Season 1 Episode 2. Let’s talk about following through on our ideas! Making progress without pressure. With small doable action prompts to move you forward, especially helpful for neurodiverse and sensitive creatives. Feeling stuck or blocked on your creative project? This episode offers you a powerful reframe: what if your idea is meant for you — and you’re meant to follow through? I talk about overcoming fear, staying accountable without external deadlines, and embracing imperfect action. Plus, you’ll hear inspiration from The Artist’s Way, and explore a simple challenge: to take two small steps today toward achieving your vision.
Take care,
Erica Magdalene
Listen to this episode on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or YouTube at these links – Apple: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/making-creative-progress/id1844102114?i=1000735771176 Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/episode/4MTYcBL5GKOdQg19kayGZo or YouTube: LINK COMING SOON
(Note: This page includes the full transcript of the episode below. An informative and fair use disclaimer appears at the end of the transcript.)
Transcript:
Erica Magdalene, Host:
Hello.
It is Saturday morning where I am as I’m recording this. So happy Saturday if you’re listening on a Saturday, and hope you are having a happy day, whatever day you might happen to come across this.
Something that is intriguing me lately is really kind of looking into the idea of different types of channels and ways to share. And I’ve never really explored audio and podcasting. And so I’d like to try this out as a way to connect with you.
Something that’s on my mind lately is really following through creative accountability. It can be so—or any kind of entrepreneurship or whatever ideas you’re focusing on bringing into being—it can be so, so, so challenging to move forward with something when nobody is kind of telling you, “Hey, you really need to do this. You really need to get this done. Have you done it yet?” Or, you know what I mean?
Maybe you do have people who are encouraging you, but it’s a little bit different than, say, showing up to work or showing up to school where things are baked in and time-bound in a very regimented way, where folks are watching you and everybody’s like, okay, you really need to make those deadlines and deliver.
And it’s a little tougher in the creative space where you’re really kind of holding yourself accountable. And there’s also very obviously space too for not everything that you’re creating has to be regimented and time-bound and focused in this way. So much of the creative space is really opening into that magical area where things are just flowing through, and you don’t necessarily have to create something because you need to share it with everyone. It’s just literally part of who we are. It’s just so natural and intrinsic to us to be creators, right?
But I’m talking about things that you do want to produce, and you do want to share with people, and you do want to get your ideas out there. And so I’m kind of focused on that this morning.
If I can do it, you can do it. If I can create this little message for you, put it out there—it’s so, so scary for me. I feel nervous. I feel scared.
But I’m kind of following the ethos of—and there’s even a book by this title—Do It Scared. Put it out there. Follow through.
So consider this my friendly encouragement to you: if you have an idea or a concept that you want to get out there, do it this weekend. Really follow through. What is the next step that you can create and make happen for yourself?
I’m opening up The Artist’s Way book. I’m pulling out a totally random section. Okay, I just randomly opened it to page 49.
And in here, Julia Cameron is saying:
“As blocked creatives, we are willing to go to almost any lengths to remain blocked.”
I’m skipping ahead a little bit.
She also says:
“Very often we fear that if we let ourselves be creative, we will become crazy makers ourselves.”
And she goes on to say:
“The next time you catch yourself saying or thinking, ‘He or she is driving me crazy,’ ask yourself what creative work you are trying to block by your involvement.”
So I think that does relate to what I’m talking about—just putting yourselves out there. If you feel like something is blocked, is it really? Or is it an aspect of fear, an aspect of “I really kind of need to not put my work out there, and I need to find any situation to not do so.”
So I’m kind of going to jump ahead. I’m going to find another little random moment. Okay—page 156.
She says:
“A successful creative career is always built on successful creative failures. The trick is to survive them. It helps to remember that even our most illustrious artists have taken creative U-turns in their time.”
So that really speaks to me. And one of my favorite things to kind of say to myself is—kind of like that episode of Friends where they’re moving the furniture and it’s like, “Pivot, pivot.”
So at a certain point, if you’re just too down in the depths of “Is this working out or is it not working out?” you can literally pivot in terms of your idea. You can say, okay, I’m going to work on something totally different.
Or you can maybe pivot in your own mind and say, okay, I really respect the part of my mind that is afraid, overwhelmed, or somebody told me I couldn’t do it so I think I can’t do it.
What if you gently pivot into a more supportive mindset where you say to yourself, you know what—if I am filled with this idea that this is something I want to create and do and share with folks, it’s there for a reason. What if you kind of open up your mindset to this is meant for me. This is something that I’m meant to share with the world. This is something that I’m meant to do to inspire and encourage other people, and really fulfill that part of yourself that knows that this is meant for you.
So those are some thoughts to hopefully help motivate you to go out there.
And as one of my early meditation teachers once told me: what if you try at least two things today? Are there at least two things that can move you forward? Any two actions—pick two actions today to move your idea a little closer into being.
So I hope you have a beautiful, wonderful day.
All the best.
Take care.
Disclaimer: The content in this podcast and in this podcast episode is for informative purposes only. Podcast creator and host Erica Magdalene is not a doctor, therapist, or licensed mental health professional. Any discussion of neurodiversity, mental health, or personal growth reflects personal experience, is not health or medical advice, and is not a substitute for professional care.
Portions of this episode may include brief quotations from published works, shared under fair use for the purposes of reflection, discussion, and education.
Photo credit: Erica Magdalene via Canva
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