When you ain't gots the skillz

So all the time I have these ideas in my head that are way beyond what I'm actually capable of doing. Ideas for projects like with drawing and illustrating and photography and video making and cooking and all these other things I want to do.

It happens with writing too, where I get an idea and feel like its too big for me. I think everyone probably gets that way when they're first starting out doing anything, but we pick the thing we're going to work at and try and improve, and our thing is writing. But I'm talking beyond that, or in addition to or in collaboration with writing. When we want to do a project that requires additional skills that we haven't been working on and training for like we have with writing. Art, videos, music, like I said. Many of the projects I want to do are an expansion of and supplement for writing, like making video poems or illustrating your own children's books. Those require writing skills plus cinematography, video editing and illustrating skills. Which I don't have.

So...what do you do?

1. Drop it. I don't mean this as a bad thing. Sometimes it really is just best to focus our efforts and attention on something else, something more worth while. Prioritize. For example, I would love to write songs, make a cookbook for writers, and videos for YouTube. Eventually I hope to be able to do all three (and lots of others), but for now I simply can't. It's just not possible time-wise, not even taking into account my complete lack of skill in any of those areas. But I can maybe work on one at a time, and obviously I've decided the YouTube video thing is at the top of my list. The others are dropped. For now.

2. Collaborate. If you don't have the skills, find someone who does. Maybe someone you already know, or there's always the option of getting a professional. My sisters a totally amazing artist, and even though I have way more ideas for collaboration than she has time or desire for, she did do the background for this blog. And I hope to rope her into at least a couple more projects before the end. If you need a book cover designed or a marketing strategy for a self-pubbed book, getting help is not a bad idea.

3. Do it anyway. This is my favorite option. The biggest downside is that you are going to make some mistakes. (Have you seen some of my videos? Oh dear...). Especially at first. The awesome idea in your head is still too awesome for your limited skills, which will probably leave you slightly disappointed at the end result. But keep going. Be patient. Practice. Learn. Teach yourself or take extra classes. Fake it till you make it. Doing it this way means you don't have to rely on anyone else, you can get it done the way you want to get it done and when you want to get it done, and even if it leaves something to be desired, it's still totally yours. Your skills will expand, meaning that you become closer and closer to making all those awesome ideas a reality.

Really this is just a long way of me saying please forgive the amateurish videos and illustrations that may appear on this blog. I'm working on it.

What do you think? Do these work, or can you think of other ways to make it work when you don't gots the skillz?

Sarah Allen