I was thinking about how often creative process gets tangled up with creative products.
Which software should I use?
Which rhyming dictionary did Sondheim love?
Which microphone does my favorite podcaster recommend?
Which video editor is the best for TikTok?
And on and on.
Valid questions! But not so useful if you get paralyzed trying to find the perfect answer.
There is so much we don’t know.
You can’t know if a Muji pen will give your writing a boost or if that “how to master dialogue” book will make your script sound like Aaron Sorkin’s.
You can’t make your podcast if you don’t have a microphone. And you can’t ship your work if you’re perpetually at the starting line.
Don’t let product be the enemy of the good. Pick one. It doesn’t matter which.
Then get on to the fun stuff.
It seems all the stuff I'm reading today is all along the same theme! I am in the middle of reading Start More Than You Can Finish A Creative Permission Slip to Unleash Your Best Ideas by Becky Blades, which I can't remember where I came across. In any case, much like you mention you don't know what tools you need until you start, this book, talks about just starting your idea before you know what you are doing. Essentially just do it, just begin and figure out as you go. Which is a philosophy I think I have always embraced, but always felt was the wrong way to do things! But no, I'm going to just keep doing what feels comfortable, and that is to just do it, whether I know how or not. If I'm really interested in the idea/project, invested in completing it, then I will figure out how to do it, and will, eventually, complete it. And if not, then that is okay too. So thanks for this! You don't need the perfect tools to start, you just need one.
I woke up yesterday to this exact debate. I’ve learned that when I let Purpose answer the question, I always make the right decision, at least for that moment. I also like to remember that I’m not making a lifetime commitment to any product, but rather, a learning commitment. Once I’ve learned what I need to, I’m free to move on.