it is really hard going from a-z with creative projects. a = the idea and z = the completed project. so many challenges get in the way of reaching point z. it’s always something you can change, tweak, improve, and the list goes on.
all this working, or procrastinating, on your project could go on for a very long time. however, you must ship. and ship often. exactly what does “shipping” mean? you can think about it in its most basic terms, when you ship something/a product it leaves one location and goes to another. when you are working on a project/product the goal is to ship it from your hands into the hands of the consumer. and the more you ship the better.
real artist ship
steve jobs, the founder of apple, said it best when he said, “real artist ship.” it is important to deliver the goods…at some point! better sooner than later. as an artist you have to finish your project and ship it. ship. ship. ship!
mark zuckerberg posted this stay focused and keep shipping picture of his desk the day facebook filed their ipo.
reasons why you don’t ship
“You – everyone in fact – have all it takes to be a brilliant designer, creator, or author. All that’s holding you back is the lizard. It’s that little voice in the back of your head, the “but” or the “what if” that speaks up at the crucial moment and defeats the joy and insight you brought to the project in the first place. It’s the lizard that ruins your career, stunts your projects, and hinders your organization.” – Seth Godin (in The Truth About Shipping)
i follow seth godin because he is a genius, and in the following video he pinpoints the “lizard brain” as one of the reasons why you end up not shipping.
click here to watch quieting the lizard brain if you can’t view the video. the video is a little over 18 minutes, but it’s really worth investing the time in.
perfection is overrated
everything that i do i feel like it could be better. i think most creative people suffer with this. in the start series i referred to this as “the perfectionist curse”. like this current post on shipping? it could be so much better but i am going to press publish and ship it! and the more i ship the better i will become at what i am shipping. i can’t afford to wait to become better at what i do in order to ship.
so what are you currently working on? stop the procrastinating, stop the thrashing, all the tweaking, and move your project to a shipped status.
here is a pinnable image i made for you!
so what is your experience with shipping or not shipping?
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