Special Post: What to do when your Creative Project fails

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As a creative person, you may fail from time to time on your creative projects. It is important to learn how to deal with these unpleasant moments so that you can grow as a creative person & a human being.

I don't claim in any way to be a master of dealing with failure, but I have picked up some tips along the way as I go about my creative work. So, let me share them with you.

The 90-10 rule

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The basis of handling failure well relies on the 90-10 rule.

The 10% is what happens to you. That is to say, when you work on your creative project & for some reason, it just doesn't work out. For example, you post content and nobody watches it or nobody likes it. Or you audition for something & you don't get it. Or you write a book but not many people buy it. Perhaps you create something and it just doesn't come out the way you pictured it. This part is completely out of your control.

90% is how you react or how you respond to that failure. The most successful creative people out there use these practical tips to respond to creative failures & overcome despair:

1. Curiosity

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Be curious as to why your creative project didn't work out.

Ask yourself why didn't it work out. Really reflect on the whole process of your creative project - stage by stage.

Ask questions like:

What did I do wrong that made it not work out?

What else outside of my actions went wrong that made the project fail?

How can make it better or do it better next time to increase the chances of it succeeding?

What can I do differently to make it succeed next time?

In other words, learn the origin of the failure. Learn the conditions that made that failure possible. For example, if you made a short film & it came out poorly. What conditions contributed to that failure? Was the lighting bad? Was the script drafted in a hurry? Did the actors not rehearse enough? Was the editing rushed?

From here, you'll know how to get around it. Take the failure, not as a personal tragedy, but as simply part of the process.

2. Drive & Determination

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What will keep you inspired even when a creative project doesn't go well is your drive & determination to make it better. The hunger to master your craft quietens any voice of despair in your head.

This often manifests as an inner feeling of satisfaction. It eventually becomes visible to others through a beautiful creative piece that you've made after working on it extensively - even if it initially fails several times.

For example, when you practise singing that song until it sounds just right Or when you give your all in an acting scene over & over until the emotion comes out the way you wanted it to. Perhaps you write an article or a book and you put in all your effort. You write & re-write, edit & re-edit until the words come out crafted so beautifully.

3. Do the work.

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Successful creative people don't shy away from doing the hard work it takes to make their creative projects succeed. So, you need to do the work. Really do the work. There's no easy way around it. If it were that easy, then you wouldn't be pursuing it because you would know in your heart that it's probably not that valuable.

If you are a writer, sit in that chair. Read for inspiration. Then write.

If you are a singer, do those vocal exercises. Practise your singing over & over.

If you are a creative freelancer or entrepreneur, do the work well for clients. Give good products or services to build that trust with clients. Get your name out there. 

Whatever creative project you want to do, just do the work. Practise. Get your name out there. Do the work well. Your creative projects deserve that respect.

Have you ever watched a singer's live performance & wondered how one person could be so amazing? 

It's because they put in the work. They gave their creative project the respect it deserves. They gave themselves the respect they deserve by working the best way they could. 

4. The first time is never perfect.

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If you think that you are going to make the perfect movie, song, skit, painting, podcast or whatever the very first time you are doing it, you're wrong.

Even though we know this at the back of our minds, we forget. So when we fail the creative project on the first try, we get sad & disappointed. We think it's over. But it's not over. It's just the beginning. 

Just remember that anything you've ever done for the first time was a disaster, more often than not. When you think of this, it's actually really funny. This reminds me of when I went to driving school & was behind a steering wheel for the first time. Naturally, I was terrible at it! But this wasn't because I was naturally terrible at driving. It was because it was my first time, and with practice, I've become a much better driver.

The same goes for your creative projects. Don't beat yourself up if you're doing your creative project for the first time & it fails. Think of it as just an experiment. It's just a fun video game. When you lose the game, just play again. The more you play the game, the better you'll be at it.

It also helps not to wait for perfect conditions. You'll learn gradually from your mistakes. If you have an idea, just run with it. 

For example, if you want to shoot a skit & you've never done it before. Write the script today and shoot it tomorrow. Just take it from there & see what happens. No matter what you do, no matter what you get wrong, you will grow as a creative person.

Food for Thought

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Don't give up. You might just give up on that creative project just before it's about to really take off. Many projects fail severally before they become stable & successful.

Anyone can feel upset & hopeless after a failure. However, if you look at it with a mind for progress & learn from it, it will never keep you down.