November 25, 2019 by Jacqueline M. Baker

Isn't it the absolute worst when you know there is something you want to do or you want something to look a certain way or evoke a certain feeling, but you can't quite put your finger on what that is? On this episode of Just Start: From Ideas To Action we will dig into Getting Out Of A Creative Rut with Andrea Williams. 

As much as we believe that some people are just "creative people" and the rest of us our doomed to not be able to create interesting, cool or worthwhile stuff, the truth is that even the most creative folks among us struggle with their creativity sometimes.

In a recent conversation with Andrea Williams, owner/designer of Paisley Paper Co., we had a very transparent conversation about her creative process, how she gets out of her own ruts and when she knows she needs to just leave something alone. 

Here are 7 key lessons from this episode

  • [6:24] After taking multiple business courses, Andrea realized that design was much more of her jam. Andrea didn't know any professional people in her field, but she knew that she felt more confident in the design world, so she started figuring it out. 
  • [8:40] Andrea started her business from an experience of being fired from her job. She started the company after she was fired and needed to pay rent and keep her skills fresh. After sitting in her bedroom and coming up with a logo, she literally just started and ran with it. (btw: she thinks that the logo was pretty basic and said she would dig it up and share it with the world... and we're dying to see it)
  • [12:09] Letting go of expectations. Andrea realized that she had to let to go of what she expected in many design situations, which allowed even better situations to manifest, often. 
  • [15:00] Taking the processes in one part of your life and applying them other part can help you start. Andrea explains how her life motto - "everything always works out for me - always" - shows up in her life. 
  • [16:24] Dealing with self-doubt and imposter syndrome. Andrea deals with self-doubt and imposter syndrome about 85% of the time, but powers through it for her company and her clients. 
  • [18:00] Answering tough, yet necessary questions can help you get moving. Andrea explains how taking negative thoughts, sitting with them and attempting to understand why you're feeling those things can actually help you to refocus. 
  • [24:40] Mistakes and how to deal with them. When you make a mistake, ask yourself, "how can I turn a mistake into an opportunity?

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