Shut down the monster and start already: Conquering The Fear Of Creativity

With three shows in the books, Kurt and I couldn’t be more thrilled by the support we have received from listeners. We knew we were on to something when the show came about, as there are some seriously incredible people in our area that we have access to on a daily basis. From our introductory show, Kurt and I explained that this was a year or so in the making for both of us, but we never knew it. How can that be since Kurt and I hang out once or twice per week? Fear! 

In the summer of 2016, I had told my good friend in Colorado, who had his own podcast, The Business Revolution, that I was going to start my own. The concept —simple. I get to be around some of the most fascinating people who have been very successful in their business, industry, professional and collegiate sports and the non-profit world. I wanted to share their stories and find out what made them so successful and how they dealt with the trials and triumph during the journey. 
Fear set in; I was unsure how to go about doing a podcast, and after researching it, the process seemed complex and dismal to someone who has their own business to run and two kids to raise. . None the less I attacked this fear and will share with you in six simple steps ways to help you in creating your muse and getting over the monster.

1. Find someone who shares the same interest and similar ideas as you and piggyback off of their energy. Two can accomplish more than one (usually), and when you run out of “creativity” they usually have a good idea to back you up.
2. Something I learned after recently reading The 4-hour Week Week by Tim Ferris is that most of our fears are not only made up, but rarely permanent. Having a podcast, while not that scary, means putting yourself out to the inter-webs and exposing any vulnerability. I made a list of all the worst things that could happen and what the effects would be. If they were to come to fruition, how could I change the situation or the way I respond and react to them? Was I living in fear of things that I can control, or things that I can’t control? Most importantly, would they be permanent? The answer was simply no, and once defined on paper they became laughable.
3. Make a list, bubble graph, chart, bullet points or really anything you need that would get your idea started so that you have months worth of content ready to go (in our case guests). This way, you are not scrambling to get ideas during the week when you’re tired and burnt out after doing your real, full-time work. I shot for six months worth of guests assuming one podcast episode per week. Naturally, Kurt had guests in mind that I hadn’t even thought of; I was able to piggyback off of his ideas when mine were lacking. Two are better than one.
4. Find someone who has the resources who can help you get started and who, in return, could benefit from your creative muse themselves. Ours was a perfect partnership. Our friend Matt had just purchased a radio station and needed content for programming. He had already been running podcast episodes, and had the equipment and services to get them on iTunes and stitcher. Matt will be airing our shows on his station, so this is a win/win.
5. Screw up already! I have no idea what I’m doing or where this is going. But I know one thing for certain: I am passionate about entrepreneurs and helping people maximize their businesses. I am passionate about helping them achieve the work life balance and financial freedom that we are all seeking. That being said I have never run a podcast, never blogged or never built a web site; but I am doing it now and I’m making mistakes along the way. The great Albert Einstein once stated “A person who never made a mistake has never tried anything new.” So I’m working to fail early and often in order to get better faster.
6. Have fun with it, be excited about your new endeavors and start with the content first; the money will follow. Remember, this is supposed to be your creative muse the money will come as long as you stick to the passion of it.

There will be more in the future, but I thought I would share my early thoughts on cultivating this new creative Corey, and a few resources that have helped me to spur this new adventure.

Cheers!

Corey