home. I enjoy methodically cleaning and it allows me to get out of my head a bit, I hadn’t come to that conclusion before but it’s true!

[@furrylittlepeach]

A great motivator to clean - which helps with routine. Could this be another trick for my toolbelt? 🤣

[@meghan369]

Wow, how amazing is it that you found the book organically! One of the first concepts you shared really clicked -- about not wanting to "ruin the illusion you created for yourself" about your work/project. Realising that that's what I've been doing took hearing it explained in that way. I've been working on a long term project and feeling like I haven't been getting anywhere with it. But I think I've been thinking too analytically about it... While drawing, but also while I'm away from it. Such a valuable video thanks Sha'an. I'm going to try to create something without any planning or expectations today.

[@agothbee]

Yesterday I went to a gallery show to support my friends and I left feeling a little down because while I was so happy for my friends in a way I was a bit jealous that I haven’t had an opportunity like that and made me feel scared that I’m not on the right track or I’m not cut out to be an artist. But after listening to this on my morning walk, it’s helped me understand that that’s not the case and it takes different steps for different people to get to what and where we all want to be. I now want to find this book listening has been so helpful 😌

[@pynkbug]

I feel this big time! It's so hard to pull yourself out and tell yourself you're gonna make it too

[@furrylittlepeach]

It's okay to feel envy sometimes 💗 sometimes it's luck, sometimes it's timing. And often it happens at different times for different people! Rosalie gascoigne is an artist in australia who (if my memory serves) studied art in her 20s - spent many decades flower arranging as her outlet while raising her family and then began making sculpture when she was 50. She is a beloved and accomplished australian artwork! It isn't great practice to compare because as they say comparison is the thief of joy - but don't forget for as many people that land amazing experiences before you there will be people who achieve great things (like you) later than you too! Defos recommend this book 🤠 It's a great reminder that we have some control in navigating some of these blocks and also that these challenges are the great equaliser - we all feel these things :-)

[@furrylittlepeach]

*artist

[@agothbee]

@furrylittlepeach Thank you so much for the response! I agree for sure that comparison is the thief of joy, I think the hard part can be the reminder to yourself that it all happens at different times for everyone. I feel sometimes the societal "timeline" of getting started with one's career can be pressuring as well. Thanks also for the artist rec! I'll have to check her work out :)

[@WendyGreenIllustrations]

I do feel like my best ideas come when I'm doing random stuff and not forcing it... so that book is cool in the way it breaks down the brain. thank you for sharing your thoughts and bits of these books. It is amazing how it feels to feel so seen by words in a books.

[@grace_u]

I love hearing your inner thoughts about the books you're consuming! Although I'm not an illustrator/artist by trade, I can still relate to this struggle as a musician/creative. Also, your reflections inspire me to read more haha thx for sharing these books and your insight!!

[@furrylittlepeach]

Honestly, I think a lot of creative career / practices face similar challenges at their core because it's about ideation vs the want to create vs the headspace vs time/resources etc

[@ellensbg]

This video came at the perfect time, ive been commissioned to do some illustrations for a local school but ive barely made anything yet because im so overwhelmed about and stressed about making the perfect piece of work. Thank you for sharing this with us!

[@furrylittlepeach]

I know what you mean! Whenever I get a job that's important to me or that I feel will level me up I fret! I procrastinate! I want to do such a good job but in repeatinf that to myself i make it even more high stakes! I don't remember if I read this but realistically no ONE job will make or break our careers. That helps me put things in perspective. I'll have to repeat this to myself while working on my fourth picturebook! I can already feel that personal pressure creeping up 🤣

[@sprinkledsunshine]

Interestingly the concept of ideas being external inspiration that you accept, like the Greeks awaiting messages from the muse, really reminds me of the message in The Artist's Way, but more removed from religion, and I really like it, it feels more natural That story about Tolkien is so cute

[@furrylittlepeach]

Yes I know what you mean. I only bought the artist way this year and i don't know if it's a new addition but she talks about "god" in her book being interchangeable with creativity or receiving creativity (or something along those lines). I wonder if it was updated for a wider non religious audience (like me)

[@furrylittlepeach]

*last year

[@Habichl]

Omggg I literally said the same thing about the first page fear in my vlog and I feel seen. THANK YOU. I feel like we all exist in this same bubble despite living so far apart 😭 Thank you for sharing all these books and your wisdom!

[@furrylittlepeach]

Mwa 💗 thanks for watching!

[@kvh2801]

Something you said about the fear of loved ones dying reminded me of what we learn about trauma responses - that is, that we have fear around those things because our bodies are triggered by past times we felt unsafe. In turn, that made me think about our hesitance to start is usually a sort of fear response about not being good enough, or ruining a project, or our work being rejected. So if (part of) the answer to working through trauma is to recognise that we’re now safe, maybe giving ourselves space to feel safe creatively, through sketchbooking or exploring new mediums etc can help with removing the fear of that blank page. Which is kind of what you were saying at one point as well, I just think the psychology of it is really interesting and it made me think about what a “safe” creative space could look like for me! Thank you for the video

[@furrylittlepeach]

Yes! Totally agree! Love hearing your thoughts!!

[@pynkbug]

I adore these videos, theres always a warmth and a friendliness/big sister energy thats so comforting. Honestly, I just started the artists way (because I saw your video if anyone reading this is thinking about doing it, do it.) and though I'm finding it is helping me come to some revelations (like the censor and who or what is behind that). I don't know if anyone can relate but, I'm just exhausted of battling constant unrelenting negativity both from myself, my own censor and the space I'm in currently, being surrounded by external censors and feeling like I'm being selfish and a bit of a dead weight for using this time (I lost my job a while back due to company debt) to try to reconnect with my art so I can pursue it like I wanted to do as a kid rather than getting a random corporate or retail job. I think I want to pick up this book, I think it may help to hear more about others ways of dealing with the walls we've built. I'm not sure though, if I should be waiting to tackle these things until I've got a job and I can leave my current situation and be in more of a healthy mind set in order to be receptive to it all. Or is the point to just do it no matter what? I'm just tired of waiting to not be too low to create and I'm scared its been so long I cant get that creativity back. Sorry for the ramble just curious what anyone else is feeling about this sort of thing x

[@moragodofthunder]

I think I 100% relate to how you are feeling. I have struggled to find work for a while and pivoted to work on starting my own business with my art like I’ve always wanted to (and also just to make more art in general because I feel like working corporate jobs made me lose sight of the artist I am). Through this new focus on art I’ve found that there was a lot more than a corporate job that got in the way of me making art, these external and internal censors if you like (I haven’t started the artist’s way yet but I’ve been thinking about it for a while). I think, for maybe both of us, we should just do the damn thing and do the artist’s way now even when feeling that negativity. Who knows maybe we will both find a healthier mindset on the other side?

[@Purrabelle]

Your reflections in this video REALLY resonated with me. Especially when you talked about acting our of fear - that is a huge challenge for me, and I would love to hear more about how you are tackling this. I also am trying to make more space and allow myself to be bored, let my thoughts drift...this video felt like the confirmation I needed to take a long break from instagram and clear my mind of all that. Thank you as always for sharing your thoughts so eloquently and vulnerably!

[@mela_adele]

also your fit is SO cute, i would love a outfit video from you sometime!! your style is lovely

[@furrylittlepeach]

Taking note of this haha 🖍

[@ashlynlee1138]

Peach!! You make such a difference in my life. I am a sign artist at an artisan grocery store in the States and I watch your videos all day while in the studio. Thank you for being. ❤

[@furrylittlepeach]

Omg artisan grocery store???? I wanna go it sounds interesting!!!

[@ashlynlee1138]

@ agh! Hi!!! 👋 it’s called Central Market and they’re only in Texas!

[@helenm1085]

For me it's about pushing past the discomfort of being bored.... Like being bored lets your mind wander and come up with good things

[@rolinamari]

super love this one! it's like the universe speaking to me now that i have a big project that feels so daunting and it's just staring right back at me so intensely. i really loved the way that preparing for when inspiration hits you was covered. i think this is something we often forget when we do other things besides creating. there's always this thought in our heads that we should be doing something but we fail to prepare for it and when it comes, we simply couldn't rise to the occasion. it's like this one time i was sketching so much and i had that flow and i run out of sketchbooks. who runs out of sketchbooks? apparently me. and it's like such a small thing but greatly affects us as well. i have bought a new one now but i haven't had the time to draw like that again. maybe soon. either way, i learned my lesson and i will be prepared.

[@EnnyOwl]

This video is just what I need today! Thank you for sharing 💜💜

[@hayapatel_]

I needed this video! Also I love your outfits always, they're such a vibe. I'm slowly coming out of my almost 2 year burnout and I'm starting off by biting off more than I can chew but also like....determined to finish things. I have a small contract to illustrate a picture book, a personal commission from a private client, and I have my first art market in March!! So much to do and it's daunting and I hate looking at that blank page but I'm slowly chipping through things. Going to try stepping away from the illusion and preconceived notions of everything and just create :]

[@atilasnosebleed]

Wow I needed to hear this, feeling overwhelmed with ideas and scared of starting any of them. That frozen feeling is safe though because I can always say I'm “working on it” but at what point am I working or stalling? What am I so afraid of and if its failure (it is) then when will I give myself permission to simply fail. I've failed at every I've ever become good at. I just had to keep trying. Dang lol

[@deanna_day]

hi! i went through similar feelings as you and you're so right about how spinning your wheels on an idea feels safer than starting it. i realized that the bigger fear i had was how i'd treat myself (feeling disappointed, being hard on myself) if i potentially "failed", so it's easier to stay frozen. now i practice celebrating the small wins of doing a little bit at a time, because if i'm hard on myself all the time, no wonder i don't feel like starting. i hope that helps you in some way!

[@its-sirap]

enjoyed ur vid on routines, and feeling similarly about this one. im an artist currently re-configuring (and re-centering) the role of my art practice in my life, and u sharing ur thoughts/readings brings interesting insights. The spontaneous thinking/process reminds me of what Jenny Odell talks about in How To Do Nothing-i’ve specifically been returning to her explanation of “Do Nothing Farming” to help me rethink my own workflow right now. I’ve also been taking the concepts of sketching and prototyping into the mediums i work with, which has been really encouraging with practicing practice l, so that everything doesnt need to the pressure of being (or not being) a project.

[@catrionaoldfield3489]

this is such an interesting thing to ponder and think about as an artist or any kind of creative. starting is definitely always the hardest part for me, and over the years i've tried to counter it by either jumping straight in without letting myself think about it (if i get bogged down in what it Could be i'll never let it be what it Is) and giving myself permission to let it be as messy as possible. literally i started a new fanfiction plan yesterday, and over the last couple of years ive felt kind of stagnant on my writing and like its just stuck and recycled and boring and i want it to be Good; but i wrote the first note of 'this can be messy and ugly and its allowed to be like that' and then started writing down the plot points and in like 10 minutes i felt inspired to actually write out one scene, and then another, and another, and then return to another writing wip id started ages ago and continue it. letting myself be as scrappy as possible in the start helps me START, and thats one of the most important steps. of course continuing and perservering with a project is the next hardest, i am not great at consistent work and when something gets past the fun stage and moves into the work stage i don't want to do it cos i am motivated by fun (love having adhd) and pushing myself to do it anyway even if its not as fun is hard; but letting myself be messy to start? VERY helpful i think this also ties into an idea ive seen specifically with adhd people and potential, in that we are told a lot that we have great potential and can do amazing things when we stick to something, which is famously very very difficult for adhd people. if you have adhd like me you might have been told in school that you could do amazing things and had amazing results and were endlessly creative and intelligent and could be so good at so many things, if you just practiced or turned in work on time or studied or paid attention properly. this kind of idea creates the terror of 'im not living up to everything i could be' and puts one in a state of paralysis - we want to do the best we can do and we KNOW we can do great things, but how can we ever do those things if we can't do it perfectly or do it consistently? can we ever live up to the potential people said we have? and the answer is: that potential never existed. it is a theoretical and it COULD exist but it is immeasurable and intangible and exists only in the minds of those who judge us, and in turn in our minds as a reprimanding behaviour for the way WE exist in a society that does not cater to us. people will always say you can do great things and amazing things, but the actual ability of you to make something that will knock everyone's socks off, every single time, does not exist. we are people and we need rest and time and care and can't push the boundaries of everything every single time. i think this concept you talk about here goes along with this, or at the very least it reminds me of it. you can't force inspiration and good workflow and amazing progress all the time, it just won't happen, you need to let your brain process and calm down and step away and come back to it, you need to give yourself space and time to let the ideas and energy come to you rather than chase them down and fight the black page demon. this is such an interesting concept, i love it; and more so, you've inspired me to go on a walk for myself and let my ideas marinate and inspiration come to me as i see fit. thank you for this video, i loved it

[@profshwetaanand6619]

Love love love this video! Thank you ❤

[@noahremm]

Love this video!!! Thank you :) Put these books in my TBR.

[@mela_adele]

i looove hearing your thoughts on these topics, its so validating to hear a fellow artist share about this stuff

[@furrylittlepeach]

💗💗💗 i'd love to hear your thoughts!

[@ChantelleArts]

seeing you is really making me want summer to just come already now for us up north 😭

[@furrylittlepeach]

Hahaha! I love my winter wardrobe so much more than what i can wear in the hot aussie Summer - let's swap seasons 🤝🏼🤝🏼🤝🏼

[@kericlement2619]

Literally had a major struggle with this today and perfectly need this video for motivation!❤❤

[@LaurelWashburn]

Thank you for sharing your thoughts! It is inspiring me to read more. :)

[@noovernightguests]

Yes, some people need a little push. But for people who are already tapped into their creativity AND are having trouble getting started, it is really important to identify when you're not recognizing when certain ideas/thoughts are blocking you. I don't know about anybody else but mine are always the same. The same ideas and thoughts. But I will say, when I am taking better care of other parts of my life my friendships, my responsibilities at my 9 to 5 job, chores those ideas/thoughts are waaaay smaller.

[@stephuhhkneee]

That’s the cutest picnic basket I’ve ever seen

[@nomisupernova]

This video really relaxed me, I'm going to get around to grabbing a copy! I really felt like this resonated with me and my creative process, so it was nice to hear that you feel similarly. :) I hope things ease up in your life soon 💌

[@furrylittlepeach]

I reckon we'll have these feelings forever - but that it'll just be easier to navigate as we accept them :-)

[@furrylittlepeach]

And thank you cutie!

[@rthwrms]

have you read Big Magic by Elizabeth Gilbert? it has a similar theme of personification of the process, and one of the big ideas she presents is of the "genius" spirit. i think you would find it interesting!

[@rthwrms]

“I had this encounter recently where I met the extraordinary American poet Ruth Stone, who's now in her 90s, but she's been a poet her entire life and she told me that when she was growing up in rural Virginia, she would be out working in the fields, and she said she would feel and hear a poem coming at her from over the landscape. And she said it was like a thunderous train of air. And it would come barreling down at her over the landscape. And she felt it coming, because it would shake the earth under her feet. She knew that she had only one thing to do at that point, and that was to, in her words, "run like hell." And she would run like hell to the house and she would be getting chased by this poem, and the whole deal was that she had to get to a piece of paper and a pencil fast enough so that when it thundered through her, she could collect it and grab it on the page. And other times she wouldn't be fast enough, so she'd be running and running, and she wouldn't get to the house and the poem would barrel through her and she would miss it and she said it would continue on across the landscape, looking, as she put it "for another poet." And then there were these times -- this is the piece I never forgot -- she said that there were moments where she would almost miss it, right? So, she's running to the house and she's looking for the paper and the poem passes through her, and she grabs a pencil just as it's going through her, and then she said, it was like she would reach out with her other hand and she would catch it. She would catch the poem by its tail, and she would pull it backwards into her body as she was transcribing on the page. And in these instances, the poem would come up on the page perfect and intact but backwards, from the last word to the first.” quote from Elizabeth Gilbert's TED talk on the elusive creative genius (SORRY THIS IS SO LONG LOL)

[@noovernightguests]

@@rthwrms OMG this is one of my favorite sections from the book! Second to when she met another writer and it turns out they had the near exact idea for a very specific story.

[@maxonrylee]

Love this❤ thanks for sharing

[@furrylittlepeach]

💗

[@izzaweihaas]

Me googling where to purchase this book 📖 in LA… This was such an inspiring video and I totally agree with how you feel

[@furrylittlepeach]

Ooh! Did you find it? I have a hunch that the author is british but not sure!

[@meghan369]

Omg I just checked to see if you uploaded yet! Wee!

[@furrylittlepeach]

✨️✨️✨️✨️🫂

[@lunamoriah1516]

Ugh men 💀 I’m so sorry I’ve been there. How can people not realize they are making another person uncomfortable? It’s always gotta be intentional it just doesn’t make sense otherwise.

[@furrylittlepeach]

I can't say for sure but I did feel it was intentional which is why i moved because that's creepy !!!!

[@lynettedavila86]

I loved this!

[@furrylittlepeach]

💗

[@AndreeaEremiaArt]

Another amazing video 😊😊😊

[@furrylittlepeach]

Thank you angel!

[@joumanaismail9825]

I think you’d like “Big Magic” by Elizabeth Gilbert

[@anastasijac.r8732]

Soooo cutesy 😭💓💓

[@RocketK]

❤

[@furrylittlepeach]

Mwa 💗💗💗

[@peter_panarchy]

Me waiting patiently for a chako labs x FLP line 👼🏻

[@furrylittlepeach]

Hahaha! If I did one it'd just be the chunky bottle in the primary colours - it's already my dream bottle hehe

[@roxannejoncas]

If you haven't read ✨ Big Magic by Elizabeth Gilbert, I believe you'd like it.

[@stephuhhkneee]

YIPPEEEEEEEEE 💌

[@lightbulbnirvana]

Hello, I think there's a way of making this harder than it is. I think it's important to know what is play. If you cannot play you cannot create.

[@furrylittlepeach]

Definitely. Play is so important. But it can be difficult to make a safe space for play when deadlines or expectations are involved - both of those are a part of being a commercial artist. My solution is creating pockets of space for play in your every day - even when busy! 🤠

[@lightbulbnirvana]

@@furrylittlepeach If you care too much about what people think then you can't play. Deadlines and expectations are imaginary, in the sense that they are all in the mind. I feel that play is just being able to be un-self-conscious, outside of time and space. Being in flow. Someone important to me once told me, "What other people think of you is none of your business." My younger self found that to be liberating. Maybe you will too? It's impossible to play and to care what other people think at the same time. If you give up caring what other people think about you, then you will always be able to play.

[@furrylittlepeach]

@@lightbulbnirvana i think compartmentalising times for expectations and otherwise will help give you the time that is void of the constraints. It does take thought and planning - at least for how I work and within my life. I don't believe it's realistic to divorce from those kind of expectations (time, earning money) in life especially when you are creative for a living. It's about learning to carve out time where you arent worried or thinking about it so you can play and then be able to switch on the other parts of the brain when you inevitably need to. For me it's all a delicate ecosystem. When I speak about play it's from a place of within my practice or at least the play is referenced in my work.

[@lightbulbnirvana]

@@furrylittlepeach If you must structure your play and that works for you, then go for it! I feel that play is more a state of mind, of being 100% relaxed and of having 100% concentration, than about creating ontologies about time and space. I don't find being structured about play is helpful to me. If I can't play, I can't create. I'm fairly sure about that. Also play is not about achievement, play isn't about making a living. Play is about having fun.